5 Huge Theories That Could Still Happen in 'Game of Thrones' Season 8
Start placing your bets now.
HBO.
Allie Gemmill
Predicting how Game of Thrones will end just might be the favorite pastime of the show's fans. With nearly 2 years elapsing between Seasons 7 and 8 (the final season), and every new episode packing in as much story as possible, there's a lot to chew on and connect back to pre-existing theories. From Valonquar to Cleganebowl, which fan theories/prophecies will pan out and which will be ignored completely?
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With just two episodes left in Game of Thrones Season 8, there are still some big theories fans still hope the show would confirm that may actually happen before the finale. After all, there's a big battle looming between Cersei and Daenerys, and lots of character arcs to tie up before the end credits roll on the final episode.
With this in mind, let's take a look at five fan theories and prophecies that could still happen in the final two episodes of Game of Thrones Season 8.
Possible spoilers ahead for Game of Thrones Season 8, Episodes 5 and 6.
Cersei looks pretty chill as she watches The Golden Company arrive HBO.
5. The "How Cersei Will Die" Prophecies
Okay, so I'm cheating a bit here by giving you two theories for the price of one, but if Game of Thrones can take creative license with how this show ends, then I'll take a little creative license here.
Cersei's death is pretty much a given ahead of Episode 5. It w asforetold by Maggy the Frog and Dany is dead set on doing whatever it takes to remove her "root and stem" from the Iron Throne. But the uncertainty around how Cersei will die is still present, making it possible that either the recent "green eyes" prophecy or the much older "Valonqar" prophecy could still come true in the final episodes.
The "green eyes" prophecy was told to Arya by Melisandre in Season 3 and Melisandre reminded Arya of it during the Battle of Winterfell. It goes a little something like this:
>"I see a darkness in you, and in that darkness, eyes staring back at me. Brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes, eyes you'll shut forever. We will meet again."
The mention of "green eyes" set of alarm bells for fans because Cersei has green eyes and Arya has already killed people with brown eyes (like Meryn Trant) and blue eyes (like the Night King). Given that Cersei is at the top of Arya's kill list and she has the right eye color to fulfill the prophecy, it's possible Arya could off Cersei. (Other "green eyes" candidates include Jaime, Tyrion, and Daenerys.)
Or, if you're a fan of the Valonqar prophecy fear not because it could happen in Episode 5 or 6. Long ago, a witch named Maggy the Frog's told a young Cersei about her future, including a prediction that the valonqar will strangle Cersei to death after her tears have drowned her. "Valonqar" is High Valyrian for "little brother", allowing the fandom to place big bets that Jaime or Tyrion will kill Cersei before the show ends. Given that Cersei asked Bronn to murder them both this season (coupled with a lifetime of strained relations), the Lannister boys are definitely top contenders for taking Cersei out.
Bran goes into warg mode during the Battle of Winterfell Helen Sloan/HBO.
4. Bran Is the Night King
Theories about Game of Thrones revealing Bran to be the Night King are among the most popular (and controversial) among fans. Most of them don't really make much sense, but it's a lot of fun to think about.
At the very least, the Three-Eyed Raven and the Night King clearly had a strong connection. Could that be because Bran will go back in time and become the Night King? Or maybe he'll use his knowledge to create a new Night King for some reason.
It's all a little farfetched, but until the series ends, we won't rule this one out entirely. We wouldn't put it past Game of Thrones to casually drop a bombshell like this in its eleventh hour.
Daenerys and Jon shack up for the first time. HBO.
3. Mirri Maz Duur Predicting Daenerys' Pregnancy
The future of Westeros and who will rule is still very much up in the air as we head into Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 5. It's also unclear if Jon and Dany will ever have a romantic relationship given that they're still dealing with the whole incest thing. Could a baby be the thing to save their troubled relationship and solidify their rule over Westeros?
Jon and Dany have had sex at least once (in the Season 7 finale) so she could be carrying their child. Recall also that the possibility Dany could get pregnant again (despite having miscarriages early in Game of Thrones) was predicted by Mirri Maz Duur following the death of Khal Drogo.
At the time, Dany was distraught and pleading with Mirri to help bring back Drogo. Mirri said it would only happen when "the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. Then he will return, and not before."
Even though this prophecy was given in the context of Drogo's return, the "womb quickening" part supports the idea that Dany gave up the prospect of having children after Drogo's death, choosing instead to raise her dragons and children and pursue romantic relationships without the possibility of conceiving.
But as we've previously argued, a lot of the "impossible" things in that prophecy have already happened. So it's definitely possible that Dany's pregnancy could be next.
The Mountain sees his brother for the first time in years HBO.
2. Cleganebowl!
Fans have been dying for Cleganebowl — the much-hyped fight between rival brothers Sandor "The Hound" Clegane and Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane — to happen since 2013. While other Game of Thrones theories are either rooted in lore from the A Song of Ice and Fire books or from mysterious bits of information dropped throughout the series, Cleganebowl is a theory rooted in the fandom's desire to see two of Westeros's most capable fighters (who also happen to be brothers that have never had a good relationship) battle it out.
Over the course of the show's past seven seasons, we've seen individual instances where The Hound and The Mountain have proven themselves to be ruthless warriors. The Clegane brothers met up after years apart in the Season 7 finale where the Hound tells the Mountain:
Remember me? Yeah, you do. You're even uglier than I am now. What did they do to you? Doesn't matter; that's not how it ends for you, brother. You know who's coming for you. You've always known.
The Hound seemingly confirms he's intent on giving his brother the karmic payback of lifetime for pushing his face into a fire when they were children. This exchange, in combination with the impending battle between Dany and Cersei at King's Landing, makes it even more likely we'll see Cleganebowl finally come to fruition.
Dany confronts Jon after possibly ruining an alliance with Cersei HBO.
1. Dany Will Kill Jon or…Jon Will Kill Dany
Game of Thrones has been setting up Jon and Dany to turn on one another since the beginning of Season 8 when the King of the North finally learned his true identity as a Targaryen and heir to the Iron Throne. In Episode 2, Jon told Daenerys and it did not go well, to say the least.
With some much tension building between them and questions about whether they can still remain a power couple or, at minimum, allies given the explosiveness of this secret, it stands to reason that Jon could kill Dany or Dany could kill Jon as a way of eliminating the perceived mutual threat to the future of Westeros. Dany would kill Jon in order to remove any final obstacles on her path to the Iron Throne and Jon would likely kill Dany if she goes full Mad Queen.
Either way, it's going to get ugly.
Game of Thrones airs Sundays on HBO at 9 p.m. Eastern.