HBO has been very stingy with the footage from the final season of Game of Thrones, likely in an effort to keep everyone from being able to guess every little thing that’ll go down.
But fans are still making predictions, and they go from pretty darn likely to no way in seven hells!
See eight of the most popular theories, RANKED by the odds they’ll actually happen…
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Jon Snow Takes The Iron Throne
Odds — 1:1
Let’s face it, the King in the North is the most likely to become the ruler of Westeros. Not only is he the brave, righteous hero we’ve been watching the entire show, he also has a secret lineage…
This is a hallmark of fantasy stories. Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, Tangled, Anastasia, Spaceballs, even Wreck-It-Ralph all have heroes who learn they’re descended from a wealth and/or power they’ve never known.
And at the end of the day, as much sex and violence and historical inspiration it may have, A Song of Ice and Fire is a fantasy story with swords, sorcery, and dragons. Will it also end with the “rightful king” taking his place? We’d say it’s a solid 50/50.
Cleganebowl
Odds – 2:1
Look, this is just destiny.
The fight between two brothers who’ve hated one another since childhood? Everyone wants it — including them.
Sandor Clegane was left for dead… and came back. Gregor Clegane was mortally wounded… and survived (mostly). The only reason The Mountain and The Hound both have plot armor against anyone else is they’re the only ones who can kill one another. This HAS to happen. Right??
Well, Game Of Thrones has certainly robbed us of our revenge before. King Joffrey’s unexpected assassination by poison was not as satisfying as it would have been at the hands of a Stark; in fact, the Red God stole several of the names from Arya’s list.
Speaking of which, The Mountain has been on her list since she had to watch his men torture innocent people to death way back in season 2. Maybe The Hound will hand this one to the Wolf Girl?
Daenerys Breaks The Wheel
Odds – 10:1
The Mother of Dragons may well end up on the throne. She may even share it with Jon Snow. But remember when she told Tyrion she was going to be different? She was going to break the wheel of rulers which had spun on for years “crushing those on the ground.”
Some believe that means she will actually give the people something new. Equality? Maybe even democracy??
Famously Joffrey actor Jack Gleeson subscribes to the theory the Iron Throne will be literally broken apart by the end of the show. Will Daenerys be the one to end the monarchy?
In Season 7 she seemed much more like her brother, preoccupied with everyone recognizing her place on top and bending the damn knee. It seems the Breaker of Chains has gone from wanting to change the world to wanting to own the world.
But she’s surprised us before. Khaleesi sometimes fails to let her advisers AND the audience in on her plans for maximum dramatic effect — and it works!
Is she still the same Daenerys we cheered on in Essos?
We’ll have to wait and see…
Arya + Gendry
Odds 25:1
This shipping isn’t necessarily a theory so much as a dream of some fans.
As traveling companions for nearly two seasons, Arya Stark and Gendry did have great chemistry. Only, she was WAY young at that point. Of course, that didn’t stop certain fans from inferring she had a burgeoning crush on the hunky blacksmith.
In season 8, the characters’ ages aren’t quite clear; Arya might be as old as 18 at this point. (The actors are 31 and 21, by the way.) While some viewers might still consider that romantic pairing a little ewwy, don’t forget this happened at the end of last season…
Hey, auntie!
So yeah, the show runners ARE willing to go there.
But will they this time?
Arya’s story has never involved finding herself a man, it’s been about becoming a real fighter, a dangerous woman in a dangerous world. Many would argue her story ending with being coupled up cheapens that.
But shouldn’t she be able to have both? We can see both sides.
We’re guessing this might end up being hinted at, but honestly how will they even have the time for a new romantic entanglement with just six episodes left??
The Night King Kills Everyone
Odds – 50:1
This has become a popular theory over the years… among Debbie Downers and Negative Nancies!
We’re guessing season after season of emotional gut punches has left some viewers bitter and nihilistic. After all, their favorite character was killed, why not yours? Seriously, a LOT of people are all in on this theory. But it ain’t happening.
