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Grey Worm acts like a genocidal maniac on the battlefield just because his queen decides to start burning buildings. Why does he not kill her murderer?

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    Because the North remembers! May 21, 2019 at 18:24
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    I think the main reason for acting like a genocidal maniac is loosing Missandei.
    – TGar
    May 21, 2019 at 18:30
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    @TGar - I have to agree. Grey Worm was a very level-headed guy until Missandei was killed. After she is killed, he seems to specifically want to kill Lannister soldiers, as Cersei's supporters. Killing a guy who fought next to him a few times, who surrenders for a completely unexpected crime occurring under inexplicable (from his perspective) circumstances, might be a different matter altogether.
    – tbrookside
    May 21, 2019 at 18:44

2 Answers 2

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Grey Worm took him prisoner at first presumably to avoid a fight with the Westerosi forces so they could come to an agreement together.

Sansa: Where's Jon?

Grey Worm: He is our prisoner.

Sansa: So is Lord Tyrion. They were both to be brought to this gathering.

Grey Worm: We will decide what we do with our prisoners. This is our city now.

Sansa: If you look outside the walls of your city, you'll find thousands of Northmen who will explain to you why harming Jon Snow is not in your interest.

Grey Worm: And you will find thousands of Unsullied who believe that it is.

Game of Thrones, Season 8 Episode 6, “The Iron Throne”

Grey Worm does want to kill Jon but clearly he wants to gain support for it before doing it himself. That is why he states his claim to execute him during the discussion after Yara also wants it.

Grey Worm: We do not need payment. We need justice. Jon Snow cannot go free.

Game of Thrones, Season 8 Episode 6, “The Iron Throne”

The others then have a discussion on screen for a bit and later off screen, presumably they won him round with the compromise of sending him to the Wall as no one is happy then.

Tyrion: Giving you to the Unsullied would start a war. Letting you walk free would start a war. So our new king has chosen to send you to the Night's Watch.

Jon: There's still a Night's Watch?

Tyrion: The world will always need a home for bastards and broken men. You shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. The Unsullied wanted your head of course, but Grey Worm has accepted the justice of a life sentence. Sansa and Arya wanted you freed, but they understand our new king needs to make peace. No one is very happy. Which means it's a good compromise, I suppose.

Game of Thrones, Season 8 Episode 6, "The Iron Throne"

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Because he has orders to kill the enemy on the battlefield, and this is acceptable and honorable behavior for a warrior. Executing prisoners off of the battlefield, without an explicit order from someone in charge, is neither acceptable nor honorable.

If Grey Worm had been there when Jon did the deed, he could have struck Jon down immediately and no one would have questioned it. He wasn't there, and it didn't occur on the battlefield, so now there has to be a sort of due process proceeding.

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    The Unsullied killed soldiers after they surrendered and threw down their weapons. Battlefield honor had little to do with it.
    – Misha R
    May 21, 2019 at 19:33
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    @MishaR you could argue that they were following orders - something that IS a part of an honourable behaviour of a warrior. Unsulied are trained to blindly follow their leaders (even with immoral tasks) and are happy to kill and burn when ordered, but otherwise they are extremely passive in their behaviour.
    – Yasskier
    May 21, 2019 at 21:33
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    That seems like an unusual definition of "honorable." Some people might say that killing unarmed people is excusable under the circumstances, but honorable and excusable are different concepts.
    – Misha R
    May 21, 2019 at 23:18

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