Anmol Ahuja
The final season of what has been and what is still going to be the most watched show in this planet hits us soon and speculations and predictions have been strife like rumours in the marketplace. Excitement levels have never been higher as fans gear up to watch their favourite (surviving) characters take a go at it, one last time in the battle that will seal the fate of Westeros once and for all. However, with that rejoice, fans also a harbour an inbound fear about their favourite characters not making it into the new world order that is to arise after the war that wages through Westeros.
As is the rather deserved infamy of the show for killing off beloved characters. This season is going to be particularly interesting, since in Season 7, there were a lot of fan pleasing moments. You could expect that balance to tip in any direction from hereon: given this is the final season, and there were some valid complaints regarding the same that the writers intend to take seriously. That brings us to the subject matter of this article. Accept it or not, a lot of characters, sides, bad guys and mains are going to kick the bucket this season: the only thing that remains to be seen is how, and which ones are all but sure to go. On that note, let’s begin with our predictions of the fifteen characters most likely to die in the final season of Game of Thrones.
20. Night King
No brainer. That was kind of the point of it all. Wasn’t it? While it is almost certain that the genocidal icy beast dies, it remains to be seen at whose hands. That is going to be one heroic figure, the one to drive his or her blade through the icy bastard’s heart. Kicking off the list with this one despite and because of the fair obviousness.
19. Yohn Royce
Yeah, I see a lot of you scratching your heads over this one. A head of one of many of the houses in ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, Yohn Royce is a bannerman for both houses Stark and Arryn. Contrary to what you’d imagine, he has made quite a few appearances over the seasons, the latest one being at Little Finger’s execution, when all of the Northern houses have already sworn fealty to Jon. As a loyal comrade, I expect him to be along the frontlines and fall prey to the battle. Also because, well it’s a battle and there have to be some casualties on either side, winning or not. You would agree that his character seems pretty dispensable.
18. Eddison Tollett
Well, the Night’s Watch is currently under his overseeing, and these guys are the first line of defence against the white walkers, who have already delivered a hardened blow with undead Viserion over the wall. There is no question that the Wights will breach the wall and move Southward to fight with Jon and gang, and I hardly suspect that the honourable Night’s Watch is going to retreat and regroup with them. They pretty much die at the wall, including this very likeable character.
17. Beric Dondarrion
There is only so many resurrections the lord of light can sanction, after all. One would like to believe that he was resurrected in the past for some reason, but it doesn’t seem as tied to destiny as Jon’s. I expect him to out a few Wights with that flaming sword, and go down in a glorious fashion battling one of the generals of the Night King himself.
16. Sandor Clegane
Shouldn’t be much of a shocker honestly, but again, since he ranks this low on the list, I suspect his fate could go either way. Here are the things that we know for a fact: he is going to battle his giant tyrant of a brother and he is going to win and avenge his scars. However, I can also suspect that he will fall, either from his injuries at the end of this titanic sibling battle, or in either of the two big wars.
15. Davos Seaworth
This one would surely hurt, given what an endearing and honourable man Davos Seaworth has been, but then again he ranks pretty low on my list, so I’d ascribe him a 60-40 chance, the former for making it alive after both the wars, the one against the white walker and the one at King’s Landing. But then again, this is Game of Thrones we are talking about, so even that 40% has a lot of credibility.
14. Brienne of Tarth
Still 50-50 on this one, but I am predicting this as a holistic theory more than anything else. Her death, if at all, would be the one thing that could push Jaime over the edge, leading him to fulfilling the popular Valonqar theory from the books, or atleast a version of it, killing Cersei. Still comparatively lower on my list with respect to her chances of dying, even if she does, it wouldn’t be without relinquishing a few white walker with her Valyrian sword.
13. Bronn
I expect this son of a gun to go out the way he is supposed to: in an all guns blazing manner, after laying some to rest himself in the final battle. It will be a sad one, but the warrior would have finally found something worth fighting for, completing his character arc, frankly one of the better ones on GoT even if a tad bit predictable. Either that, or the series better end with him sitting in his castle.
12. Rhaegal/Drogon
Either or both of the dragons will go, given they will be the good guys’ first line of defence and among the few hopes they have of winning this. Viserion fell prey to the Night King’s legendary javelin skills and was quickly resurrected as some sort of fiery-ice breathing dragon, undead. It would be something to see the three clash, but the dragons were exposed to a lot of vulnerabilities this past season, as opposed to the previous seasons where they were pretty much untouchable. Something tells me either one or both of the dragons won’t make it to the new world order of Westeros.