While the writers are willing to let the good guys lose some of the battles, there’s no way they’ll lose the war. This is still a STORY after all. It needs to have resolution. What’s the point of even telling a story with a diverse cast of characters learning and growing if you’re just going to wipe them all out, with no cause, no redemption?
Plus, Martin said the ending is bittersweet. There’s nothing sweet about the frozen corpses of everyone we love.
Cersei Wins
Odds – 100:1
No. No, no, no.
While we absolutely love Cersei, it’s more that we love to watch her, not that we root for her to actually win. She’s delicious — but we know she’s no good for us in the long run. She’s the strawberry cheesecake of Game Of Thrones.
Also, as her father once told her, she’s not as smart as she thinks she is.
While she’s done more than anyone expected, she’s also burned too many bridges to actually succeed. She’s a full villain now, possibly the best on the show. But ALL villains get got eventually. The best she can hope for now is Mad King status where she eventually gets murdered by her own people. Maybe that one Single White Female servant who keeps biting her look…
More than likely though we’ll get her death at one of the people who’ve really earned it. In the books, the witch Maggie the Frog — you know, the one who tells little Cersei about marrying the king and having three dead children? — also tells her she’ll be killed by the “valonqar.” That means “little brother” in Valyrian, and either Jaime or Tyrion could fill that role.
This Is All Bran’s Dream
Odds – 500:1
OK, when we first heard this, we were like NAH!
The old Wizard Of Oz, it-was-all-a-dream thing has been hackneyed for nearly a century. And it’s even already been done on a TV series! The ’80s medical dramedy was revealed in the finale to be within a snow globe being viewed by a little autistic boy. For real. In fact, thanks to that show’s crossovers with other shows, half of the TV shows you love are canonically in the head of a kid named Tommy Westphall.
So when people started in with the idea the entire show after the first episode is Bran’s dream while he’s in that coma — or possibly a Jacob’s Ladder scenario where it’s all what he sees the moment before he dies — we totally scoffed.
But the more we think about it, the more this theory holds water. We mean, the show does start out pretty realistically medieval. It’s dirty and violent and unforgiving, magic and dragons are all just stories people tell about something that may have happened in the past.
Then things go more and more off the rails. What was basically an alternate historical drama becomes a full-on ’70s album cover.
We mean, it starts out here:
And ends up here:
Is it just the greatest build in TV history? Or the fantasy of a child who grew up on stories of dragons who conquered Westeros??
Of course there are problems with this theory.
For one, the first thing we see in the show is a White Walker massacring some Night’s Watch rangers. That’s long before Bran falls into his coma.
Also, if Bran is imagining all of this, that is a LOT of sex for a ten year old to be fantasizing about. We mean… damn.
Varys Reveals He’s A Mermaid… Merman? Whatever, It Won’t Happen…
Odds – 10000:1
If you bet on this in Vegas and it really happens, you deserve every green, rusty penny. We don’t know how this theory got so popular; we can only assume it spread so fast by being the silliest thing people actually believe.
Yes, people actually think this could happen. HOW??
OK, first thing you need to know is, there may actually be mermaids in the Game Of Thrones universe. Well, something like that. There are references in the books to something common folk call “squishers,” maneating amphibian creatures that walk on two legs. There’s also a theorized race called the “Deep Ones” which are cross between men and sea creatures. While we’ve still never seen grumpkins or snarks, characters on the show have been just as derisive about White Walkers — just as we the audience were watching them murder their way across the North. We may even see Old Nan’s ice spiders in the next season! Really!
So it’s possible they exist — but why would Varys be one??
See, Varys always wears those kimono-looking robes, never showing the bottom half of his body. And when Tyrion threatens to throw him into the sea, he responds, “You might be disappointed in the result.” And… OK, that’s pretty much it.
Seriously, this theory is pretty weak. But, you know… there did turn out to be giants, so who knows, right?
[Image via Game Of Thrones/HBO/YouTube.]
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