All Men Must Die
"There is only one war that matters, the Great War, and it is here".
After all the waiting and anticipation, the Battle of Winterfell is almost here as the longest episode of Game of Thrones airs this week and it's bound to be an epic of fire and blood.
We already know that it's going to be the biggest battle in the history of TV and film but with so many characters in jeopardy, we've decided to channel our inner Many-Faced God and predict who will bight the dust.
Valar Morghulis.
Brienne
Last week, she had a lovely character moment when she was finally anointed a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. She even smiled. Noble, honourable, and beloved by all... she's toast.
However, wouldn't it be cool if she 'died' and was reanimated as a wight? Imagine Brienne and Jaime having to face off against each other?
After all, there was this passage in the episode 'No One.'
Brienne: One last thing, Ser Jaime.
Jaime: Yes, Lady Brienne?
Brienne: Should I fail to persuade the Blackfish to surrender and if you attack the castle, honour compels me to fight for Sansa's kin.
Jaime: Of course it does.
Brienne: To fight you.
Jaime: Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Grey Worm
The dude was making romantic plans with his girlfriend for AFTER the battle. That's not smart.
Prior to Season 8 premiering, we caught up with Jacob Anderson and he told us that his favourite scene is in this season and he described it as "terrifying".
He's a soldier on the battlefield. His chances of surviving are slim.
Missandei
See the above. Never mention plans for after a gigantic battle.
Also, in terms of a character arc, if Dany is fully committed to turning into 'The Mad Queen,' then Missandei's sage advice won't be needed.
If Daenereys is going down a 'one-track' route then she won't be taking advice from anyone, including Tyrion and her closest confidante.
Ser Davos
It's the type of death that would absolutely crush anyone that's watching, it's bound to happen.
In the previous episode, we learned how The Onion Knight survived the Battle of the Bastards and Blackwater without having a single shred of combat skill.
Davos is Jon's most trusted advisor but there is the sense that Liam Cunningham's importance has been 'sidelined' now that Jon and Sam have been reunited.
Ultimately, the person that Jon's confiding in now the most is his old friend from the Night's Watch. Davos has also done right by Gendry - his surrogate son - by getting him back into the main picture and creating some sort of future for Robert Baratheon's bastard - that is if anyone survives the Night King.
Honourable, decent, and loyal, Ser Davos might be the most heartbreaking death of them all.
Dolorous Edd
He survived Hardhome, the Wildling's attacking Castle Black, the Fist of the First Men, Craster's Keep, and the Night King's attack at Eastwatch-By-The-Sea.
The man has seen combat and knows how to get by.
However, he's the 999th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. We've a feeling that there's going to be a more 'marquee' name associated with the 1,000th person to hold that title.
Ghost
We don't even want to think it but the direwolf purge could take it's most loyal member of the pack. The Game of Thrones showrunners have frequently talked about how expensive the direwolf scenes are on CGI budget (we call bullshit on that) and the show does seem to have a favouritism towards getting more scenes of Dany and her dragons into each episode.
Granted, that's great because they're a massive part of the story but we're firm believers that Ghost is the most loyal and loveable beast in all the realm.
Sadly, as we saw in the first episode, Jon is now embracing his Targaryen lineage by take a ride on the back of Rhaegal
. In narrative terms, it's almost like he's cutting a few ties with the Starks. Could the show cut the ties between Jon and his beloved direwolf?
Beric Dondarrion
To be fair, the dude had a good run of it but with Thoros of Myr to bring him back, he could be about to sacrifice his life on a permanent basis to the Lord of Light.
However, a certain returning character could have a say about that.
Varys
Melisandre did tell him an eery prophecy while they were standing on the cliffs of Dragonstone - “I will return, dear Spider, one last time. I have to die in this strange country, just like you" - and if you believe that the Winterfell crypts are going to be painted with the blood of the living, Varys is in trouble.
Gilly
See above. However, they couldn't kill off Sam's partner. Could they? Well, she isn't much of a fighter and her death would be the sort of 'small enough, but important enough' fatality to register with fans.
Podrick
Great singing voice, great squire, great performer in brothels, great supporting character.
However, ask yourself this, is he really vital to the endgame of the show?
We'd be extremely sad if Pod died and if he does meet his maker, we're certain that he's bound to land one significant kill because his quest to become a warrior was given a fair amount of screentime. This being said, is he absolutely vital for the three episodes to come after the Battle of Winterfell?