11. Euron Greyjoy
I will just write this in caps so as to emphasise this even greater. THIS MANIAC HAS GOT TO BE DEAD, in the most brutal way, the kind of death Game of Thrones has reserved (ironically so) only for the good guys, but until Season 6. And it better be Theon taking him out in his attempt to rescue Yara. That will be one satisfying conclusion to Theon’s redemption arc, and quite frankly, after all his character has been through, he could use a heroic moment or two. Killing his tyrant uncle to save his sister might just be one.
10. Gregor Clegane
Frankenstein, zombie, or whatever else you may call him, the matter of the fact remains that this beast escaped a deserved death once in an unfair twist of events when the dancing Dornishman fell prey to his thumbs. However, the bitter rivalry between siblings is all set to come to an end with poetic justice being served to the Hound, Sandor Clegane, as he avenges what this abomination of an elder brother did to him. A battle between the Cleganes or not, the Mountain has got to go, and won’t survive another one. If it happens with fire at the hands of the Hound, all the better for it.
9. Qyburn
He sided with the devil and sealed his fate that very moment. He goes down as does Cersei. Loyally, but I’d prefer brutally.
8. Jaime Lannister
This one will surely and sorely break my heart, if it happens. Jaime has had one of the most positively inspiring character arcs over the entire series, and now that he is finally on the side of the good, abandoning Cersei upon seeing her madness overcome her, there is a high probability that the writers may just return to their older GoT roots for good guy deaths. Maybe for the emotional quotient of the finale, I feel like this one’s character arc has been like a lamb raised for slaughter.
7. Melisandre
The Red Lady said it herself: her time whispering in the ears of kings was over, and she will return one last time to the strange city of Westeros to die. It is still unclear as to how; less likely to die in battle, more likely being tried for justice against crimes, and most likely by Davos’ sword for the death of little Shireen. Either way, she goes, and along with her, another interesting character that she predicted will die in Westeros; the next one.
6. Varys
Until the fifth season, I would completely discount her prophecies and voodoo blasphemies. However, given what she accomplished at the end of season 5 and her current role in the series, shifting a little to the positive side on a more sombre note, I am ready to bet that her prediction regarding Varys dying in Westeros would hold merit. The spider will most likely fall too, among many other players who made their presence known by siding with the right king at the right time. His well-known wisecracking rival friend Petyr Baelish, although bit more of a deviant than him, was laid to rest when his luck with words ran out. I expect him to go out in a similar way.
5. Grey Worm
A soldier’s death for this one. Pretty easy to predict why it would rather be too convenient for the makers to make him go. He will obviously be facing off against both Cersei’s army and the White Walkers in the final battles. The commander of the unsullied, and this one hurts to even say it, will fall.
3. Jorah Mormont
Why does this one seem so obvious, you may ask? There is a predicted new world order all set to arise in Westeros after the final battle, and I don’t think he is to have a very significant part to play in that. However, you could argue that he didn’t fight off all that greyscale and return to Dany for no reason at all. I would still predict him as one of the characters most likely to die looking at the development of his story arc: his death is the only thing that will redeem his character completely in the eyes of Danaerys, and I predict his death will be one of the saddest ones, what with his unrequited love for his Queen, completing his rather tragic and sad arc.
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2. Daenerys Targaryen/Jon Snow
I am tie-ing out the finalists on this one, but I would bet my safe dollar on the fact that atleast one of them would go, and that too in a sacrificial kind of way, giving themselves up to save the world. Quite possible in Jon Snow’s scenario, but his prediction is a real head scratcher since he has already been dead (and revived) once, so you would obviously argue that was for a reason, but this is Westeros. I think a stronger reason for him to not go would be the revelation of him being Aegon Targaryen, and him probably having some sort of saviour prophesy to fulfil. As for Danaerys, I would predict her death to have slightly higher odds than Snow’s, albeit in the same style mentioned below. The last of her kin, her death, if so, will be one of the big ones towards the end of the series in one of the deciding battles perhaps. 50-50 chances on both, even if they would seem slightly higher on Dany’s side.
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1. Cersei Lannister
This woman has been setting up her death in the final season ever since she started out on season one: each act so despicable and each look so vile. Although to Lena Headey’s credit, she is a fantastic villain for the entire series by now, but it is the endgame and besides the Night King, she is the only other big baddie. She recently lost her closest confidante, Jaime, and would just be providence if the Kingslayer lives up to his name to put an end to her madness. Arya won’t be a bad choice either.
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