Game of Thrones season 7: Is Melisandre making a comeback?

Did Game of Thrones actress Carice van Houten just suggest her character may return sooner rather than later, or is she just stirring up speculation?

Amidst the hubbub of season 7 of Game of Thrones, one character has pretty much fallen off our radar: Melisandre. Right now, she’s a case of “out of sight, out of mind,” since she departed from Dragonstone and told Varys she’d be heading to Volantis.

However, as we discussed after episode 3, we will almost certainly see Melisandre again, but we didn’t know when or exactly how. She said she needed to come back, after all.

Now, we know that Game of Thrones isn’t currently filming or anything of the like. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau told us that things won’t kick off for season 8 until October.

With all that in mind, why would Carice van Houten share a photo of herself in costume as Melisandre now?

The odds are it isn’t snowing in Volantis. It could simply be that van Houten is sharing this photo to ride the wave of Game of Thrones hype, but it still seems suspect, especially considering her rather snowy surroundings. It’s not entirely outside the realm of possibility that Melisandre will make her return in the season 7 finale with some sort of dire prediction to give to Daenerys Targaryen.

But as of now, that’s simply a guess. There’s no real evidence either way, but let’s briefly game out what the “dire prediction” could do. It could re-emphasize what’s at stake going into season 8. It could completely turn those stakes on their head (even more than Viserion’s death and subsequent zombification did). It could do nothing, with Daenerys dismissing whatever it is Melisandre had to say.

That last one is perhaps the least likely. After all, Melisandre insisted that Daenerys needed to meet with Jon Snow, and we’re now predicting that that little connection is going to blossom.

Next: 5 OMG moments from Game of Thrones' 'Beyond the Wall'

What do you think about this photo? Is it just a cute behind-the-scenes look, or is it a sign of things to come?