Questions Game Of Thrones Needs To Answer In Its Final Season

Ever since they hatched in the season 1 finale, Daenerys' (Emilia Clarke) three dragons (Drogon, Rhaegal, & Viserion) have been an integral part of the show, largely because none of the other characters believed that dragons still existed at all. As part of the ancient and royal Targaryen family, Daenerys is known throughout Westeros and beyond as the "Mother of Dragons," and since she spends a fair amount of time in the show's later seasons swooping into battle on a dragon, the title feels fairly apt.

However, just as fans started to tire of Daenerys ex Machina, the show threw a wrench into her plan — during a risky (and stupid) mission beyond the Wall, Daenerys flew in to save Jon Snow and his motley crew once again, but Viserion was felled by the Night's King and became an ice dragon, later used to take down the Wall itself. So what does this mean for Daenerys, who considers the dragons her children? Will an ice dragon still be under her command, or has Viserion gone completely rogue? How does this tie into the series' theme of fire and ice? Some fans think that, based on a prophecy regarding the "three heads" of the dragon, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) will end up riding Viserion. With so many theories floating around, it can be hard to keep track, but fans can expect a dragon showdown at the very least.

From a sword-wielding pipsqueak to an identity-shifting assassin, Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), daughter of Ned Stark,  has undergone one of the most dramatic and terrifying journeys in the entire show (which, considering this is Game of Thrones, is really saying something). After watching her father's execution in season 1, Arya has been on an endless quest for blood, whispering her "kill list" to herself every night before she goes to sleep, waiting for her chance to exact revenge on those who hurt everyone from her father to her mother to her friend Gendry.

So far, several names on Arya's list have been killed by other people, and she's personally taken down a few using her face-shifting abilities, including Meryn Trant and Walder Frey, but there are still several huge names on her list that haven't yet been taken down. Though she thinks she killed the Hound, he's still alive, and after their journey together, he may have earned a place off of the list — but big bads like The Mountain, executioner Ilyn Payne, Melisandre, and, of course, Cersei Lannister are still on the loose for Arya to hunt down, leaving fans in suspense about whether she'll make it to the end of her list.

Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) has always been one of the show's most despicable and complicated characters, and currently, she holds the Iron Throne. Though Cersei was taken down several pegs during her famous Walk of Shame, she'll do anything to hold her powerful position. When her younger brother Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) tries to reason with her, she confides in him that she's pregnant with her fourth child — and as audiences know, if Cersei's pregnant, her twin brother Jaime is the father.

As to the question of whether Cersei truly is pregnant, Jeremy Podeswa, director of the season 7 finale, believes she is, and if viewers take his word, then it's important to take a certain plot point into consideration. Cersei received a prophecy as a child, and so far, much of it has come true — that she will wed the king, that she will be challenged by a young queen, and her three children will die. In the books, this prophecy includes another warning: that Cersei will be vanquished by her valonqar, or little brother. Though Cersei always assumes this means Tyrion, Jaime is just a few minutes younger than she is, so many fans believe that if she really is pregnant with his child, the pregnancy could cost Cersei her life.

An unexpected fan favorite, Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju), a warrior of the Wildling clan that lives beyond the Wall, was introduced during the third season when Jon Snow infiltrated the Wildlings on behalf of the Night's Watch. Though Tormund was initially distrustful and dismissive towards Jon, the two have become allies and friends. Perhaps the best example of the bond between Wildlings and Westeros dwellers was the massacre at Hardhome, where Tormund and Jon were some of the only survivors of a White Walker attack that killed many Wildlings and Night's Watch soldiers alike. Beyond that, Tormund's wisecracking attitude, his sexually liberated beliefs, and his all-around charm have hugely endeared him to audiences, who can't get enough of the fire-haired fighter.

However, in the season 7 finale, it looked as if audiences could lose one of their favorite characters with no fanfare whatsoever. As the Wall was taken down by the Night's King and his brand new ice dragon, Tormund, along with Beric Dondarrion (a member of the magical Brotherhood Without Banners), was seen running for his life amidst the destruction. Hivju seems optimistic about Tormund's fate — and luckily for fans, he may be telling the truth, as Hivju was spotted on set with many other Thrones actors during the filming of season 8.

