Winter is coming for the last time. The final season of Game of Thrones is almost here. But before we sit down to watch one of HBO’s most anticipated season premieres ever, let’s look back on the best Game of Thrones season 8 theories that could predict the show’s end.
Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin’s book series of the same title, has been running for almost eight years. Fans have watched the characters (and the cast) grow up, evolve and develop into the badass individuals we see on-screen today. And though we’re sad to see the fantasy series end, we’re excited to find out what happens—and who will actually sit on the Iron Throne. Plus, with a spinoff on the way, fans will have plenty of Game of Thrones to watch in the future. (Did we mention the spinoff, titled The Long Night, will star Naomi Watts?)
So what will happen at the end of Game of Thrones? Well, of course, creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss is keeping that answer close to their chest, but that hasn’t stopped fans from having their theories. Cast member Emilia Clarke, actress behind Daenerys Targaryen (a.k.a. Khaleesi, a.k.a. the Mother of Dragons) has assured fans that the final season will “shock” viewers. And who are we to doubt her?
Jamie Will Kill Cersei
A lot of this theory takes from the GoT books. In the books, Maggy the Frog prophesied that Cersei would be choked to death by her younger brother. “Three [children] for you. Gold shall be their crowns and gold their shrouds. And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar (High Valyrian for ‘little brother’) shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you.”
Now, Cersei has two younger brothers: Tyrion and Jamie, and considering Tyrion’s rocky relationship with his older sister, it’s easy to assume that he would be the one to strangle Cersei to death. But there’s a clue in season 7 of GoT that suggests Cersei’s killer may be Jamie. In “Dragonstone,” Ed Sheeran’s character, an anonymous Lannister soldier, sings a song called “Hands of Gold,” which references a man filled with “shame and bliss” for his lover. Considering Cersei and Jamie’s incestual relationship and the song’s reference gold hands, perhaps the tune is a clue that Jamie will choke his older twin sister to death.
Tyrion Will Betray Daenerys
Tyrion and Daenerys have become close allies in the past couple GoT seasons. But could he have a plan to betray her? In the season 7 finale, there’s a scene where Tyrion tries to convince Cersei to work with Daenerys and Jon—until he notices that she’s pregnant. The scene then cuts to the Dragonpit, leaving viewers to wonder what Tyrion and Cersei talked about after his discovery. Knowing that Daenerys is unable to have children (or so she’s told), could Tyrion have made a deal with Cersei so her unborn child could become king or queen? This theory also provides a reason for why Tyrion was listening so closely to Daenerys and Jon having sex. If Daenerys was to become pregnant, his plan would be foiled.
Tyrion Is a Targaryen
The Lannisters have never really taken a liking to Tyrion. Could it be because he’s actually a Targaryen? According to this theory, Tyrion may be the illegitimate child of Aerys “The Mad King” Targaryen and Joanna Lannister, which may explain why Daenerys’s dragons like him so much. According to WinterIsComing, the books detail Aerys’s obsession with Joanna, despite her marriage to Tywin Lannister. This led to theories that Aerys’s lust led to him actually sleeping with (and impregnating) Joanna, with only Tywin knowing the truth. Because Joanna died giving birth to Tyrion, Tywin never had a close relationship with his youngest son. His final words to Tyrion were even, “You’re no son of mine.” Many interpreted the comment as another way of Tywin showing his disdain for Tyrion, but there be some truth in his statement?
Ned Stark Is Alive
Anyone who has seen GoT knows that Ned Stark died in the first season—or so we thought. According to this theory, Ned isn’t dead but in hiding after he was swapped with an imposter. The theory claims that Ned and Jaqen H’ghar of the Faceless Men were being held prisoner at the Red Keep at the same time. We learn this when Arya meets Jaqen as he’s being transported out of the Red Keep as a prisoner. The theory suggests that Jaqen was captured on purpose so he could replace Ned with an imposter before his execution in a plan devised by Varys. The theory continues by claiming that Ned has been in hiding this entire time, trying to pay off his debt to Varys for saving his life.
Bran Is the Night King
This Reddit theory suggests that Bran has traveled back in time so often to stop the Night King that he’s become stuck inside of him. Isaac Hempstead-Wright, who plays Bran, responded to this theory in a Vulture interview in 2017. “I think it’s less that they’re the same person and more that they’re two of the ancient beings of Westeros,” he said “Perhaps we can think of it as these are two characters with a huge amount of power, but one is a Frankenstein’s monster who is driven by nothing but hatred and violence. Then there’s Bran, who uses his powers for good.” Let it be known that Hempstead-Wright said this before he saw the script for season 8, so don’t rule out the theory just yet. The theory was even more support when the season 8 teaser was released, and it showed Jon, Sansa and Ayra walking through a dark tunnel without Bran. The teaser ends with a feather freezing, leading fans to think that Bran was the one who did it.
Daenerys Is Pregnant with Jon’s Child
In season 1, Mirri Maz Duur told Daenerys that she was barren and unable to have children. That information was questioned in season 7 when Jon told Daenerys that Mirri Maz Duur wasn’t as reliable of a source as she thought. Much of season 7 also focused on how Daenerys is the “last” Targaryen and how her dragons are the only children she will ever have, which many believe to be a clue that there’s something more, especially after Daenerys and Jon sleep together. Season 7 also saw Ser Jorah telling Jon to keep the Longclaw, an ancestral Mormont sword, for his future children, which only further fueled the theory that a Jon and Daenerys baby is coming.
Jon Will Survive the War and Win the Game of Thrones
This theory is based on the recent season 8 teaser, which shows Jon, Sansa and Arya looking at statues of themselves. Sansa and Arya’s statues are of them at their current age, while Jon’s statue looks like him years in the future as an old man. Many believe this to be a clue that Jon goes on to survive the war, win the game of thrones and live to old age.
Varys Is a Merman
Not every theory is so game-changing. There’s a theory that Varys is a merman because of the long robes he wears, which cover the lower half of his body and possible fin. Another clue came when Tyrion threatened to throw Varys off a ship, and he responds, “You might be disappointed by the result.” Fans have also pointed out that Varys traveled from Dorne to Daenerys’s ship in Mereen overnight in season 7, and the only way he could do that is if he was super-fast merman.
Daenerys or Jon Is the Prince or Princess Who Was Promised
There’s been a theory that Jon is the reincarnation of Azor Ahai, a legendary figure in A Song of Ice and Fire “who fought against [the darkness] with a red sword” and “arose to give courage to the race of men and lead the virtuous into battle with his blazing sword Lightbringer.” According to prophecy, “When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone.”
Since she was introduced, Melisandre has been searching for the The Prince Who Was Promised or the Lord of Light, which many believe to be the incarnation of Azor. It’s assumed that The Prince Who Was Promised is Jon, but in season 7, Missandei informs Melisandre that the word “prince” actually doesn’t have a gender, meaning that it could also be a woman like Daenerys.
Sam Is the One Telling the Story
Fans still don’t know who the narrator of the GoT books are, and thus, who’s telling the story in the show. Though many assume it to be Jon, Bran or even George R.R. Martin, there’s a meta theory that Sam is the one telling the story. John Bradley, who plays Sam, told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016, “One theory is that what we’re seeing now and how we’re experiencing Game of Thrones is Sam telling the story of Game of Thrones. f you take the logic of the story now, the story of Westeros and the story of the battle for the Iron Throne, it would be a book in that library.”
Fans have also pointed out that in his scenes at the Citadel library in Oldtown, San can be seen near a gyroscope very similar one in the GoT theme song. So meta.
