8 Characters Who Will Likely Die in Tonight’s Episode of Game of Thrones
There are only four episodes left of Game of Thrones. Like four and done forever, people.
Tonight’s episode of Game of Thrones will likely spend the entire hour in the throes of battle. Showrunners have dedicated entire episodes to battles before (the Battle of the Blackwater, the Battle of Castle Black) and with this impending battle being the most important (we’re not talking kings and lords, we’re talking zombies and the living), the whole episode will focus on defending Winterfell from the Night King and his army of gross dead people.
With all that violence, there’s bound to be some deaths. Here’s eight (YES, 8) characters who will likely die tonight. Don’t fret, they already died hundreds of years ago.
- Brienne of Tarth: Or shall I say, Ser Brienne. Last week’s emotional fireside scene when Jamie Lannister made Brienne a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was everything. Let’s unpack that moment. Jamie, despite his maiming, still has a reputation as one of the most feared fighters in Westeros. Jamie’s knighting Brienne gave her the validation she’s been looking for since beating Loras’s ass in the melee at Renly’s war camp. She’s already the embodiment of knightly qualities and now she has the title to prove it. Furthermore, Brienne is leading the “left flank” in the battle proving that Jon and Daenerys trust her command instincts. Episode 2 was even titled “The Knight of the SevenKingdoms.” While she’s one of my favorites, Brienne has probably reached the finish line of her story. My prediction: Brienne dies valiantly in battle, possibly protecting Jamie or Podrick Payne.
- Podrick Payne: Everyone loves him. And if there’s one thing GOT producers love to do, it’s kill the ones we love. I’m not sure why Podrick needs to be around without Brienne, but I’m also not sure how he will die. There’s a possibility he kills one of the Whitewalker lieutenants first. He learned to fight from the best, so I suspect we will see some mad skillz…and then death. Why will he die? He got to sing last episode. And it was acapella. And it was the background for a montage.
- Tormund Giantsbane: This one I’m only half sure about. Tormund could be needed to manage the free folk after the battle in whatever new world GOT creates for Jon/Dany/Cersei. But there’s a solid chance Tormund perishes. He’s a badass on the battlefield, but he almost died last season when Jon’s hunting party was trapped on that iceberg. Other reasons he could die include but are not limited to: his awesome speech about the origin of his name, his posturing to Jamie “Kingkiller” Lannister in front of Brienne, his guileless questioning of the sexism embedded in chivalric code—everything points to this character having not much else to do in future episodes.
- Theon: Another character who has come full circle. He came back to Winterfell—leaving his sister Yara to retake their home by herself—with the express aim of fighting for Winterfell and the Starks.My prediction: He will die protecting Bran. There’s no need for him to rule theIron Islands with Yara in charge.
- Beric Dondarrion: I don’t have anything against him, but there’s like over twenty main characters in this show. He’s another mouth to feed at this point. Beric will surely do some damage with his light-up sword in the battle. However, without Thoros to resurrect him in the name of the Lord of Light, Beric’s nine lives are up. The Hound has mentioned Beric’s vulnerability like three times too.
- Gendry: He got to have sex with one of the most popular characters on the show last episode. Plus, he’s made all the weapons for this battle. Gendry has always been most useful as a blacksmith. Remember when Jon & Co. got trapped in the icy north? Jon told Gendry to run back to Castle Black and get a message to Dany. Jon didn’t seem too worried about not having Gendry’s fierce fighting skills. I predict Gendry will fight somewhat capably but ultimately die…with Ayra watching. While no Starks will die this episode, they can still be hurt with grief.
- Grey Worm: I might be shattering some dreams, but when “Baby Obama” (his nickname on Twitter) made that promise to Missandei last week, I thought, oh now you’re probs going to die. He made a retirement plan and that’s certainly a way to get killed on a show like #DemThrones. After he helps Khaleesi take the Iron Throne, Grey Worm will sail with his love to Naath. Nope. Furthermore, I think the showrunners are building to a “heel turn” for Daenerys. Strip away her trusted advisors and Dany losing touch with her moral compass can happen more easily.
- Jorah Mormont: Speaking of stripping away Dany’s close allies, Ser Friendzone (his nickname on the Interwebz) will probably die too. Why? Well, Samwell gave him Heartsbane, the ancestral family sword of House Tarly. Jon Snow carries Longclaw (the Mormont sword). While Jorah doesn’t deserve his own father’s sword, he needed Heartsbane more than Sam. Could be overshooting here but I feel like that moment between Jorah and Sam means for lots of Jorah kicking ass on the battlefield…and then death.
