15 major 'Game of Thrones' theories that could still totally come true
Warning: This post contains spoilers for the fourth episode of Season 8 of Game of Thrones.
There are just two episodes of Game of Thrones left before the series concludes on Sunday, May 19. That's not much time to wrap up all the loose ends that the show has spun, but it is just enough time for several major Game of Thrones fan theories to still come true.
Since the beginning of the series, viewers have speculated about an array of potential endings for GoT and its characters. As time wore on, some theories were disproven or simply became impossible. (R.I.P. zombie Catelyn's Lady Stoneheart character, which never came to be.) But while the past few episodes have been bloody for several major characters, with Lyanna Mormont, Missandei, Theon Greyjoy, and more losing their lives, there are still many players left in the game. And that means that most of the theories about characters like Cersei, Arya, Jaime, Jon, Daenerys, and Tyrion are still completely viable.
So as you watch these next two episodes, be prepared for anything to happen, and know that absolutely no one is safe.
1. Jaime is Azor Ahai and he'll kill Cersei
There's an Azor Ahai (aka the Prince that was Promised) theory for pretty much every character. (Seriously, there's even one for Hot Pie.) But the Jaime Lannister one is starting to seem more and more believable, especially after Reddit user byrd82 noted that a mistranslated Valyrian phrase could give the Azor Ahai prophecy new meaning. Most people assume the prophecy means "lord of light," but the Valyrian word for "lord" is similar to the word for "gold," and the word for "light" is also strikingly close to the word for "hand." That might've led to some confusion; maybe Melisandre should have pledged herself to Jaime, owner of a golden hand rather than a lord of light?
As the legend goes, Azor Ahai will be reborn to save the land, but he (or she) will have to sacrifice their love to summon the power to prevail. It's long been believed that Jaime will kill Cersei, because in the books she's prophesied to die via a brother. Jaime's bond with Cersei runs so deep that he presumably left Brienne over it, but he might still see that killing his love is the only way to save everyone.
2. Arya will become a Queenslayer
Cersei has been on Arya's kill list for several seasons now, and there's new evidence from Melisandre that Arya will be the one to bring the queen down. During Season 8, Episode 3, Melisandre reminded Arya that she predicted she would "shut many eyes forever," including brown, blue, and green eyes. Cersei has green eyes, which has many fans believing Arya is on her way to King's Landing now to kill the queen.
However, others have pointed out that Arya may kill Queen Daenerys instead, who also appears to have green eyes. It's possible that Arya will take Dany out in the next episode to avoid the slaughter of King's Landing.
3. Arya's going to become the Lone Wolf
When Arya and The Hound rode off to King's Landing, Arya said she had unfinished business there and that she didn't plan to come back. Perhaps she knows she will die trying to kill Cersei. This is foreshadowed in Season 7 when Sansa said to Arya, "The lone wolf dies but the pack survives." Arya set off on her own and left her pack (Bran, Sansa, and Jon) behind, so sadly, this fan favorite character may not make it out of the series alive.
4. CleganeBowl is on
Fans have been rooting for a battle between the Clegane brothers (The Hound and The Moutain, who's basically a reanimated zombie now) forever. Last time The Hound saw his brother, in Season 7, he reminded The Mountain that he was still coming for him. In GoT's most recent episode, The Hound said that he had unfinished business and rode away from Winterfell with Arya to King's Landing, presumably for the duo to carry out their kills.
5. Rhaegal isn't dead — or there are more dragons
In the preview for Episode 5, Euron can be seen looking up from his ship in shock. What would surprise him at this point if he's already seen Drogon? Maybe seeing Rhaegal fall into the water wasn't enough of a confirmed kill, and the dragon is actually alive. Or, more likely, there are more dragons about to come to Dany's aid.
According to Inverse, some fans think that Drogon laid eggs back in Season 5 when the dragon disappeared for awhile. Others, meanwhile think that — as the books might suggest — there are dragon eggs hidden under Winterfell. Could Dany's presence there have woken them up?
On Twitter, one fan pointed out that the opening credits contain an image of four dragons. Now, that could be explained as mother Dany and her three children, but maybe the big dragon is actually Drogon and the three smaller ones are the children about to come to Dany's side.
6. This whole thing is Bran's fault
Some fans think that Aerys Targaryen, the "mad king," was driven mad by Bran. Like how Bran affected Hodor's mind by interfering with the past, he could have done the same with Aerys, by warning him of White Walkers — driving the already unstable Aerys to insanity, until he burned everything down just to be free. That would mean that all the events of the series are Bran's fault and also that he knows it. That's probably why he's so quiet now and also why he let Jon be the one to share his secret (and let Sam be the one to tell Jon) instead of outright stating it to everyone. He learned his lesson about interfering.
