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  == Development, overview and reception==
  Robb Stark is not a point of view character in the novels and is mostly a background character. His actions are witnessed and interpreted through the eyes of other characters, such as his brother Bran's and mother Lady Catelyn's, as well as memories of Jon Snow's and Theon Greyjoy's.
  James Poniewozik of ''Time'' describes Robb as less eager to seek retaliation than his father Eddard but as more pragmatic.  Poniewozik's overview of the television version of Robb focuses on his role as a foil for Eddard:
  Robb has risen to take his father’s place, as a lord of Winterfell and as a focal character in the show. We never saw what kind of warrior Ned was in the field, but in King’s Landing, he fought a straight-ahead battle, telegraphing his moves, and died for it. Robb, seeing the Lannisters' numbers, shows himself capable of feints and deceptions—albeit at the cost of 2,000 men and the guilt of having sent them on a suicide mission.
  In the third novel, ''A Storm of Swords'', Robb is assassinated in an event called the Red Wedding, which was inspired by the Black Dinner and Glencoe Massacre from Scottish history.  George Martin has said that he decided to kill Robb Stark because he wished to keep the story difficult to predict: "I killed Ned because everybody thinks he’s the hero ... The next predictable thing is to think his eldest son is going to rise up and avenge his father. And everybody is going to expect that. So immediately killing Robb became the next thing I had to do."
  In their 2015 book, ''Game of Thrones and Business'', Tim Phillips and Rebecca Claire agree: 
  The Scottish actor Richard Madden has received positive reviews for his role as Robb Stark in the TV series.