Through seven seasons we’ve heard over and over that “when you play the Game of Thrones you win or you die.” Though we’ve seen a ton of that second part, we’ve only seen characters win battles and not wars. In the final season we’re prepared to get a war that will lead to an ultimate winner. However, the way the intrigue and drama has unraveled throughout the years, we can honestly say we have no idea how this will all turn out. With more traditional series, viewers can make educated guesses about what’s to come. While Game of Thrones is a lot of things, it’s not traditional, so there’s no telling what the end will bring.
At this point we assume most people know the show is based on the A Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R.R. Martin. With that much information to mine for clues, and a full year of time to kill, it’s no surprise the internet is overflowing with crazy fan theories about how things will end for the characters of Westeros. Some are more realistic and based on credible events in the show, while others are just out there, bananapants crazy speculation. To prepare everyone for the April 14th Season 8 premiere, we’ve compiled 10 Game of Thrones fan theories that might come true and 10 that are just too wild. We know you’re wondering how anything can be too wild for a show with dragons and ice zombies, but read on to see what we found.
20 MIGHT COME TRUE: JON IS THE PRINCE WHO WAS PROMISED
One of the few theories that Game of Thrones’ fans agree on is that Jon Snow is the prince who was promised, which is a reincarnation of Azor Ahai. The Cliff’s Notes version of the prophecy says that the prince will be reborn and have the blood of the dragon.
Melisandre in particular has been very vocal about believing Jon to be the chosen one, as she’s seen snow in her visions about Azor Ahai. The prophecy has been mentioned several times in the last few seasons, so it seems like something they have to pay off before the credits roll for good.
19 TOO WILD: BRAN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING
Once Bran fully embraced his visions, he was full speed ahead to using his powers. During training the Three Eyed Raven cautioned him not to stay in the past too long or get too connected while inside someone’s head.
We saw a small hint of this when a younger Ned sensed his presence. Then, things went horribly wrong when existing in both times cost Hodor his mind and his life. The arrogance we’ve seen him have as the Three Eyed Raven tells us that he hasn’t quite learned his lesson yet. We can see a story where Bran went back in time at some point and his lack of control or forethought led to him causing all these problems in the future.
18 MIGHT COME TRUE: JAIME TAKES OUT CERSEI
Cersei is the worst. She’s unapologetically done whatever it took to become queen and keep her family in power. She’s established a very high body count over the years. Arya isn’t the only one who wants to destroy her. Everyone has a theory on how she should meet her end, but a popular one is that her brother/lover should do the deed.
Over the course of the show, Jaime has gone on a slow redemption journey to reclaim his honor. If Cersei’s betrayal leads to massacres in the North or King’s Landing, Jaime may see her as a Mad Queen and deliver a similar fate to her.
17 TOO WILD: GENDRY IS ACTUALLY CERSEI AND ROBERT’S SON
In one of the most surprising moments in the show’s history, Joffrey had all his father’s illegitimate children eliminated so there would be no possible challenge to his crown. Gendry managed to escape and ended up hiding in plain sight in Flea Bottom. However, there are some fans who think he’s actually Cersei and Robert’s son.
Cersei would have wanted only the children she had with Jaime to be recognized as heirs to the throne and could have easily cast Robert’s son aside to protect the Lannister line. The only thing that gives us pause, is that Cersei’s one saving grace was her unwavering love for her kids. She wouldn’t abandon her child, even if Robert was the father.
16 MIGHT COME TRUE: TYRION IS A TARGARYEN NOT A LANNISTER
Tywin made no secret of his disdain for Tyrion. He often told him he was no son of his. Everyone assumed this was because of Tyrion’s status as a dwarf, but perhaps it was more literal. Apparently, Aerys Targaryen was enamored with Joanna Lannister and wasn’t a man who would care that she was married.
Knowing this makes the idea that Tyrion is a Targaryen a real possibility. What seems to convince people the most is that Daenerys’ dragons are ok with him. He’s also never fit in at all with the rest of his family, leading fans to think he could be the third part of the three headed dragon.
15 TOO WILD: BRAN IS ACTUALLY THE NIGHT KING
In “The Door” we saw that Bran has a weird connection to the Night King. We also know he can go back in time and observe events or travel into someone else’s mind. Taking all these elements into account has led some to guess that Bran is actually the Night King.
