The best and most jaw-dropping ‘Game of Thrones’ finale theories

The Night King may be dead, but tensions remain chilly around Winterfell. With three episodes still to go, we explore some of the craziest and most thought-provoking ideas doing the rounds on the ending of the phenomenal ‘Game of Thrones’ series.

We have spent eight long years speculating, theorising and dissecting, but how in the seven kingdoms will the Game of Thrones story end? There are no shortage of guesses about the fate of the characters at the end of the HBO series inspired by George R.R. Martin’s best-selling book series, A Song of Ice and Fire.  Will anybody survive? Who will end up on the Iron Throne? Is Arya the key to everything? Please note there are spoilers ahead as we do a deep dive into what could maybe happen in Westeros and beyond.

How much do we really know about Daenerys’ true heritage?

Could the incestuous duo of Jamie and Cersei be replaced by another, more powerful sibling set? Digital Spy suggests that there is evidence that Game of Thrones‘ newest love birds could, in fact, be half-brother and half-sister. Wait, what? The idea being thrown around is that Daenerys (Dany to her friends) was not Rhaegar’s sister but one of his children by his first wife, Elia Martell. Some believe that after the death of Rhaegar, Dany was brought to Dorne and brought up there in hiding (similar to how Jon was protected by Ned Stark). This shocking theory would mean that Jon and Dany share the same father.

Will Jaime kill Cersei?

Kind of. Another suggestion is that this could be a twisted version of what actually happens. The theory is that Arya will kill Jaime and steal his face. Then she’ll get close to Cersei and finally kill her like she did Walder Frey. It would certainly offer a form of poetic justice with Ned’s daughter getting the vengeance she’s been searching for after Cersei’s son Joffrey, killed her father.

Is Tyrion really a dragon?

Not in the literal sense but there is one prediction doing the rounds that Tyrion Lannister could also be one of the dragon heads along with Jon and Dany. The idea is that the mad king (Aerys II Targaryen) had a dalliance with Tywin Lannister’s wife Joanna (the mother of Tyrion) resulting in the birth of Tyrion. This is particularly poignant as Tywin says “you are no son of mine” right before Tyrion shoots him with a crossbow. This could also explain the man’s hostility towards his so-called son.

Could Bran be a baddie?

Nothing is straightforward in GoT but the creator is rather fond of a nasty twist. We know that Bran Stark is clearly destined to play a very big part in the climax of the story – especially as he was obviously up to something when he went missing mysteriously in Series 5. This theory eludes to the fact that the voices that the Mad King hears in his head are actually Bran. Some believe that the mad king’s “Burn Them All” psychotic episode is caused by Bran. Just like Hodor’s “hold the door” incident, Bran (or the previous Raven) instructed the Mad King to stockpile wildfire to “burn them all”, referring to the white walkers. Others believe that due to his abilities to warg (eg travel into the minds of animals,  see things from their perspectives and control their actions), Bran might actually be the Night King. Could Bran keep going back in time throughout history to stop the Night King and eventually gets stuck inside him?

Will Daenerys end up pregnant?

Daenerys was told she was barren and we heard much discussion in Season 7 about the Dragon Queen being the last Targaryen. She referred time and time again to the fact that her dragons are the only children she’ll ever have, but this all feels like a great time to announce a surprise pregnancy with her boo, Jon. Remember Ser Jorah told the former King of the North to keep the Mormont sword Longclaw for his children?

Will Jon end up on the Iron Throne?

Many fans feel this is unlikely. There’s Daenerys to consider – and she is getting pretty fond of the idea of power. Some argue that Sansa will become Queen of the North in Winterfell – but only if Jon Snow dies. This way she could end up forging a lasting peace with Daenerys. Game of Thrones has a history of rewarding powerful women. It would not be a wildcard to predict that a woman will end up in power but which one?

We’ll have to wait for the next instalment to get one clue closer to how this whole thing pans out.

Feature image: HBO

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