25 Game of Thrones theories fans need to know for season 8

Isaac Hempstead Wright, Vladimir Furdik.

photo: courtesy of HBO

Bran is the Night King

Bran Stark is a character who has changed tremendously from the first season of Game of Thrones, going from a young boy who wants to be a knight to the “Three-Eyed Raven,” a more serious character who can seemingly glimpse into the past, present, and future. Bran is also capable of entering the minds and bodies of others due to his warg abilities.

There are tons of theories about how Bran’s powers could play into the show’s finale, and some of them suggest a larger role for him than others. One especially interesting one, though, is that Bran is actually the Night King. It seems ridiculous that the Three-Eyed Raven and Night King could be the same person, but fans have spent a lot of time gathering the evidence for this one.

The theory suggests that, due to his combination of powers, Bran is capable of going back in time to change the way events unfold. He does this when he tells Hodor to “hold the door,” and the theorists also believe he affects time when he shouts for his father during his flashback to Jon’s birth. This theory suggests that Bran will also go back in time to prevent the White Walkers from destroying Westeros—though it holds that his attempts will prove unsuccessful.

According to the theory, Bran will eventually attempt to return to the time period before the White Walkers and warg into the body of the first man that the Children of the Forest turn into one. However, as Jojen and the original Three-Eyed Raven warn Bran repeatedly, staying in the past too long can cause one to become stuck that way.

And this theory believes that Bran will become stuck as the Night King, trapped in the White Walker’s body with all of his powers. The theory suggests that this is the reason the Night King has so many interesting powers—including his ability to raise the dead.

It also argues that this is why the Three-Eyed Raven tells Bran that, while he won’t walk again, he “will fly.” This could allude to the fact that the Night King has his own dragon now, therefore fulfilling another prophecy, just not in the way fans expected it to.