How 'Game Of Thrones' will end according to the best fan theories

Game Of Thrones is coming to an end. With season eight being the final ever season, this is the last chance for fans to guess what’s going to happen. And they’re definitely running with the challenge, faster than Arya trying to escape the waif.

Partly because George RR Martin loves to foreshadow (one example of many: in season one, Ned Stark finds a direwolf that’s been killed by a stag, house Stark’s sigil is a direwolf, House Baratheon’s sigil is a stag, Ned gets killed because a Baratheon brings him to King’s Landing…), and partly because it’s fun, fans have been obsessively putting the pieces laid out on the show and in the books together.

Pieces like…

Season eight will reveal Bran is the one who brought Jon Snow back to life

This one’s part of a pretty complicated mega-theory by Game Of Thrones Redditor MrSilenceT, who’s constructed a fairly massive post about the whole final season of Thrones.

You should definitely read the whole thing, but by far our favourite bit involves Bran, and Jon Snow. We really, really hope it’s true.

Basically, we’ll see Bran trying to track down The Lord Of Light in an attempt to use his power to turn the war against the White Walkers. He travels back to the last moment he knows the Lord Of Light was present – Jon Snow’s resurrection. We’ll hand over to MrSilenceT for the rest.

“Bran patiently waits and observes as Melisandre applies the lotions and performs the ritual to resurrect Jon Snow. But for 2 long minutes, nothing happens: everyone but Ghost gives up and leaves the room…”

“Seeing the lord of light does not seem to care about Jon’s life but knowing how crucial he will be in the future, Bran tries to resurrect the man himself… and succeeds! Except Bran does not really have the power to resurrect people. What he did instead was animate the dead parts of Jon’s body (which is likely less than 10% of his body at this time) with his magic.”

“The showrunners managed to make you believe the 2 minutes of void were solely here to build up the tension but in fact, it was the time it took Bran to understand he was needed to bring Jon Snow back to the living.”

“At this very moment, Bran realized there was no Lord of Light, or if there was, he wasn’t the one resurrecting people that would help with the war against the dead. He was.”

We’re dead. Then resurrected. Then dead again.

This is part of a larger fan theory that Bran is the most significant character in the series, with season eight set to reveal he’s responsible for everything from The Mad King burning everyone, to the creation of the Night King.

Littlefinger is alive and Arya’s doomed

One more from Redditor MrSilenceT, and it’s another theory that feels as trustworthy as Ned Stark.

Remember how weird and sudden Littlefinger’s death was in season seven? And how uncharacteristic it was that he was caught out so easily? Well, according to this theory, there’s a clear reason for that. That wasn’t Littlefinger at all, but a Faceless Man Baelish payed to take his place.

The evidence, according to MrSilenceT, is strong.

“Look at the interview Aidan Gillen gave to LA Times: ‘I don’t think Baelish does crocodile tears. I don’t think Baelish likes to shed tears, certainly not in front of people. If we saw some emotion, I don’t really think it was sentimental. I think it was involuntary: Your time is up.’”

“What do we see in episode 7? The exact things Petyr would never do: running around, begging for mercy and for his life while shedding tears large enough to make your baby jealous.”

If Littlefinger really is alive, and the Faceless Men are running around Winterfell, that means that Arya is in serious trouble in season eight – which would fit with one of our theories.

Ned Stark will return

One of the biggest ever Game Of Thrones shocks was Ned Stark’s sudden death in episode nine of season one. Since then, he’s been buried underneath Winterfell, along with all the other dead Starks. We’ve seen characters visit his statue throughout the series, and a recent teaser trailer reminded audiences of the Winterfell Crypt, while associating the place with the White Walkers, who bring people back from the dead in the form of Wights.

An early EW report from the set of season eight stated they saw a number of characters they didn’t expect to come back again; what if one of them was Ned Stark? It would be exactly the sort of jaw-dropping moment that the series thrives on – and would provide a nice circular narrative for the series.

However, one fan goes further – suggesting that Ned didn’t die at all, and has been working in the background for the entire series.

The theory goes that Varys switched Ned with Syrio (who’s a Faceless Man), and smuggled him out of King’s Landing to help with his plan to put Dany on the throne (offscreen). It might sound bonkers, but there’s some solid (book) evidence to back it up. According to AleksandrSnow:

“First off, when Ned ‘dies,’ it’s from Arya’s POV, and she claims that Ned is so beat up that he barely looks alive even before his death. He was clearly injured, but (in the books) a broken leg, even if left untreated, doesn’t f*** up your face too much.”

“Second, Sansa claims that his head above Maegor’s Holdfast looks weirdly unlike her Father, and she believes it’s due to the tarring process, and well, decapitation.”

“Thirdly, Lady Catelyn says that Ned’s bones look as if to be from a smaller man than Ned, and most people (myself included) took this as her grief showing her that everyone looks smaller as a pile of bones, but what if she was being literal.”

One thing’s for sure, Sean Bean shot some scenes for Game Of Thrones season eight (even if it’s just for the reunion special), we’re certain of that. You can chop our heads off if we’re wrong.

Jon will marry Dany – but she’ll be a White Walker

We’ve already posted some of our own fan theories based on the various rumours and leaks that have come out during the filming of season eight, and one of them involves a wedding between Jon and Dany.

But as all Game Of Thrones fans know, weddings don’t tend to go according to plan in Westeros, and one fan believes Jon and Dany will be separated quite swiftly after the wedding – thanks for the formation of a peace treaty between the humans and the White Walkers.

“The 13th Lord Commander married a White Walker woman in order to uphold a peace treaty between the humans (represented by the Starks) and the Others.”

“The treaty requires that humans stay below the Wall and that every few generations a Stark man will lead the Night’s Watch, marry an Other, and give his children to the Walkers.”

“Humans broke that treaty.”

“Jon and Dany will be the ones to renew the treaty, making them both the Prince/Princess that was promised. Dany would be turned into a Walker and Jon would resume his post at the Wall. They would both be a combination of ice/fire, living/dead, and the balance would be restored.”

It’s a pretty bleak ending, but it certainly fits in with George RR Martin’s promise that the finale of the show would be ‘bittersweet.’

Jon will kill Dany

Oh, but it gets bleaker – one Redditor believes that it’ll be Jon that kills Dany, to fulfil the prophecy of Azor Ahai. It’s a long theory, and worth reading in full, but here’s the main points:

“1. Martin’s vision for the story took shape in the early 90s. The journey may have meandered, but its destination is unchanged.”

“2. It is an unfortunate truth that a story told to millions over three decades cannot conceal its own ending – the surprising ultimately becomes the predictable.”

“3. Jon, Dany, and Tyrion are the story’s heroes and Jon and Dany will join in marriage, as is foreshadowed in the House of the Undying.”

“4. The first Long Night ended through diplomacy. The Wall was created by the Others. A pact was sealed and sacrifices were given at the Nightfort.”

“5. Azor Ahai engineered this peace by thrusting his dragonsteel blade Lightbringer into the chest of his wife, Nissa Nissa, transforming her into an Other and ruling as the book’s Night’s King, who famously took a corpse bride.”

“6. Jon Snow will end the upcoming War for the Dawn by doing the same to his wife, Daenerys.”

“7. The two rule Westeros together as man and white walker – our promised bittersweet ending.”

Yeah, that’s dark – but to quote Ramsay Bolton (on the show, not in the books): “If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.”

Read more
Kit Harington had ‘grief’ over ‘Game of Thrones‘ ending
The hidden meaning in Daenerys’ braids on ‘Game of Thrones‘
Devastating GoT theory arrives with season eight teaser and release date