The theory posits that Bran went back to the creation of the white walkers and tried to find a way to stop them from becoming a threat. Unfortunately, he ends up losing himself in the mind of the vicious Night King. This would certainly explain how the Night King was able to touch him and track him during his vision. Of course, this is something Bran would’ve discovered once he gained his full powers.
14 MIGHT COME TRUE: THE CLEGANES FINALLY FIGHT
Since day one, viewers have been waiting for the Cleganebowl. Sandor Clegane, aka The Hound, and his brother Gregor Clegane, aka The Mountain, have been destined for a fight to the death since they were children. After he was seemingly mortally injured during his fight with The Viper, we thought The Mountain was done. However, Qyburn “fixed” him.
In the Season 7 finale, The Hound made it clear to his brother that no matter what else was going on in the world, they were still headed for a showdown. Honestly, we don’t think one of them will win. This feels like the kind of fight that ends with both men permanently knocked out.
13 TOO WILD: ARYA USES JAIME’S FACE TO DEFEAT CERSEI
The list of who gets to eliminate Cersei has narrowed to Jaime or Arya. Of course, it could be both. We’ve seen Arya use her Faceless Man powers a few times now, so they’re not a mystery anymore. Though Jaime is trying to be better, Arya probably isn’t interested in forgiving him for his previous sins. She’s also smart enough to know he’s the best way to get to Cersei.
Arya may decide to assassinate Jaime in order to use his face to take out Cersei. It would be even more devastating for Cersei to be taken down by the one person in the whole world she loves, only for her to realize at the last minute that it’s actually one of her sworn enemies.
12 MIGHT COME TRUE: THE MAESTERS ARE CONSPIRING WITH CERSEI
From the beginning what set Game of Thrones apart was the political intrigue. Sure, the fighting, romance and dragons is great, but it’s the backstabbing that we’re all talking about the next day. Westeros is a world where no one can be trusted, so we wouldn’t be surprised to learn the Maesters of the Citadel were in the pocket of Queen Cersei.
They have taken a hard line against anything magical, which means they would be very threatened by a powerful young woman who can control dragons and can’t be burned. They would absolutely see Daenerys as a threat to their power and would want to stick with the status quo, even it’s Cersei.
11 TOO WILD: EURON IS THE FATHER OF CERSEI’S BABY
It’s not that we don’t think Euron can be the father of Cersei’s baby, we just really don’t want it to be true. Euron is an obnoxious sociopath who should never be within 200 yards of any child, let alone one that he could have influence over. No kid deserves to have Cersei and Euron as its parents. The Night King would be a better father.
Actually, we’re not even completely sold on Cersei being pregnant. We’ve watched enough soap operas to spot a conveniently timed pregnancy when we see one. Cersei knew she was losing Jaime and needed a way to keep controlling him. Plus, it didn’t hurt that she could also use the baby to manipulate Tyrion.
10 MIGHT COME TRUE: THE IRON BANK TURNS ON CERSEI
If we had a nickel for every time we heard “a Lannister always pays his debts,” we’d be as rich as the Lannisters used to be. Cersei thought she had finally gained an upper hand when she repaid her family’s debt to the Iron Bank, but maybe she just made it easier for them to double cross her.
The Iron Bank doesn’t take sides, it does what’s best for the Bank. While they may be mad at Dany for ending slavery in Essos, they may also recognize that she’s the best bet in the coming fight and decide to switch sides. Things may not be as settled as Cersei thinks they are.
9 TOO WILD: TYRION MADE A DEAL WITH CERSEI, WILL BETRAY EVERYONE
As much as we like Tyrion, we can never lose sight of the fact that he’s a brilliant manipulator. He is a Lannister after all. We didn’t see his whole conversation with Cersei, so perhaps there was a deal made that we haven’t found out about yet. A looming betrayal could certainly be the reason he looked so upset about Jon and Dany being together.
Is this theory a possibility? Yes. Do we think it will really happen? No. Even if his sister offered some kind of deal, Tyrion is smart enough to know she can’t be trusted. He also seems to truly believe in the cause and wouldn’t want to betray his queen. Of course, we’re still keeping our eyes wide open.
8 MIGHT COME TRUE: BRAN SACRIFICES HIMSELF TO DEFEAT THE NIGHT KING
Here’s the thing, someone is going to make the big sacrifice to save the world. It’s not clear yet who that will be, but Bran is a good choice, as his connection to the Night King might have to be severed permanently to save everyone else.
We’ve seen stories like this before, where good and evil are two sides of the same coin and to get rid of one, you must take out the other. So, if Bran is Harry and the Night King is Voldemort, it stands to reason that he will have to sacrifice himself to stop evil from swallowing the world.
