'Game of Thrones' fan theory suggests a major character might still be alive (SPOILERS)

Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in 'Game of Thrones' episode 'The Last of the Starks'. (Credit: HBO/Sky Atlantic)
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in 'Game of Thrones' episode 'The Last of the Starks'. (Credit: HBO/Sky Atlantic)

There are spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of Game of Thrones...

Ever since Arya Stark climbed on a horse amid the smoking rubble of Kings Landing at the end of the divisive last episode of Game of Thrones, fans have been wondering how exactly the show will tie together its myriad threads.

The episode had perhaps the highest body count of any instalment of the series to date and included the deaths of Cersei and Jaime Lannister, played by Lena Headey and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

Read more: Our recap of episode 5, The Bells

The incestuous couple were apparently buried beneath the tumbling masonry of the Red Keep, dying together as the capital fell.

One fan, however, thinks they’ve spotted a number of clues to suggest that at least one of the Lannister twins might have survived Daenerys and Drogon’s fiery assault.

Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) and her brother Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) reunited in the penultimate episode of 'Game of Thrones'. (Credit: HBO)
Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) and her brother Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) reunited in the penultimate episode of 'Game of Thrones'. (Credit: HBO)

Tumblr user WeAreFlowersToo urged Thrones fans to “put your tin hats on” as she outlined the case for Jaime’s survival.

She pointed out that the cast doesn’t seem to be acknowledging the death of Jaime Lannister, despite him being one of the show’s most significant characters.

She said: “Why is nobody in the cast thanking Nik for his performance? Why did Pilou and Lena’s insta post not say anything about Jaime dying?

“Why isn’t Nik saying anything about what he thinks of the scene? Why did he make a post saying goodbye to Lena, and not to the character he played for eight years?”

She noted that Gwendoline Christie, who played Brienne of Tarth, had made no reference to Jaime’s death since the episode aired, despite the bond between their characters.

“Nikolaj is one of the person she loved working with the most,” the user wrote. “Jaime was an incredibly important character for Brienne. Why wouldn’t she say anything?”

Read more: Backlash brews over Thrones creators’ Star Wars series

The user also nodded to the fact Entertainment Weekly editor-at-large James Hibberd has said he is “holding” the exit interview with Coster-Waldau, despite publishing chats with other actors whose characters died in the episode.

The post also pointed to previous insight Hibberd provided, suggesting a surprise in the final episode.

She said: “Apparently James Hibberd also said there was a character he was surprised to see alive in episode six.

“I don’t think there is any other character at this point that we would be shocked to see alive except Jaime. Prove me wrong.”

WeAreFlowersToo also directed readers to a previous blog post she wrote in the immediate aftermath of the episode in which she theorised that Jaime was alive.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has portrayed Jaime Lannister since the first season of 'Game of Thrones'. (Credit: HBO)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has portrayed Jaime Lannister since the first season of 'Game of Thrones'. (Credit: HBO)

She said Coster-Waldau has previously mentioned his final scene being in a “great location” with someone he had never worked with before.

Theorising that the last scene he shot was almost certainly his fight to the death with Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk), she argues that this doesn’t fit the bill, as the two characters have appeared together in the past.

“In conclusion, Jaime either survived and I’m a genius, or he died,” she wrote.

Read more: Pilou Asbæk welcomes divisive reaction

The finale of Game of Thrones airs on Sunday night in the USA on HBO, with Sky Atlantic simultaneously broadcasting the episode in the UK in the early hours of Monday morning.