Warning: Major spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, episode 5.
So, uh... who gets to kill Dany?
In Game of Thrones' penultimate episode, we watched the once beloved Mother of Dragons go full Mad Queen, barbecuing innocent civilians, the Lannister army, and a sizable portion of King's Landing out of sheer spite. Her enemies had already surrendered, no more blood needed to be shed, and yet she went full-flamethrower anyway. It was a very bad look.
Now, two things are crystal clear: First, Varys was totally right (sorry, buddy.) Second, there's no way in hell Dany is surviving this finale.
Here are some of our favorite theories on how The Unburnt will go up in flames in Thrones' last chapter, finally taking her rightful place as the series' Biggest Bad.
Jon betrays Dany thanks to the Azor Ahai prophecy
Long-time Melisandre stans are still waiting on The Prince That Was Promised to do whatever it is he was promising. In the series' final episode, that moment could finally come.
The full history behind this bit of Thrones lore is markedly complex, and has yet to be resolved in the books. In the simplest of terms and as it applies here: If Jon Snow is in fact Azor Ahai come again as Melisandre believed, then to fulfill The Legend of Lightbringer he will have to do a number of things — not the least of which involves making an ominous sacrifice.
That sacrifice could very well involve killing the woman he loves for the good of the realm and taking his rightful place as King. But whether or not Jon has the guts to take on the title of Queenslayer remains to be seen.
However, if that Lord of Light prophesy is to be resolved during the series' run, then it has to happen during the finale, and it might as well happen to Jon.
Tyrion makes an executive decision
The Queen's Hand has had a rough go of it since taking on the job in Season 6 — and while he's not mad (just disappointed) it could be time for Tyrion to take matters into his own hands.
After watching Dany murder his friend Varys, both of his siblings, and thousands of innocents in Episode 5, Tyrion has all the motivation needed to commit treason against the once promising Targaryen Queen. But how would he do it?
While we're rooting for a cross-bow on the toilet situation à la Tywin Lannister, it is far more likely that Tyrion would conspire with other dissenters to assassinate Dany. We could see Brienne, Podrick, Tormund, Sam, really any surviving character offering to help out at this point. Seriously, she messed up.
House Stark takes the Iron Throne
With a disproportionate amount of the remaining cast hailing from House Stark, it's not too late to place one of these northerners on the Iron Throne — and consequently, on Team "Let's Murder the New Queen."
Arya and Sansa have more than a few reasons to want Dany dead, and Bran (aka ruler of all that is weird, but generally reasonable) likely also sees the major threat she poses to The Seven Kingdoms.
While the specifics of how the Starks would take out Dany are tough to predict, there's plenty of foreshadowing to indicate that they are destined to do so. Namely, their series-long underdog narrative and persistent dedication to justice, honor, and not committing mass murder by dragon.
Grey Worm kills Dany (but it isn't really him)
Bring back the face swapping!
In a truly brilliant fan theory, Reddit user u/hoowuurd proposes that former faceless woman Arya Stark will use her powers of illusion to sneakily assassinate Dany from within her inner circle.
"Arya will use Grey Worm's face to kill Dany, and set it up to look as if either Grey Worm killed Dany and then himself, or just flee the scene and leave it a mystery to the realm," the theory details.
It's a fantastically cinematic end to the series, supported by some fan's interpretation of Melisandre's eye color prophecy in Episode 3. If Arya is destined to kill Dany, this would be one hell of a way to do it.
Grey Worm kills Dany (and yes, it's really him)
Alternatively, Grey Worm could actually flip on Dany, a development that would be just as entertaining and way more cathartic.
Quiet, but observant, Grey Worm has had a front row seat to the Mad Queen's downward spiral for some time now, making him the perfect candidate to lead a surprise coup. The Unsullied's steady support of Dany seems to make this an unlikely theory — but where there's a will, there's a way.
Grey Worm has the access, the skill, and, in the wake of Missandei's tragic death, possibly the motivation needed to pull this off. At this point, what does he have to lose?
Varys began poisoning Dany well before she had him executed
According to a number of Thrones theorists, Dany's refusal to eat in Episode 5 was more than pre-pillage jitters. Rather, the now-deceased Varys may have been attempting to poison the rising Queen — and she may have known it.
Before facing death by dragon, Varys speaks with one of his little birds, a young girl named Martha who has been tasked with bringing the Queen her meals. Their conversation plays out as follows:
Martha: “She won’t eat.” Varys: “We’ll try again at supper.” Martha: “I think they’re watching me.” Varys: “Who?” Martha: “Her soldiers.” Varys: “Of course, they are. That’s their job. What have I told you, Martha?” Martha: “The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.”
Yeah, suspicious doesn't even begin to cover it.
If this theory proves true and Varys's little birds continued with the poisoning plot after his execution and unbeknownst to Dany, then the Breaker of Chains could be well on her way to death's door and not even know it.
Gendry returns for his crown
Remember in Episode 4 when Dany made a big show of naming Gendry as Lord of Storm's End, so she could manipulate him into dropping his claim to the Iron Throne? Yeah, that could backfire.
On the one hand, the political move seems like a safe bet for Westeros's new Queen. By gifting Gendry with a title and land, Dany seemingly secured his loyalty — preemptively dissuading Gendry from attempting to outrank her.
On the other hand, Dany's decision to legitimize Gendry as the bastard son of Robert Baratheon in the eyes of the public substantially strengthens his claim to the Throne. Should the people of Westeros not like Dany as their Queen for I don't know, some reason, they could back a possible claim by Gendry through a rebellion.
That being said, there are no major signs that Gendry actually wants to be King. However, we can think of a certain Hero of Winterfell who might be able to persuade him to take on the job.
Drogon gets fed up and bails
Dany is nothing without her dragons... er, dragon. And she hasn't exactly been the best mom in Season 8.
Drogon, now the last remaining dragon in Westeros, has been through it. With both of his siblings dead and his mom gone fully off the deep end, Drogon is more than justified in flying off to hunt sheep, explore the kingdoms, and go to dragon college or whatever.
If the Mother of Dragons is going down, her child is going down with her. Let's hope he's leading the charge, and not a casualty of bad parenting.
Topics Game Of Thrones
