WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 8 of Game of Thrones.

HBO's Game of Thrones provides its most action-packed episode to date in "The Long Night" as the combined forces of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen make their stand against the Night King and his army of the dead. However, amid all the bloodshed and burning corpses, there's an emotional scene that brings to an end the story of a major character, Theon Greyjoy.

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Played by Alfie Allen, Theon dies in Winterfell's godswood while valiantly trying to defend Bran Stark against the Night King. As Theon's journey comes full circle, parallels can be drawn to Tom Hiddleston's Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as both characters embarked on a redemptive path to make up for their pasts. But in the case of Theon, his atonement is far more satisfying.

Theon walking the virtuous path is much more genuine than Loki's methods. Loki caused havoc by trying to invade Earth in Thor, and then by inviting Thanos' forces in for 2012's The Avengers. He also paved the way for Malekith to invade in Thor: The Dark World, impersonated Odin and helped make Asgard vulnerable in Thor: Ragnarok for Surtur to raze.

Marvel did retcon things by having the Scepter (Mind Stone) influence him, but you just can't trust anything he does. He usually acts out of self-interest, which is why even when he was killed by Thanos in Infinity War, fans speculated the God of Mischief created a double and faked his death again. In short, even when Loki's being a hero, his very nature is steeped in deceit. So, when he died, it felt like he got what he deserved.

Theon, on the other hand, crawls back up from the bottom in a more honest and hard-working manner. He betrayed Robb Stark, gave Winterfell to the Boltons and helped the Lannisters take over the Seven Kingdoms. This led to Sansa's torture at the hands of Joffrey, Cersei and Ramsay, as well as Arya going on the run and Rickon's death. In other words, he too had a lot to make up for, as he helped fracture the North, making it weak for when the Night King arrived.

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But as terrible as his fall from grace was, Theon spends a lot of time cleaning up his own mess. He saved Sansa by breaking out of the Reek persona and helped Winterfell get back on its feet. Sure, it's been a slow burn, but time after time Theon risks his life and goes out of his way to save the ones he loves, as we saw this season with his sister, Yara.

He no longer runs from his past or wants shortcuts, which is why he refuses to go back to the Iron Islands, opting to stay and repay the debt he owes the Starks -- a payment we all knew would be in blood. Bran acknowledges this before the Night King kills the soldier, refusing any apology and telling Theon he's "a good man." The emotions swelled once more, reminding the audience how they felt seeing Sansa embrace him upon his return. She knew he could have gone home, but he stuck around as someone who knew he'd most likely die for his adoptive siblings.

Which brings us to our second reason -- his redemption feels earned. Loki, on the other hand, was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and, as we see in Endgame, give him a portal and he'll slip his way out. In fact, in Infinity War, Loki came off as obligated to fight Thanos, but in Theon's case, he's choosing to fight for the living way before the danger presents itself face to face, making his intentions so much more pure and selfless.

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As a result, Theon gets his crowning moment of glory -- similar to Boromir's in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring -- via a most honorable death. It's no longer about cleaning up the mess he made, but about literally staring death in its cold, blue eyes to protect family. As we factor in the tears he's shed, the body parts he's lost and the emotional trauma he's suffered as a powerless man, at this point it's all too obvious Theon sacrificed way more to rise into the light than Loki ever did.

Airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, Game of Thrones stars Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister, Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Maisie Williams as Arya Stark and Kit Harington as Jon Snow.