After the release of the last episode of season 7 for Game of Thrones, there were 20 months before season 8 released. That was evidently enough time for viewers to watch and re-watch the episodes and develop intricate fan theories. Spoiler alert!
The Night King was a character that inspired hundreds of theories and most of them held some weight. Some theories have since come true while others haven’t. After the first three episodes, the battle for the Iron Throne has resumed, since the Night King and his army were turned to dust. So, lets consider some theories that could still come true.
Jaime kills Cersei
There isn’t much doubt that Cersei will die soon since her death was predicted fairly early on in the show. When she was a little girl, Cersei met a fortune teller called Maggy the Frog. This was the scene from Season 5 where we get the famous Cersei predictions. Maggy predicts that she will wed a king and become a queen until a younger queen replaces her. This prophesy could have come true with Margaery Tyrell, but it didn’t. However, Daenerys or Sansa could also be the ‘young queen’.
In A Feast for Crows, Maggy prophesies, “Gold shall be their crowns and gold their shrouds, she said. And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you.” Part of the prophecy where Cersei outlives her three children has already comes true. What remains is the fatality of the valonqar which translates to ‘little brother’ in High Valyrian. Cersei always believed that Tyrion would be the little brother that would murder her which explains why she has always hated him.
However, it was revealed that even though Jaime is Cersei’s twin, he was born a few moments after her, technically making him her little brother. After the Battle of Winterfell, Jaime left Brienne to go back to his sister/lover’s side. Many believe that this could be the part of a plan to murder Cersei since she is now the main villain on the show. And even if he hasn’t left with the intention to murder her, he could still end up killing her due to the circumstances. This would fulfill the valonqar prophecy.
Cersei dies at childbirth
Another part of Maggy’s prophecy was the number of kids that Cersei would have. When Cersei asks her if she shall have children with the king, Maggy says, “Oh, aye. Six-and-ten for him, and three for you.”
She has already had three children, and she has outlived them all. However, at the end of the seventh season, we find out that our queen is pregnant again. This could either mean that she was lying to keep Jaime with her or she actually is pregnant. If she is pregnant, fans have theorized that childbirth might kill Cersei, like it did her mother. The baby is most likely Jaime’s. This will fulfill both the prophecies on a technicality.
There are also theories that the writers might have changed some details on the show. In season 1, viewers found out that Cersei might have had a child with King Robert who died early on. In the books, however, Jaime and Cersei abort the pregnancy. So, on the show, will Maggy’s prophecy actually come true?
Tyrion is still team Cersei
We know one thing about Tyrion for sure- he is a master strategist. Many fans think that the makers of the show kept us in the dark about a crucial conversation between Cersei and Tyrion in season 7. Tyrion noticed that Cersei might be pregnant while he was convincing her to work with Dany. After that, we directly see them in the Dragonpit. This time could have been used by Cersei to convince Tyrion instead to ensure that her child becomes the future ruler. Dany apparently can’t have children, so Tyrion might have decided to betray her to secure a place on the throne for his nephew/niece. Then again, Cersei wasn’t supposed to have be able to have more than three children. So, who knows what will happen? In A Dance with Dragons, it is predicted that Dany will face three treason- once for blood, once for gold, and once for love.
Daenerys becomes the Mad Queen
Daenerys Targaryen has come a long way since the first season and the Khaleesi became more powerful than ever with her dragons. However, the eighth season hasn’t been kind to the mother of dragons. The woman who freed slaves and liberated cities, has been burning anybody who doesn’t “bend the knee”, case in point, Dickon and Randyll of house Tarly.
Game of Thrones hasn’t introduced much of Dany’s family but we do know enough about the Mad King, her father Aerys II who lost his sanity. During his last days, he kept screaming, “burn them all!” While Jaime was talking to Brienne about the Mad King he said, “He burned everyone who was against him.” Sounds familiar? Dany’s recent actions have Tyrion, Varys, and the viewers worried about her fulfilling the proverb, ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’.
If we’re keeping count, and we are, as of season 8, episode 4, Dany has now lost two of her beloved dragons since Euron Greyjoy used Scorpion to kill Rhaegal. During the Battle of Winterfell, her Dothraki army was killed as well. If this wasn’t enough, Ser Jorah died and soon after, Missandei was executed by Cersei. With all the recent developments, there is a chance of Dany going mad for the throne.
In season 2, Dany had a vision of herself in front of the throne where we see snow falling from the roof. Fans later speculated that it could have been ash instead which makes sense after the fourth episode. It has become clear that Dany intends to rain fire upon Cersei and the King’s Landing.
In the same vision, the roof above the throne had been blown away as well. This could be a sign that Dany is going to burn everything to the ground. Then, there was the rather candid conversation between Sansa and Daenerys.
More dragons!
Before Missandei was executed, she said, “Dracarys.” Daenerys might actually follow the advice of her closest advisor, and burn down the Red Keep. However, after the tragic death of Rhaegal, this might be a little difficult. The only dragon left is Khaleesi’s favourite Drogon, who, Ser Jorah spotted in Valyria in season 5, after the dragon’s mysterious disappearance.
Why would the show’s creators send Jorah through Valyria when he was trying to get back to Dany even though he says that he has never taken the route before? And we were never told where Drogon was after he disappeared having been seen last over the Black Cliffs. Even though all the dragons have male names, there is no reference to their actual genders. So, there is a chance that Drogon may be female and she migrated to Valyria, their homeland, on a natural instinct to lay eggs. The eggs could have hatched by now and the dragons might make their way to the Targaryen queen. This would also explain why Euron looks so terrified when he looks up to the sky in the season 8 episode 5 preview.
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