Heading into the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones, Westeros is sure to see some of its preemptive players finally bite the dust.
And given the sheer number of major characters on the show, it’s well within reason to expect almost half of them to meet their ultimate fate.
But whose most likely to pay the iron price as we head into the second-to-last episode of Game of Thrones?
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ‘GAME OF THRONES’ SEASON 8 WILL FOLLOW AFTER THE GIFs.
In Big Trouble
These are the characters whose survival I’m *severely* concerned about heading into the Battle of King’s Landing.
Grey Worm – Now that he’s lost Missandei, Grey Worm is likely going to kill over 1,000 men by himself before being carried out on his shield like the true warrior he is.
Brienne of Tarth – Brienne’s officially had the taste of Jaime and we have a feeling she’s not going to want to let it go, which may lead her into some precarious, life-threatening situations. Now, some might say the last we saw of Brienne, she was still at Winterfell protecting Sansa, as she’s sworn to do — and that’s fair. But this pick is based on my hope that the writers aren’t stupid enough to leave Brienne of Tarth, arguably the show’s greatest warrior, on the sidelines for the final battle.
The Hound – The Hound, although close to coming full circle, still has one *mountain-sized* personal demon to slay before it’s all said and done. Unfortunately, it may (likely) cost him his life.
Euron Greyjoy – Leading the Iron Fleet on the frontlines against a FURIOUS Daenerys Targaryen, Euron is all but a lock to meet a grizzly end in some way, shape, or form.
Qyburn – This diddler has just got to go.
50/50
A total toss up. The people in this category have as good of a chance at living as they do dying.
Gendry Baratheon – Now that Gendry has unsuccessfully shot his shot with Arya, there’s not much else keeping him alive. Then again, there’s really no reason to kill him, either.
Jaime Lannister – Headed back down to King’s Landing to deal with Cersei (in one way or another), it’s tough to see a scenario where Jaime makes it out of the Battle of King’s Landing alive.
Arya Stark – While Arya would usually be one of our top candidates for survival, her line to the Hound in last week’s episode about her not returning home is certainly cause for concern.
Daenerys Targaryen – This would be the big one. Given that her brain trust has been beheaded and her forces have been depleted, Dany is as vulnerable as she’s been since season 1.
Cersei Lannister – God, please let this be the episode. Please.
Probably (Hopefully) Safe
It’s tough to imagine a scenario where these characters die with three episodes remaining.
Davos Seaworth – Davos is one of those characters whose death wouldn’t really make any narrative sense but would still fell like a kick in the gut all the same. Notoriously not a fighter, the only situation where we can see Davos biting the dust is if he has to sacrifice himself for others.
Podrick Payne – There’s really just no reason for Game of Thrones to off Podrick at this stage. Not only is he beloved by fans, but the actual character of Podrick Payne seems to be universally loved in the Game of Thrones universe itself.
Bronn – Bronn is seemingly unkillable, which honestly, is fine with us.
Sansa Stark – Sansa seems like she has the strongest chance of surviving out of all remaining characters.
Tyrion Lannister – For Tyrion to make it alllll this way only to die with an episode to go would be a real kick in the face from the Game of Thrones writers.
Jon Snow – Jon Snow has simply been through too damn much to fall at the hands of Cersei. Just don’t see it happening. The only question that faces Jon heading into these final two episodes is whether he eventually sits on the Iron Throne.
The final season of ‘Game of Thrones’ — which first premiered on Sunday, April 17, 2011 — will conclude its eighth and ultimate season on Sunday, May 19.