One of the most anticipated showdowns in the entirety of Game of Thrones — both the books and the show — is referred to as Cleganebowl, which would see the dangerous Clegane brothers pitted against each other. If you can't quite remember who the Clegane brothers are, that's understandable: Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann) goes by the Hound, and his older brother Gregor (currently played by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) is known as the Mountain. Both are formidable fighters known throughout Westeros, but the Mountain is the more ruthless of the two, infamous for committing war crimes and murder at the behest of the Lannisters — and after suffering a nearly fatal wound in a duel, he's basically become an even more murderous zombie who kills at Cersei's command. The Hound isn't without his sins, but over the course of the show, he's been through a redemptive character arc, leaving audiences with no doubt as to who they should root for.

So why would these two fight? Well, there's no love lost between the brothers, especially considering that The Mountain is responsible for The Hound's scarred face (and his fear of fire), and when the two reunited at the end of season 7, The Hound's cryptic words left fans with little doubt that Cleganebowl is coming before the show ends — what remains to be seen is what immediately prompts the battle.

Many fans are understandably confused by Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright)'s transformation, and that's frankly because his journey has been pretty befuddling. Ever since Bran was pushed out of a high tower by Jaime Lannister in the series premiere, he's been unable to walk, but he has another ability — projecting himself into the past. Though Bran was initially confused by his visions of a "three eyed raven," he eventually got answers from Jojen Reed (Thomas Brodie Sangster), a mysterious boy who brought Bran to a mythical tree to meet the actual Three-Eyed Raven. Needing a replacement, the tree dweller chose Bran as his successor, and Bran's been exploring the past and uncovering answers for both the audience and other characters ever since (including Jon Snow's true parentage).

It's still unclear what role Bran will play in the final season, but naturally, fans have plenty of ideas. An important flashback in season 6 seemed to confirm that he can affect both the past and the future, and the theories range from the argument that Bran exists in every moment of time simultaneously to the prediction that Bran could actually be the mysterious and powerful Night King. It's also possible that Bran was the catalyst for the Mad King's descent into insanity, so no matter what the answer is, it's clear that Bran, in one form or another, will have a huge impact on the series.

Viewers were delighted at the beginning of Thrones when the Stark family stumbled upon a family of wolf puppies, with each Stark child taking home one symbolic animal (their family crest is a wolf, after all) to raise as their own — even Jon Snow, the family's resident bastard child, takes home the smallest of the litter. Throughout the show, several of the direwolves have met rather sticky ends, whether they were killed at Cersei's behest, slaughtered at the Red Wedding, murdered by Ramsay Bolton, or sacrificed themselves for their master (may Lady, Grey Wind, Shaggydog, and Summer all rest in peace). Just two remain alive — Ghost, Jon Snow's pure white wolf, and Arya's wolf Nymeria, who has been roaming Westeros without her owner since the first season.

After Arya's chance encounter with Nymeria and a pack of wolves in the show's seventh season, fans are getting their hopes up that both Ghost and Nymeria will play even bigger roles, especially considering that Ghost has been conspicuously absent for some time (partly due to mounting CGI costs to create the wolves). Thanks to a heart-stopping budget for the final season and overwhelming demand, viewers may well see how the Stark direwolves factor in to the series' endgame, especially considering that they could potentially be extremely effective against the Night King's army of weaker wights. 

As the long-standing home of the highborn Stark family, Winterfell represents a home for some of the show's most beloved characters, and fans have been thrilled to see many of the Stark clan (as well as other favorite characters) return to the stronghold, which has survived several battles, invasions, and other terrors. Since the show began at Winterfell, it stands to reason that the fortress will play a large role in the final season, especially considering that most of the main characters have gathered there, and exclusive photos from the eighth season show that the final six episodes of the series will place nearly every important person at Winterfell as they plan for the war ahead of them (including Daenerys, in her first journey to the North).

However, it remains to be seen whether the capital of the North and arguably one of the show's most important symbols will survive the series' final conflict. Though teasers depict three of the heirs to Winterfell — Jon, Sansa, and Arya — wandering the crypts of the castle, many believe that Winterfell will fall as the show ends. Considering that Thrones is in the habit of killing its darlings, this certainly isn't out of the question, but little doubt remains that Winterfell will be where much of the show's final season will take place.