After eight seasons, “Game of Thrones” fans will finally see if their long-held theories will pay off. Dozens of important characters and a complex plot have made diehard viewers try to foresee plot twists for years. With the original R+L=J theory confirmed, meaning that Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark were the real parents of Jon Snow, fan speculations have ramped up for the final season. Here are a few theories that even the grand maesters can’t predict. Tyrion is a Targaryen Tywin Lannister was never a fan of his son Tyrion, who killed his mother in childbirth, and frequently called him, “No son of mine.” Eagle-eyed “A Song of Ice and Fire” readers noticed suggestions that the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen was actually Tyrion’s father, which would make him a brother to Daenerys and Rhaegar, and the symbolic third head of the Targaryen dragon sigil. Threes are important to the Targaryens––Daenerys and King Aegon had three dragons, and Dany heard a prophecy in the books saying, “The dragon has three heads.” However, it seems more likely in the show that Jon Snow is the only secret Targaryen. Likelihood: 1/5 Drunkenly Dancing Tyrions Jaime will kill Cersei The Kingslayer might end up a Queenslayer. Maggy the Frog, the witch from Season Five who prophesied that all of Cersei’s kids would die, also predicted in the books that she would die at the hands of her little brother (her “valonqar”). With Cersei a few seconds older than her twin brother Jaime, that leaves him and Tyrion as her potential killers. As we saw in the season eight premiere, Jaime left King’s Landing to aid the Winterfell forces against the white walkers, surely angering his sister. The Hound and the Mountain may not be the only siblings who battle to the death this season. Likelihood: 5/5 Glasses of Cersei Wine Bran is the Night King Thanks to his time-warpy greensight and warg powers, Bran has the ability to travel back and impact history in the “Game of Thrones” universe. He witnessed the birth of the Night King thousands of years ago and broke Hodor’s mind when he was just an innocent stable boy named Wylis in Winterfell. Fans think Bran might find a way to go back in time and live as other historic characters in the series, like Bran the Builder of ancient Stark family fame. He obviously has an important stake in the “Thrones” story, but could he actually be the big bad Night King? Likelihood: 3/5 Awkwardly Staring Brans Cleganebowl will happen Sandor Clegane a.k.a. the Hound vs. Gregor Clegane a.k.a. the Mountain in a brotherly battle of Super Bowl proportions. This is the showdown everyone has been waiting for, and the two have been at each other’s throats since Gregor held Sandor’s face in a fire, leaving him with his hideously iconic burn. The season seven finale briefly brought the two together at the all-cast reunion in King’s Landing, but left fans craving a fraternal showdown. “Game of Thrones” is all about payoffs, and this could result in one of the most ferocious fights in the show’s history. Bonus points if the Hound dies, then gets reanimated as a white walker, resulting in a completely undead Cleganebowl. Likelihood: 5/5 Scowling Hounds Jon and Daenerys’ child will rule Westeros If the season eight premiere was any indication, some people aren’t too excited for Daenerys to take the Iron Throne. Jon already pledged his loyalty to the Targaryen princess, and even though he was revealed to be the rightful heir to the Throne, he’s never been too keen on leadership positions––his reigns as the Night’s Watch Commander and the King in the North were pretty reluctant. With the two main characters shacking up, many predict Daenerys will end up getting pregnant and giving birth to a little royal baby. However, chances are that she, Jon or some other character will survive to rule, plus “Game of Thrones” isn’t the type to flash forward to a fully-grown Jonaerys offspring on the Throne. Likelihood: 2/5 Princes That Were Promised The Night King will resurrect long-dead characters The only thing that could make the final “Thrones” battles more intense would be if dead fan-favorites were revived to fight as parts of the white walker army. We’ve seen the Night King bring back Viserion as a zombie dragon in the last season finale, and since then fans have been clamoring for more undead characters. The Winterfell crypt has