7. Euron will kill Jon
Reddit user meganmeep pointed out that the maesters at the Citadel joked about the unfulfilled prophecy that the "Drowned God" would kill Aegon Targaryen the Conquerer. No such event happened, but the prophecy could be fulfilled by Euron Greyjoy killing Jon, whose real name is Aegon Targaryen. Euron is from the Iron Islands, whose people worship the Drowned God, and he could be a stand-in for this prophecy to be fulfilled.
8. Arya and Gendry will fulfill Robert Baratheon's pledge
The Ringer noted that Robert promised Ned Stark in Season 1 that "I have a son. You have a daughter. We'll join our houses." He meant Joffrey and Sansa, but that marriage never happened — and Joffrey wasn't even Robert's son. The late king's promise could still be fulfilled, though, if Arya and Gendry marry. She may have shot down his initial proposal, but if she survives the upcoming events, perhaps she'll reconsider — as long as Gendry accepts that she won't be a traditional Lady.
9. The White Walkers could return
If you thought the Night King and his army were done and dealt with too early in the season, here's some good news: the threat might not be over yet. Jimmy Kimmel hosted the two GoT showrunners on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and asked, "Are we for sure done with the White Walkers?", to which David Benioff responded, "Yeah, we're not going to answer that." That could mean that the answer is forthcoming in the final two episodes and they couldn't spoil it early.
10. Daenerys will become the "Mad Queen"
Dany's father was the "Mad King" whose final words were "burn them all." Dany's mental health and choices have already been questioned by many of those around her, including Tyrion and Varys, and now that she's been motivated by Missandei to "dracarys" everyone, she does seem to be headed to a point of no return. As she considers OK-ing the mass murder of innocent King's Landing citizens in her quest for the crown, her fully taking the title of the "Mad Queen" is certainly a possibility.
11. Jon will kill Daenerys
If Dany goes full "Mad Queen," Jon may have no choice but to sacrifice his love for the greater good of the people. In doing so, he'd also fulfill the Azor Ahai prophecy, which many fans have speculated he'd do since the show's beginning.
12. Tyrion is a Targaryen
On Reddit, YBHunted compiled the evidence that Tyrion is a Targaryen. Among the clues are that Tywin's final words to Tyrion were, "You're no son of mine," the fact that Dany's dragons seem chill with Tyrion, Aerys Targaryen's fascination with Tyrion's mother, and Tyrion's mother having died in childbirth, just like fellow Targaryens Jon and Dany's moms.
Megan McCluskey theorized for Time that Tyrion could be the third living Targaryen, and that he, Jon, and Dany will fulfill Azor Ahai as a trio. The dragon has three heads, after all.
13. Cersei's baby will kill her
When she was a child, Cersei asked a witch to tell her future. One of the things the witch prophesied was that Cersei would only have three children and they would all die. Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen fulfilled this part of the prophecy, so it stands to reason that Cersei will not be having any more children. Thus, some fans think that Cersei's current pregnancy will be what kills her in the end via miscarriage or birth. As FyaMkya pointed out on Twitter, since Jaime is the baby's father, that would fulfill the valonqar death by "little brother" prophecy. (Or the baby itself could be the valonqar.)
14. Gendry is Cersei's son
Let's say Cersei is able to have more than three children. Many fans think Gendry is her child. Fans know that Gendry is Robert Baratheon's son, but what about his mother? Winter Is Coming reported that Cersei admitted in Season 1 that she had a child with Robert who was a "black-haired beauty," but that the baby died shortly after birth. What if the baby didn't die and it was actually Gendry?
Plus, as Plasee pointed out on Reddit, the Brotherhood Without Banners may have dropped a clue when they caught Gendry and Arya hiding in the woods. "What’s lurking behind that wall? A lion? A wolf?" one of them asks. The wolf was Arya of House Stark, but could the lion have been Gendry, who is actually of House Lannister?
15. Ned Stark is alive
This is a truly wild theory, but a fan can hope, right? The idea goes that Ned either warged during his beheading or was a Faceless Man and took on the look of someone else to escape, while putting a fake double in for the execution. Perhaps he'll make his grand return just in time to execute Cersei the way Joffrey tried to have him executed.
Until the final scene plays out, fans should continue holding onto hope for any of their favorite theories to come true, however unlikely they might be.
