Game of Thrones spoiler: Show bosses just hinted the Night King ISN’T dead and the White Walkers may make a deadly comeback
ARYA Stark delivered the fatal stab to the chest that managed to end the Night King’s life and subsequently wipe out his army in Game of Thrones.
But it seems that we might not have said a final goodbye to the mysterious villian , with new details from the show’s creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss hinting that the Night King may return. Read all about it below.
Is the Night King returning?
Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on May 3.
And though they didn’t reveal any major details, it would seem that the Night King returning is a possibility, according to Inverse.
When the chat show host asked the pair on whether there would be a chance of the White Walkers making a comeback, Benioff did not hesitate at all with his response, saying: “Yeah, we’re not gonna answer that”.
It’s not so much about what he says but how he reacts to the question that has given fans the theory that there may be more to the story than Benioff is willing to share.
There is no reason to doubt that Arya has killed the Night King – in fact, that’s the only narrative that would make sense because we’ve seen it happen this series.
But it’s strongly believed that without being restricted to George R.R. Martin’s source material anymore, there’s a chance they could rewrite the rules and bring a second Night King to resurrect the White Walkers.
This could evidently also see the return of the Night King himself, which is quite a theory in itself but given Benioff’s withholding response when asked about the return of White Walkers, it would seem plausible.
How did the Night King die?
After a whole Game of Thrones episode in which it seemed like the Night King and his army were going to win, everything changed during the last five minutes of season 8, episode 3.
It was feisty Arya who came to the rescue of her brother Bran – and the rest of humanity -when she sensationally plunged the Valyrian dagger – which was once meant to kill Bran Stark – into the Night King and ended his “life”.
And just as they had hoped, the Night King’s entire army fell with him.
It came as a major relief for viewers because things had been looking so bleak in the burning ancestral home of House Stark as the Army of the Dead triumphed over the living.
But after some words of encouragement from Melisandre, Arya realised exactly what she needed to do.
The red priestess said: “What do we say to the God of Death?”
Arya replied: “Not today.”
She then set her sights on killing the ice-eyed monster.
Just seconds before the Night King was able to take his swords and kill Bran, he turned around and caught Arya by the throat in mid-air.
Despite fears he was about to crush her to death, she stabbed him through the abdomen with an epic weapon switcheroo move.
Is the Night King really dead forever?
We’re not sure – while it would be easy to think that we’ve seen the last of the Night King, fans aren’t convinced he is really gone.
A Game of Thrones enthusiast tweeted airing their doubts over whether he is really gone for good.
The fan wrote: “The Night King actor wrote this today and posted a video of him “rehearsing”. But we never really saw him fight? Any thoughts he might not be dead?”
Other unconvinced fans have also tweeted airing their suspicions: “The Night King is not really dead – he warged into Bran just before Arya destroyed his body. When the others find out, they will have to kill him in order to get rid of the Night King permanently. That is the “bittersweet” ending: evil is destroyed but also Starks.”
And the theory certainly holds some weight because the Night King and Bran shared a rather long and intense stare just before Arya launched her surprise attack.
Plus, there would be a whole lot of irony if Bran really did see his life ended by the Valyrian steel dagger that was used to try and kill him way back in season one.
Meanwhile Redditor logicman101 posted another theory, stating: “I believe the [Night] King was going to give his sword to Bran and kneel just before he was stabbed. Azor Ahai is playing out its prophecy and preventing this, but it may not be yet over. I still believe Bran is the true [Night King].”
He believes that “in an upcoming episode we may see some alternate reality play out in one of Bran’s visions, where we see the Night King kneel to pass on whatever power and magic is necessary to Bran.”
According to the theory “the real Night King or the next in line Night King (Bran) will probably be defeated by some knowledge Tyrion gathered during his conversation with Bran.
“I believe that scene of Tyrion and Bran about to have a conversation truly foreshadowed something to come, some knowledge Tyrion [learned] from Bran to defeat him.”