gotten a lot of attention this season, and its addition to the show’s revamped title sequence could point to Stark family members, like Ned, Catelyn and Robb, being resurrected. Book-readers were outraged at the lack of Lady Stoneheart, a revived Catelyn Stark post-Red Wedding, so this may be a way to remedy her absence from the show. Who knows if those actors would want to return to “Thrones” so long after their departures, so expect minor characters, like Tormund or Grey Worm, to potentially die and get brought back. Likelihood: 2/5 Blue-Eyed Baby Zombies<doc-sep>There’s a super-convincing Game of Thrones fan theory that Daenerys will *choose* to be the Night Queen by the end of the season. The theory is based on evidence from Dany’s House of the Undying vision in season two. Today in Game of Thrones fan theories we’re obsessing over, a Redditor named marisaann26 is out here with a potential plot twist that would shake the icicles right off the Night King’s cold, dead heart. And said twist predicts that our girl Daenerys Targaryen, woman who’s casually sleeping with her nephew, will voluntarily become the Night Queen. I’ll give you a moment. The theory is predicated on a vision Daenerys has in season two, when she walks into the mostly destroyed throne room in King’s Landing and (amid a shower of snow) reaches out to touch the throne, only to hear her dragons crying. She leaves the room and ends up Beyond the Wall in a tent with Khal Drogo and their son Rhaego. But rather than stay with them, she goes to find her dragons, who are chained to a table. Our Redditor buddy tells us that parts of the vision have already come true: “Dany going toward the throne but is drawn Beyond the Wall = when, in S7, Dany was going to go attack King’s Landing and take the throne by force, but she was told Jon and company Beyond the Wall need rescuing.” “Dany hearing the dragon cries = S7, the dragons crying Beyond the Wall after Viserion was killed by the NK [the Night King].” This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. The part of the vision that hasn’t been paralleled yet is Dany leaving Drogo and her baby (aka her human loved ones) to be with her dragons. Which brings us to the theory: that the rest of Dany’s dragons will be killed and turned into ice dragons, forcing Dany to ditch Jon Snow (and their baby—if she ends up pregnant like some fans think!) in order to be with them. And in doing so, she will join forces with the Night King. Per marisaann26: “In an interview with the actor that plays the NK, he said that ‘we will learn WHO the Night King is after.’ In an interview with Emilia Clarke (Dany), she talks about the final season and said, ‘It fucked me up—knowing that is going to be a lasting flavor in someone’s mouth of what Daenerys is and that Dany is doing really weird stuff.’ [...] One way or another, both living dragons will die in battle. Distraught by losing her dragons, Dany will be persuaded to join the Night King to be reunited with her dragons = she gets her ICE THRONE.” This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. If you do need more convincing, I gotchu. The theory also points out that in the “history and lore” of Game of Thrones, there’s the story of a Nightfort commander (reminder: the Nightfort is an abandoned castle of the Night’s Watch) who fell in love with “a woman made of ice.” Legend has it that she became his Ice Queen and they ruled together. Sure, it’s an old story...but it’s called foreshadowing, ever heard of it? Oh, and two more things: (1) All the snow in Dany’s vision? To quote marisaann26, “She still gets her throne, and that’s why in her vision, the Iron Throne is covered in snow because she’s meant to be on an ice throne.” (2) Yours truly remembered that a fan alllll the way back in 2017 realized that the theme music playing during Dany’s vision in the throne room is none...other...than...the...White...Walkers...theme...music. *Drops mic* This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Mehera Bonner Mehera Bonner is a news writer who focuses on celebrities and royals. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>At this point, we really have no idea who will win the titular game of thrones on HBO’s beloved fantasy series, but a clever callback to a long-dead Game of Thrones character in Season 8, Episode 4 could be a huge hint about how the series ends for Jon Snow. Potential spoilers follow for Game of Thrones Season 8, Episodes 5 and 6. One Game of Thrones fan theory posted to Reddit on Monday night has since been removed from the GoT Theories subreddit on suspicion of being a leak. Among exciting alleged details like Daenerys Targaryen becoming a Mad Queen, Arya wearing Jaime’s face to kill Cersei, and Sansa becoming queen is a humble theory about Jon Snow. In short, he’s forced to kill Dany; then he abdicates the throne to venture north of the Wall in search of Tormund and Ghost. Subscribe for free to Multiverse and get Game of Thrones coverage delivered to your inbox the night the episode airs. This might read like really zealous fan fiction, but Episode 4 had plenty of foreshadowing to support the theory, including one very pointed callback to Maester Aemon — you know, that other Targaryen who chose exile as a member of the Night’s Watch rather than assume the Iron Throne. Maester Aemon of Castle Black in 'Game of Thrones' Season 5. HBO “The Last of the Starks” (Season 8, Episode 4) opened on a mass funeral for everyone who died in the Great Battle of Winterfell, and Jon Snow’s touching eulogy was more or less plagiarized directly from Maester Aemon’s in the Season 4 finale after the Battle of Castle Black. In light of Jon Snow recently being outed as Aegon Targaryen, this callback serves as an interesting reminder of his relationship to Maester Aemon, who’s actually Jon’s great-great-uncle. “They died protecting men, women, and children who will never know their names. … We shall never see their like again.” This might sound like what Jon Snow said during the latest episode, but it’s actually Maester Aemon’s words from four seasons earlier. Here’s what Jon actually said in Season 8, Episode 4: “We’re here to say goodbye to … our fellow men and women who set aside their differences to fight together and die together so that others might live. … It is our duty and our honor to keep them alive in memory for those who come after us and those who come after them for as long as men draw breath … We shall never see their like again.” The survivors burn their dead after the Great Battle of Winterfell. HBO Jon also called those that died defending Winterfell “the shields that guarded the realms of men.” This is an obvious nod to the Night’s Watch vows. Apparently the Night’s Watch and Uncle Aemon are both on Jon’s mind these days, enough so that he’s probably thinking more and more about how Aemon once abdicated the throne by becoming a member of the Night’s Watch. When Jon Snow considers abandoning the Night’s Watch in Season 1 to join Robb Stark’s rebellion, Maester Aemon confesses the truth of his own past. The second son of King Maekar Targaryen, Aemon became a maester, but after his older brother died, many in Westeros thought he should become king. Instead, Aemon enlisted in the Night’s Watch to disqualify himself, and the crown passed to King Aegon V. Eventually, the crown passed on to that man’s son, whom we know as the “Mad King” Aerys. This important piece of Westerosi history is a solid reminder that when good men shirk their responsibility, terrible things can happen. But it probably also offers a blueprint for Jon Snow’s ultimate fate on the show. Assuming Daenerys Targaryen does become a Mad Queen just like her father, Jon Snow might have to be the one to kill her, inadvertently fulfilling a part of the Azor Ahai prophecy. If that does happen, we can’t imagine Jon sticking around to rule Westeros. He’s never wanted to be a leader, and it’s looking less and less likely that he and Dany will rule together. What happens after Dany kills Euron Greyjoy, the Hound kills the Mountain in Cleganebowl, Arya kills Cersei (while wearing Jaime’s face), and then Jon is forced to kill Dany to save everyone? The only possibility that feels practical would be for Jon to immediately give up the throne, let someone else figure out the politics of Westeros, and go into exile in the North. Again, Game of Thrones may have already foreshadowed this decision. What if 'Game of Thrones' ends with Jon Snow venturing north in search of his two best friends? HBO When Jon and Tormund say goodbye during Episode 4, Jon asks his friend to take Ghost with him, saying, “He’ll be happier up there.” “So would you,” Tormund says. “You’ve got the North in you — the real North.” In this scene, Jon is convinced it’s the last time he’ll see Tormund and Ghost, but Tormund just shrugs it off, saying, “You never know.” This also establishes that despite Jon’s many crises of identity, he’ll forever be a ranger of the Night’s Watch. Many GoT fans across the internet were heartbroken that Jon didn’t give his loyal pet direwolf a proper goodbye. What if that’s only because they’ll be reunited very soon? Game of Thrones Season 8 airs Sundays on HBO at 9 p.m. Eastern.<doc-sep>
