We’re right around the corner from the season 8 premiere of the HBO hit series Game of Thrones, as the two-year wait will end on Sunday, April 14. As for whether or not it’ll end up being the best season of the show remains to be seen, but it’s certainly the most highly anticipated season since season 6, which promised to reveal the fate of the then Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch Jon Snow, who was murdered in the finale of season 5.
As we saw with the ex-Lord Commander and current Lord of Winterfell, as he bent the knee to Daenerys last season, death isn’t always permanent in the world of Ice and Fire.
So with that in mind, here are 10 deceased characters who we could see in season 8. Of course, some, if not all of these will be a member of the Night King’s army if they’re brought back.
Robert Baratheon
The former King, Robert Baratheon, left us way back in season 1, which kicked off the War of the Five Kings, where Stannis Baratheon, Renly Baratheon, Balon Greyjoy, Joffrey Baratheon, and Robb Stark went to war with each other.
If the Night King makes his way to King’s Landing at some point in season 8, either before or after the battle for Winterfell, we could see him raise the dead down south. By this point, like with most of the deceased characters in the show, King Robert should be nothing but bones by now, so it’ll be interesting to see how they let us know that it’s him and not just any other regular wight.
The Waif
In the season 8 trailer for Game of Thrones, we see Arya Stark, who is presumably in the crypts at Winterfell, running from something that is chasing her. Of course, we didn’t get to see who or what she was trying to escape from, but it could very well be the returning Waif, who was defeated by Arya back in season 6. We did see Jaqen H’ghar drink poison, collapse, and then return again during Arya’s training. So, it’s possible that The Waif was killed by Arya, but then was resurrected in the same way Jaqen was.
Brynden “The Blackfish” Tully
Back in season 6, when the Lannisters helped the Freys retake Riverrun, Brynden “The Blackfish” Tully refused to flee the castle, telling Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne “I’ve run before, in the Red Wedding. I’m not running again.” Unfortunately, his decision, as he expected it would, led to his death, as a Lannister soldier told Jaime that “The Blackfish” died fighting. It’s unclear what the Freys did with his corpse, but if they didn’t burn his body, which they likely didn’t, then we could see Brynden Tully return as a member of the Night King’s army in season 8.
Stannis Baratheon
After failing to capture Winterfell, Stannis Baratheon was found and executed by Brienne of Tarth in the season 5 finale. There is a theory out there that Stannis is still alive, as we didn’t actually see him die. However, Brienne did confront Davos and Melisandre back in season 6, where she admitted to executing the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.
At this point, you can probably safely assume that Brienne wouldn’t lie about anything, which means that if we see Stannis in season 8, he’ll be a member of the Night King’s army, as his body probably wasn’t burned after he was executed by Brienne.
Syrio Forel
As almost every Game of Thrones fan knows, there is a theory out there that Jaqen H’ghar is, or more appropriately was, Syrio Forel. But, as of right now, that isn’t confirmed, so one would imagine that Arya’s dancing master was killed by Meryn Trant. Bringing him back as a member of the Night King’s army would be a bit strange, but it could happen. The more likely possibility is that, in an effort to kill Arya, Jaqen H’ghar will put on Syrio’s face to get close to her. In fact, that could very well be who she’s running from in the season 8 trailer.
Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish
One of the craziest fan theories is that Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish didn’t die in the season 7 finale, but instead, he somehow knew his fate ahead of time, and paid off a Faceless Man to die in his place. Obviously, that hasn’t been confirmed, and it if that does end up being the case, that’ll really make his death scene feel completely pointless. So for fans going with the idea that he is dead, then his corpse is somewhere in Winterfell, and it’s not unrealistic to think that the Night King will bring “Littlefinger” back, although it’s unclear what purpose he’d serve in the Army of the Dead, as he wasn’t much of a fighter when he was alive.
Hodor
The most common prediction for season 8 is that Hodor will return as a member of the Army of the Dead. Of all the possibilities on this list, Hodor is probably the most likely one who will be brought back, as his body definitely wasn’t able to be burned due to the fact that he was swarmed by the Night King’s army as he sacrificed himself so that Bran and Meera could escape with their lives. The death of Hodor was one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the show, and it’ll definitely be a notable moment if he comes back with the Night King and targets Bran.
Eddard Stark
The Winterfell crypts have been a big part of HBO’s promotional material for season 8, which obviously means that the crypts will be a major part of the show’s final season. Of course, along with all of the other Lords of Winterfell and his sister Lyanna Stark, Eddard’s remains are located below Winterfell.
Most fans believe that the Night King was a Stark of Winterfell before the Children of the Forest created the White Walkers, and if that ends up being the case, then he could know a lot more about the crypts than any of the living characters do. So if, or more likely when the Night King heads down to the crypts, he could resurrect the bones of every deceased Winterfell Lord, including Ned Stark.
Catelyn Stark
In the books, Beric Dondarrion finds Catelyn Stark’s corpse after the Red Wedding, and he sacrifices himself to bring her back to life. It’s worth noting that this happened just three days after she was taken out by the Freys and the Boltons, and in the show, we’re way past being three days removed from Edmure Tully’s wedding day. However, the show might’ve altered this timeline, which might explain why the Lord of Light continues to resurrect Beric, who isn’t quite sure why he keeps being brought back to life. We would think that Lady Stark would be nothing but bones by now, as she’s been dead for several seasons. Still, we can’t rule out the possibility of Catelyn returning as Lady Stoneheart.
Benjen Stark
After helping Jon Snow escape the Army of the Dead last season, Benjen Stark was taken down by the Night King’s soldiers. Prior to being swarmed by the undead army, Uncle Benjen had been turned into a Wight by the Children of the Forest, who stopped the Night King’s magic from affecting the ex-Night’s Watch Ranger. But if there are still any Children remaining, they were nowhere near Benjen when he fell the second time. So it’s possible that we’ll see Ned Stark’s younger brother return in season 8 and go one on one with Jon Snow.