Who is the Night King and how was he created?
Every army needs a commander, and the Night King is the leader of the White Walkers’ Army of the Dead.
He coordinated the walkers’ attacks as they move south towards Westeros, and he was the most powerful among them.
But the Night King’s existence did not come about naturally.
In season six of Game of Thrones, Bran Stark learned that the Children of the Forest had created the Night King in a bid to protect themselves and the forest from the First Men.
During a vision he saw the man who became the Night King tied up against a tree, and watched as one of the Children pushed dragon glass into his heart, turning his eyes the characteristic bright blue of the walkers.
The White Walkers were created in the same way so that the Children could protect themselves from humans, but the move backfired and the walkers became hugely dangerous in themselves.
Is the Night King a Stark?
Thanks to a vision from Bran Stark, fans have seen the moment when the Children of the Forest plunged a piece of dragon glass into the heart of a man – thus creating the Night King.
He was among one of the First Men and could well have been from the Winterfell area, plus the Starks are direct descendants from the First Men.
In the books, there is a legend about the Night’s King, who was a man that fell in love with a White Walker.
He was the 13th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch and lost his soul when he made love to his girlfriend.
When Nan was telling Bran her story about the Night’s King, she hinted that he was a Stark.
Bran said: “Some say he was a Bolton. Some say a Magnar out of Skagos, some say Umber, Flint, or Norrey.
“Some would have you think he was a Woodfoot, from them who ruled Bear island before the ironmen came.
“He never was. He was a Stark, the brother of the man who brought him down.”
Old Nan added: “He was a Stark of Winterfell, and who can say?
“Mayhaps his name was Brandon. Mayhaps he slept in this very bed in this very room.”
Is the Night King a Targaryen?
Many fans believe the Night King’s symbol shares uncanny similarities to that of House of Targaryen’s crest.
At the end of the opening episode of season eight, a dead Ned Umber was tacked to the wall surrounded by a spiral made of human hands and arms that look like the crest when set alight.
Then in season seven, Jon shows Daenerys the carvings on the walls of the caves beneath Dragonstone that were inscribed there by the Children of the Forest.
And once again, the familiar symbol was seen near the drawings of the White Walkers.
As we all know, the Night King has a dragon in his army now and he was seen riding the dragon in the finale of season seven.
And fans think this is another clue because the show’s creators once claimed that “only a Targaryen can ride a dragon”.
Plus in the Battle of Winterfell, we discovered that he can’t be killed by dragon fire either.
But realistically, the Night King probably isn’t a Targaryen in any way because he was created from one of the first men.
In fact, the Targaryen’s family line weren’t thought to be anywhere near that area at that time in Game of Thrones history.
The White Walkers were created a whole 6,000 years before the Targaryen conquest of Westoros!
Is Bran Stark the Night King?
There was currently a hugely popular fan theory which says that Bran Stark is actually the Night King.
Especially when in the first episode of series eight Ned Stark’s youngest son is reunited with his half-brother Jon Snow and describes himself as “almost” a man.
A Reddit user has claimed his incredible powers and ability to travel back to past events and “warg” – placing his soul in to the body of a different person or creature – makes the theory viable.
User turm0il26 claims that Bran either wargs into the human who becomes the Night King, or tries to kill the Children of the Forest who created the zombie king.
However, he ends up becoming the Night King as he has travelled too far to leap back in to the present day.
It’s riveting stuff – and as Bran has gone from cute kid to a smug psychic misery guts who refers to himself as the Three-Eyed Raven, it makes sense that he might make one MORE transformation.
MORE ON GAME OF THRONES
When is Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 5 on in the UK?
Game of Thrones season 8, episode 5, continues on Monday on Sky Atlantic.
Episode five can be watched in the UK on Sky Atlantic from 2am on Monday, May 13.
Alternatively, fans can watch the episode at 9pm when it airs for a second time on the TV station or on Now TV at 9pm.
The eighth and final series is made up of six episodes so the end really is nigh.