The battles have ended, the smoke has cleared, and Game of Thrones is over. For better or for worse, people will be talking about Game of Thrones‘ eighth and final season for years to come, but the end of HBO’s hit fantasy series also means the conclusion to one of fans’ favorite activities: Trying to guess what will happen to the citizens of Westeros, and theorizing about who will sit on the Iron Throne. Theories about how the show ran the gamut, from the Cleganebowl (which ruled) to Bran being responsible for King Aerys’ madness (didn’t happen) to time travel (nope). Here’s how some of the most popular Game of Thrones fan theories panned out, but if you haven’t watched the finale yet, watch out:There are some major spoilers for all eight seasons of Game of Thrones ahead. Daenerys will become the real villain and Jon Snow will kill her True. In Game of Thrones‘ first-to-last episode, Daenerys lost her temper and her mind and burned King’s Landing and many of its residents to a crisp. That was enough for Jon — with some difficulty — to realize that Dany had truly gone off the deep end. In the finale, he stabbed Daenerys with a dagger instead of ruling by her side, ending the Mother of Dragons’ reign as queen before it even really started. The Night King isn’t really dead False. After eight seasons of build-up, the White Walkers and their menacing, silent leader were dispatched in a single episode. The zombie army barely warranted a mention as the characters returned to their political squabbles, and fans who thought that the Night King’s spiral pattern held the secret to his return — or who wanted his story to matter at all — ended up disappointed. Bran becomes the Night King False. Bran did become a king, but not the one that everyone expected. At Game of Thrones‘ conclusion, Bran the Broken is ruler of the seven — sorry, six — kingdoms, while his special powers provided the answer to the question of Jon’s true ancestry and not much else. Jamie will kill Cersei (or Arya will kill Cersei wearing Jamie’s face) False. The Lannister twins met their end among the dragon skeletons in King’s Landing as Daenerys brought the entire Red Keep (or a thin smattering of bricks, at least) down on top of them. Jamie gave up a happy ending with Brienne to keep Cersei company while they died, and Arya’s face-switching abilities didn’t even play a minor role in Westeros’ ultimate fate. Jon Snow will melt the Iron Throne, disband the Seven Kingdoms, and return to the North Sort of true. Many of these beats happen, but it’s hard to say that Jon’s really responsible for them. The Iron Throne melts after Daenerys dies, but only because a grieving dragon lashes out in anger. The North absconds from the kingdom, but there’s still a king. Jon ends up spending the rest of his days among the wildlings, but only because he’s condemned to the Wall for killing Daenerys, leaving him without much of a choice. Tyrion is actually a Targaryen False. The theory goes that Tyrion was actually conceived when the Mad King, who apparently lusted after his mother, raped her. Tywin has known all along but covered it up. How else, after all, could Tyrion have removed the chains from the caged dragons without them seeing him as anything more than a light snack? But no, Tyrion survives as the last Lannister, stuck in a job that he hates: He’s Hand of the King yet again. Arya, not Jon or Daenerys, is the Prince Who Was Promised Maybe true? Arya’s big triumph over the Night King had many Game of Thrones viewers wondering if they had the show’s big prophecy all wrong. Maybe it was Arya, not Jon or Daenerys, who was the reincarnation of Azor Ahai, the one destined to deliver the world from darkness. Who knows? Game of Thrones never explained to whom the prophecy referred. It could’ve been Jon, it could’ve been Arya, or it could’ve been a load of hooey. After all, Melisandre has been wrong before. Samwell wrote A Song of Ice and Fire Sort of true.