We are less than two months away from the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones, and we now (finally) have a full-length trailer to wet our palettes for the next 40 or so days.
Since it has been almost two full years since season seven aired, the days between now and the season eight premiere are growing longer, and longer. A trailer drop such as this may be counterproductive in that regard, for it gives us even more reason to feel anxious and excited, thus making the days continue to slowly creep by.
However, there is a silver lining in all of this. Now that we actually have something substantial to chew on with this full-length trailer, we can dissect each and every second of the two minutes, and come up with some interesting theories. Granted, it is more than likely that none of these will hold up as well or as heavy as R+L=J, nevertheless, we persisted. Below are some of the best Game of Thrones theories we have found, following the trailer release.
“Bronn!”
At 1:04 in the trailer, we see a close up of a distraught looking Jaime Lannister. Flames and chaos riddle the background of this shot, and although it is fleeting, it seems as though Jaime yells out a name in a terrified manner:
“Bronn.”
This has many proposing that this snippet of the trailer could be a moment in the Battle of Winterfell when the beloved Bronn finds death, more than likely at the hands of a white walker or a wight.
Gendry and Lightbringer
At around the 0:56 mark, we see what appears to be some blacksmith weapon creation being done, and Gendry, the Baratheon bastard, looks to be in charge of that operation. Given his coveted status by Melisandre for his king’s blood, and the fact that he is still around in the show at all, Gendry looks to have a key role lined up for himself in the final season.
Some fans have connected these dots, taken some liberties, and are predicting that this means that he will forge Lightbringer - the prophesied weapon of Azor Ahai, aka the Prince That Was Promised. More to come on Gendry the blacksmith later.
Jaime’s Redemption Arc Fulfilled
The last we saw Jaime Lannister, he had finally cut ties with his self-serving sister, and was on his way north. This trailer all but confirms that he finds his way there, and he says himself that he “promised to fight for the living,” and he “intends to keep that promise.”
This narrative that the showrunners have created for Jaime to this point seems to be setting the stage for fulfillment of his character arc. He has gone from a villain in season one, to now a hero in season eight. In literature, this usually means that we are about to witness a very tragic death of a character that we have grown to love. If this theory holds true, expect some truly heroic moments from Jaime, before his ultimate death.
Cersei’s Tears
As if you need another excuse, re-watch section 1:06-1:10 of the new trailer. It looks like Cersei Lannister has fresh tears in her eyes. @siriuslylit posted a tweet with a theory as to why she may be crying in this scene - “Is Jaime Dead?”
Ever since her tears were pointed out, this theory has gained a lot of traction. Perhaps Jaime dies in the Battle of Winterfell, and this shot is immediately following Cersei finding out about it.
However, another angle of this is that her tears are in fact the response to a death, but not that of Jaime. Cersei is not one to show weakness, or feel very many vulnerable emotions at all. One of the only exceptions to this throughout the series have almost always revolved around her children. So, it is also possible that she just found out that she had a miscarriage - after all, she is drinking wine…
Cersei Is Not Pregnant
…speaking of Cersei drinking wine… Cersei is drinking wine. So, if the aforementioned theory is not true, and she did not have a miscarriage, then she has some explaining to do.
The last we saw Cersei, she told her brother Jaime that she is with child, and it is his. The convenient timing of this revelation has had many speculating since August 2017 that she was lying, and those theorists are probably feeling pretty good about their predictions following this trailer release.
Aegon Targaryen
At 0:28, a clip of an Iron Islands ship filled neatly with soldiers briefly flashes on screen. It is widely speculated that these soldiers are the Golden Company of Essos, the sellswords who Cersei said she would send for at the end of season seven.
But who is the blonde haired man who seems to be the captain? It is definitely not Euron Greyjoy, nor Jaime for that matter (his hair is short now). Could it perhaps be the secret Targaryen, Young Griff, from the A Song of Ice and Fire books, who, up to this point, has not made it into the show?
The Mountain is Death
Credit to u/on-a-darkling-plain on Reddit for coming up with this theory, which proposes that The Mountain is actually the god of death.
The trailer reference here is at the very beginning, directly following the HBO logo flash. Arya Stark is huffing and puffing with a look of dread on her face. She takes a deep breath, and bolts down the hallway, hastily looking back over her shoulder at whatever she is running from.
“Many theorize that Arya is running from wights/whites in Winterfell,” they say. “I propose an [alternate] theory: this is after Winterfell falls and they retreat south. Arya goes to Kings Landing, sneaking in the same way she snuck out in [season one], to stop Cersei’s treachery and scratch her name off her list. The Mountain intervenes. Arya fights the Mountain but can’t kill him. He is faceless, he is death. She runs.”
Gendry and Valyrian Steel
Chalk this one up as highly probable. Take a trip back to theory nine, at the 0:56 mark of the trailer. Enter Blacksmith Gendry.
As fun as it would be for him to forge Lightbringer, it is much more likely that he is using all of that dragonglass from Dragonstone to create an arsenal of Valyrian Steel weaponry that can kill white walkers.
We have been exposed to many references and examples over the course of the show that Gendry is a very talented blacksmith, making him the prime candidate to be the rare talent that could craft Valyrian Steel from dragonglass.
Buried Starks Come Back to Life
There are at least two things that we know when it comes to this theory: the army of the dead is marching towards Winterfell and white walkers bring the dead back to life as wights to increase the size of their army.
Well, there are a number of Starks buried in the Crypt of Winterfell, some of which were terrific fighters in their day. Could Jon have to face off against an undead version of his mother, Lyanna, or the Stark legend Brandon? As u/gerishlegacy says on Reddit, “If the dead Starks under Winterfell are brought back alive, then IM GONNA LOSE IT.”
Jon Snow is Going to Ride a Dragon
It is the moment we have all been waiting for, especially now that his lineage as a Targaryen/Stark hybrid is confirmed. At 1:24, Jon and Daenerys are in frame walking towards her two living dragons, Drogon and Rhaegal, on what appears to be a pretty desolate landscape. There does not seem to be many methods of transportation available, other than, well you know, the two dragons with the gift of flight.
Daenerys has been riding Drogon for a while now, but by our calculations, Rhaegal has yet to be ridden. If Jon were to mount him, it would be an incredibly poetic moment, since Rhaegal is named after Jon’s father, Rhaegar.
Mark your calendars. April 14th is right around the corner.
