‘Game of Thrones’: Tormund’s Fate Revealed in Season 8 Premiere

The Game of Thrones Season 8 premiere revealed Tormund Giantsbane and the others from Eastwatch by the Sea alive and well.

Fans have had an agonizing two-year-long wait to find out what happened to Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) and the others. The Season 7 finale left things pretty uncertain for the skeleton crew manning Eastwatch, which made it that much more of a relief when Tormund and Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) came creeping onto the screen Sunday night.

Warning! Spoilers for Game of Thrones lie ahead!

Game of Thrones saved their big return for near the very end of the episode. In the beginning, we learn that Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and his allies are aware that the Wall has fallen, thanks to Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright). Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) has sent word, and Jon plans to call on the Night’s Watch to retreat to Winterfell where they can help make their last stand. In the same scene, Jon orders the young heir of the Umber house north to gather his people at Last Hearth.

There is still no mention of the fate of Eastwatch — the stronghold where the Night King made his assault. Finally, later in the episode, we see Tormund, Beric and their men entering Last Hearth, which is in ruins. The survivors creep through the castle looking for other humans, but weary of finding White Walkers instead.

The survivors run into the Night’s Watch, where Tormund and Edd Tollett (Ben Crompton) have one of the funniest exchanges of the whole episode.

“Watch out, he’s got blue eyes!” Edd says, thinking Tormund might have been turned by the Night King.

“I’ve always had blue eyes!” Tormund answers.

Together, the survivors find the remains of the Umber boy Jon sent home pinned to a wall, with a gruesome swirl of severed limbs spread around him by the White Walkers. The undead boy nearly kills Tormund yet again before Beric stabs him with his flaming sword, killing him. At that point, they all agree to make for Winterfell together.

Tormund’s survival was first teased in the trailer for Game of Thrones Season 8. A shot of he and Beric walking through the halls of Last Hearth with Edd appeared, and fans were cautiously optimistic that he had made it.

“I assumed that they wouldn’t give Tormund an offscreen death,” actor Hivju told The Radio Times last month when the trailer dropped.

Still, knowing this show, no character is ever safe, especially in the final season. At least Tormund, the affable red-headed Wildling, is safe for one more week.

Game of Thrones airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.