Theon Greyjoy
Ned Stark's ward has a history of saving Bran from certain peril and after sacking Winterfell with the Iron Born and being mutilated, tortured, and mentally abused by Ramsay, we've a feeling that Theon will finally reclaim his honour.
Don't forget that Theon's destruction of Winterfell was one of the the reasons why Osha, Hodor, Rickon, and Bran fled beyond
Gendry
We've got a theory about this one. 1) From a strictly tactical point of view, Gendry has already served his purpose by making the weapons/shields/battlements of dragonglass.
2) From a narrative perspective, we do think that the houses of Baratheon and Stark will unite - just like King Robert wanted in the opening episode. However, the only way that we think the showrunners would kill Gendry off is if Arya is pregnant with his son, thus continuing on the Baratheon name.
To be honest, we think he'll be safe but there's a tiny chance.
Lyanna Mormont
She's ballsy, she's tough, she's not afraid to tell it like it is, she bends the knee to nobody.
She's the true Queen in the North.
However, she's a child that's going to be fighting the army of the dead. Also, does anyone else not get the feeling that Jorah Mormont's arc will see him fully redeem himself and become Lord of Bear Island?
Yohn Royce
Even in death, his final words will probably be interrupted by someone.
Seriously, that dude can never complete a conversation without someone interrupting him. Even if he does, just remember that the supremely-creepy Robin Arryn still rules over The Vale.
Alys Karstark
Her house defied The Starks during the Battle of the Basatrds and sided with the Boltons. We never forgave them for that.
Much like poor Ned Umber, we hope her death is grisly, gory, and great.
Melisandre
We've a feeling that she's coming back and after bringing ice and fire together, her ultimate purpose is to help the living versus the dead.
Characters that are safe as houses
Jon Snow - Far too important for the final three episodes and will 100% have a say on the Iron Throne.
Daenerys - See above. The Mad Queen seeds have been planted for a reason, let's see them grow.
Jaime Lannister - Too much beef with Cersei that still has to be sorted out.
Tyrion Lannister - See above. Also, during the course of this season, the writers have been at pains to stress how all of Tyrion's plans have backfired and failed. We've a feeling that he's got one massive plan up his sleeve. Aside from this, his decision to have a chat with Bran in the last episode seems quite important.
The Hound - Cleganebowl. Get hype! The showdown between The Mountain and The Hound has to happen.
Jorah - The one that we're really not sure on. His arc does seem to be done but could he have been given Heartsbane (his new Valyrian steel sword) for some heroic reason?
Tormund - Too beloved to kill off. From a storytelling perspective, he's one of the few characters that can lighten the mood of the show. With three more episodes to come, the stakes are only getting higher and audiences need Tormund to lighten the mood.
Also, we've a feeling that the producers are very much in tone with the 'If Tormund dies, we riot' vibe of the fans. After so much death, we need a win.
If they wanted him dead, they could have finished him off at Eastwatch-By-The-Sea when The Wall fell. No, we think 'the mad fucker' has a reason to live.
Arya - A classic bait-and-switch with the trailer. We know that Arya is in peril during this episode, we think she'll survive... for now.
Sansa - There's a sense of inevitability, succession, and longevity with The Lady of Winterfell. A player that has gotten much better at the game of thrones. Too shrewd and experienced now to kill off.
Her arc isn't done yet.
Sam - It would be like shooting a puppy in the face, carving his remains open, and then smearing the cadaver all over the walls of Winterfell.
Can't see it happening.
The Night King - In the big battle between the dead and living, will the leader of the White Walkers even be at Winterfell?
There's a theory that he's at King's Landing as he adds more numbers to his army, but given his reluctance to get involved in any fighting - remember, we're told that if he dies, all those under his control do - why would he risk his neck to get Bran?
We think he'll let his generals do the dirty work, wear down the Jon-Dany alliance, and then swoop in when their defences are weak.
It's what a smart commander would do and the Night King is ruthless. It's worth remembering the possibility that he could also be a greenseer.
If the Night King falls, what will the remaining three episodes of the show be about because the main threat would havn been removed? Unless a certain Mother of Dragons becomes an even bigger threat to the Seven Kingdoms, however, that would be a massive narrative stretch to effectively convey in just four episodes.
Bran - He's the history of Westeros and unless the showrunners have a new Three-Eyed Raven just floating in their back pocket, he lives.
We now know that the Three-Eyed Raven is what the Night king wants, to erase the memory of the world and establish an eternal night, but if the Night King and the Three-Eyed Raven survive, then what is the Battle of Winterfell about?
Mutually assured destruction.
