In a series with as much lore and mystery as Game of Thrones, it’s no surprise that there are a plethora of theories on the internet. Though the show has only been around since 2011, the first book was published way back in 1996. And even since then, there have been plenty of theories. A famous one was “R+L=J” which theorized that Rhaegar Targaryen never kidnapped Lyanna Stark and instead, they were in love and had a son who turned out to be Jon Snow. The decades-old concept was proven right in the season seven finale.
With season eight announced as the final set of episodes for the incredibly popular series, it’s time for all theories to either be proven as right or debunked as nonsense. These are the wildest ones around and we’ll see just how legitimate they are in the last six episodes ever.
5. Ned Stark Appearance
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Way back in the first season of Game of Thrones, Ned Stark felt like the main character. He got a ton of screen time, the story seemed to revolve around him, and if you hadn’t read the books, you’d assume he was our hero for the duration of the series. Alas, the ninth episode saw him get beheaded at the command of the awful King Joffrey. It brought a shocking end to our protagonist. Since then, all we’ve gotten was a shot of his severed head and scenes involving a younger Ned.
This theory suggests that Sean Bean will turn up again for the final season. It could happen in a variety of ways. For one, Bran Stark could travel back in time and see his father when he was alive. Another even wilder idea is that Ned never got his head cut off. Supposedly, Varys paid Jaqen H’ghar to replace Ned with an imposter and then flee from Westeros with him. Considering how much time Jaqen spent with Arya and how pivotal Ned’s death is to the show, it would feel like something of a cop-out.
4. Tyrion Targaryen
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In the second book, A Clash of Kings, Daenerys Targaryen enters the House of the Undying. While there, she has a vision of her brother Rhaegar telling her that “the dragon has three heads.” Daenerys does have three dragons and her family’s sigil is indeed a three-headed dragon. However, many believe this idea goes much deeper than physical dragons. The theory says that Tyrion Lannister is actually a Targaryen.
The books made it no secret that the Mad King Aerys Targaryen desired Tywin Lannister’s wife, Joanna. These theorists believe that Aerys impregnated her and Tyrion is their child. Joanna died in childbirth, which also happened to the mothers of Daenerys and Jon Snow, who we just learned was officially a “second head” of the dragon. Tywin held a disdain for Tyrion and even said, “You’re no son of mine,” as his dying words. Plus, Tyrion does very well around those dragons.
3. The White Walkers Win
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This one is pretty self-explanatory. The entire series has seemingly been building to a war between the characters we’ve learned about over the years and the White Walkers. The latter has dominated every battle they’ve been involved in and the one they lost still saw the Night King raise the dead to only add to his army. He killed a dragon with the greatest of ease and also made it join his army.
With all that being said, the White Walkers seem unstoppable. This is Game of Thrones, a show not known for happy endings. Remember the “Red Wedding”? Several cast members, including Maisie Williams, have come out and said fans won’t be pleased with the way things end. Could that be because the undead actually win in the end and all our heroes perish?
2. Cersei And Jamie Die Together
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The very first episode of Game of Thrones ended with the revelation that twin siblings Cersei and Jamie Lannister were actually lovers. Not only that, but Jamie shoved Bran out of a window and proved he would do anything for his sister. Since then, they’ve been through a ton. Jamie lost a hand, Cersei was forced to do a penance walk of shame, and all their of their children have died. At the end of season seven, Jamie finally gave up on Cersei and left her side.
The series has made it clear that Jamie and Cersei are connected. They shared a womb and loved each other more than they loved anyone else. A young Cersei was told by a seer that she would be queen, watch her three kids die, and then be killed by her valonqar. Valonqar means “little brother” in Valyerian. It seems like Jamie has to be the one to end Cersei, but many think it happens at a moment where he dies too. It makes sense for them to enter the world together and leave it the same way.
1. Bran Is The Night King
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Talk about a game changer. In season six, we learned that not only could Bran see the past, but that he could manipulate it. He was inadvertently behind Hodor turning into someone who could only say one word for the rest of his life. There’s also a moment where Bran yells for his father, who seems to hear him. The idea is that Bran goes back in time to try and stop this war from happening in the first place, but fails several times.
The Mad King was known to hear voices and when he died, he yelled “burn them all” over and over. What if that was Bran trying to communicate with him how to kill the White Walkers and not him going mad? He then goes back further and inhabits the body of Bran The Builder, who helped build the wall. That would still be too soon. Finally, he goes back a third time to before the White Walkers existed. He inhabits the man who is turned into the first White Walker and gets stuck there. He loses himself and is the White Walker. It could explain why he subconsciously lashes out at the Three-Eyed Raven and why he leaves Jon Snow alone during his encounters with the White Walkers. A wild theory, but one that would explain a lot of what happens in the series.