7 TOO WILD: JON MUST SACRIFICE DAENERYS TO SAVE THE KINGDOM
Going back to the Azor Ahai prophecy, the end of it says the warrior stabbed his love with a sword to make it the most powerful in creation. In Jon Snow’s world, this could translate to him sacrificing his love to find the strength to defeat the Night King.
Over the years, Game of Thrones has delivered some cruel fates to its fans, but even it couldn’t be so mean to have Jon and Dany’s story end this way. After waiting years for the two to meet and combine forces, they wouldn’t do that to Jon Snow and make him lose another love right? Though we think it’s highly unlikely, we’re at a point where we know everyone is fair game for a tragic ending.
6 MIGHT COME TRUE: ARYA USES LITTLEFINGER’S FACE TO MANIPULATE PEOPLE
The Stark children teaming up to deliver justice to Baelish was one of the highlights of Season 7. Though, it turns out Littlefinger may not have outlived his usefulness. Since Arya did the deed, she could use his face to find out information on the family’s enemies. Arya sneaking around King’s Landing as Baelish, interacting with people on her list would be amazing to watch.
She might decide she can use Baelish to get closer to Cersei and in the process stir the pot in King’s Landing. At the very least, this would provide a reason for Aiden Gillen to return as one of TV’s most fascinating villains.
5 TOO WILD: JON AND DANY ARE MARRIED, SHE BECOMES A WHITE WALKER
It has long been theorized by fans that Jon and Daenerys are the ice and fire of the story. Now that they’ve finally met, we’re wondering how their combined knowledge and abilities will save the realm. The answer may lie in the past.
There was once a treaty that a Stark commander of the Night’s Watch would marry a woman from the others and give their children to the white walkers. That arrangement has since been broken. Some think Jon and Dany may get married and she will be turned into a walker to keep the truce in place. It may fall in line with canon, but this would be a controversial ending that sends fans into a frenzy of rage.
4 MIGHT COME TRUE: SANSA AND TYRION END UP WITH THE IRON THRONE
With everyone focused on how things will turn out between Jon and Daenerys, no one is talking about another interesting reunion: Sansa and Tyrion. Though their marriage was only for political reasons and never consummated, they’re technically still married.
If neither Jon or Dany survives the Great War, maybe Sansa is the last one left standing to rule the kingdom. She would need someone she trusts at her side and Tyrion makes the most sense. The seven kingdoms could finally be reunited under sane, fair leaders. This would also be an ending fans could live with if it’s presented right.
3 TOO WILD: NED STARK HAS BEEN ALIVE THIS WHOLE TIME
If you go way back to Season 1 and remember the events immediately following Ned Stark’s demise, there were a lot of little comments from his family about how he didn’t look the same. We thought these were just reactions to the family’s shock and grief, but what if they literally meant he didn’t look like Ned.
A few fans seem to think that right before he was taken to be sentenced, Varys had Ned switched with Syrio, a Faceless Man. Syrio was the one executed and Ned has been alive all this time watching and moving events from the shadows. This twist wouldn’t surprise us, but Ned wouldn’t be able to stay hidden through the Red Wedding and the Battle of the Bastards.
2 MIGHT COME TRUE: MELISANDRE COMES BACK WITH AN ARMY
Before she returned to Volantis Melisandre told Varys, "I will return, dear Spider, one last time. I have to die in this strange country, just like you." She then went back to her Red Temple where another powerful priestess, Kinvara, resides. Kinvara had previously told Tyrion that she would get her people to follow Daenerys.
Despite their falling out, Melisandre still very much believes that Jon is the prince who was promised. With a huge battle looming and Melisandre very aware of what’s at stake, she could convince Kinvara to help her bring Volantis’ army the Fiery Hand to cross the narrow sea and join the war.
1 TOO WILD: JON AND DANY WIN, RULE THE REALM
Despite all evidence to the contrary, we have to believe that the armies of man will prevail over the white walkers. We don’t doubt that victory will come at a very high cost, but who says that has to be the lives of Jon and Daenerys.
Just maybe Game of Thrones will do the one thing none of us is expecting and give the characters a happy ending. Yes, we know the show has emotionally devastated us for years, but perhaps the award for making it through all that is to see Jon and Dany rule the seven kingdoms together. Ok, who are we kidding? As much as we all love Game of Thrones, absolutely no one is expecting a happy ending for anyone.