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‘Game of Thrones’: Battle of Winterfell Predictions

Who will survive the battle between the living and the dead?

By SamPublished 5 years ago 7 min read
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We’ve made it. The great battle between the living and the White Walkers has finally arrived. This Sunday, we’ll all be in for an intense hour and 20 minutes of TV. This is a battle that has been building since the very beginning. Given that there have been no deaths in the past two episodes, it’s safe to say we need to prepare for many casualties. The easygoing reunions we’ve seen thus far are likely the happiest times we’ll get in the coming weeks. With the most anticipated episode in TV on the horizon, it’s natural to speculate about what’s going to happen. I have many thoughts about it. Let’s take a look to see what we could see next week.

The Death List

I think we’ll be saying goodbye to a number of our cast. In particular, I have a list of people I believe are gone: Theon, Tormund, Beric Dondarrion, Jorah, Davos, Edd, Missandei, and Gilly. Let me explain one by one.

We know going into the Great War that Theon and his men will be with Bran out in the Godswood. Bran will draw the Night King out, and Theon vows to protect him. This is obviously to make up for Theon’s takeover of Winterfell all those seasons ago. Theon drove Bran out and tried to kill him; this is how he’ll redeem himself. There’s no way Theon makes it out of this. He’s betrayed the Starks, who loved him and raised him, and will most likely give his life for them.

Tormund, Beric, Davos, and Edd feel like secondary characters who have no storyline anymore. They are soldiers to fight, and will serve as big deaths that show how dire this battle is. Tormund throws himself into every fight, but this fight may prove to be the one that finally takes his life. It is also clear that the action will move south to King’s Landing for the back half of the season, and I can’t see Tormund making his way south. Similarly, Beric seems to be another character I can’t see heading south. He exists to fight the White Walkers. With his priest friend Thoros gone, Beric is on borrowed time. He will no doubt give his life in the Great War. Davos and Edd don’t have clear storylines anymore. Given they have nothing else to do other than fight, it makes sense these characters will be trimmed as we get to the fight for the Iron Throne.

Jorah is a sore spot for me. I really like Jorah. He’s awesome, but I think his time is up. He’s had his redemption in Daenerys’ eyes and is back to being her trusted adviser. Going into the battle, Jorah has his father’s sword and is again fighting for the North. It would be a good way to wrap up his story line. Also, there’s the effect this would have on Daenerys. Dany is upset with Jon at the moment, as she knows now he is the last male Targaryen heir. She has slowly been showing more signs of the Targaryen madness lately. Losing Jorah would add to her rage and heighten the tension further as we get to King’s Landing. While I don’t think Dany will go full Mad King on us, I think she will get close before becoming the beloved queen we love. Given that Jorah also just gave his adviser position to Tyrion, it may be time for him to exit.

Missandei and Gilly particularly hurt me. I first thought of them because of clues from episode two. When Podrick sings his song, we get shots of couples. I think one out of every pair will die. Given that I think Sam will survive, I think Gilly will be the unfortunate one to die. As for Missandei, that boils down to the crypts.

What is in the Stark crypts? Bodies. The Night King will raise the dead and those hiding in the crypts will die. I think Little Sam will make it out, but Gilly will die saving him. Missandei will most likely die too. Her romance with Grey Worm is lovely, but they were strongly telegraphing an unhappy ending for them, literally placing a dragonglass "X" barrier in between them in episode two. Plus, it would seem Grey Worm would be an obvious choice to kill. He’s on the frontlines, after all. Killing Missandei would totally subvert expectations. Missandei and Gilly are two that I’d hate to see go. They’re so sweet, but when has Game of Thrones ever spared a character because they were sweet?

So who is safe?

There are only three characters I believe for a fact are safe: Jaime, the Hound, and Sam. Jaime has unfinished business with Cersei. I think he’ll kill her, similar to how he killed the Mad King all those years ago. It’s something that would be so satisfying and bring things full circle. He just has to see Cersei again.

The Hound’s unfinished business is also why I think he’ll survive. He has to fight his brother. Fans have waited for Clegane Bowl forever. There’s nothing more fitting than the Hound finally getting to fight his brother. They have to fight, or else the fans will riot. Also, I can’t think of anyone better to take down the Mountain.

Sam is a character long believed to survive the series. This comes from the theory that he will be in the Citadel writing the history of the series—AKA, A Song of Ice and Fire. I don’t expect it to be sappy or anything, but Sam is the only one who has interacted with most of the characters in the series. He is the best candidate to document the history of the series.

The rest of the characters… I’m not sure. I desperately hope our Stark sisters survive, but nothing is certain. Bigger characters like Tyrion, Jon, and Daenerys will probably survive, but I’m still not certain.

The Targaryens

The big secret is out. Dany and Jon both know Jon’s true parentage. It’s obvious that Dany’s main concern is Jon having a better claim to the throne. How will this translate to next week? I think she’ll try and kill him. It won’t be anything too obvious, and she might not even do anything. Jon might catch her thinking about it though. Perhaps, she has Drogon threaten him in some way? No matter what, the relationship between these two will no doubt splinter further.

The Animals

I love the animals, but there’s no way they all make it. That being said, I need Ghost to survive. Ghost has been totally neglected as of late, and if they kill him when he’s only had five seconds of screen time this season, I’m going to riot.

As for the dragons, I’ll say two out of three will die. Let’s start with Rhaegal. Rhaegal is “Jon’s dragon.” He’s named after Jon’s father, and he’s the one that Jon rode in episode one. His death would be a symbol of Dany and Jon’s relationship crumbling. Jon might even indirectly be the cause of the dragon’s death. They have an interesting relationship, and I’m excited (and terrified) to see where it ends up.

I think undead Viserion will be killed. The Night King needs to be defeated and come face to face with Bran and Jon. Based on the final shot of episode two, he’s still on the dragon. With only four episodes left, it makes sense that the dragons will start dying. I don’t see any of them being left by the time the series is over. Viserion’s death would put the living on better ground with the dead in the Great War. Speaking of which…

The war won't end here.

A large chunk of this prediction comes from the teaser showing Winterfell in snow-covered ruins. I think the dead will win this fight and drive our remaining characters to King’s Landing. I can’t see this episode being tied up neatly. What I believe is that everything will come together in King’s Landing. All the problems and characters we’ve seen over the course of eight seasons will wrap up here for better or worse.

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Sam

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