‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 Trailer Confirms Bran and Podrick’s Returns

The trailer for Game of Thrones Season 8 confirmed the return of a few major characters fans were starting to worry about, and it left others in limbo.

Game of Thrones has a huge cast of characters spread out across a massive fictional map, and it can be hard to get them all on screen. Before Tuesday’s trailer released, HBO was light on teasers, and fans were starting to wonder if they would ever see Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), Podrick Payne (Daniel Portman) and others.

The trailer satisfied those fans at last, as both Brand and Podrick featured heavily. Bran even got some voice-over, though fans disputed who he was talking to. Meanwhile Podrick showed up in the final shot, standing beside Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) opposite the Army of the Dead.

Of course, there was little doubt that the characters would show up in Season 8. Neither Bran nor Podrick left Season 7 in any mortal danger, and they are too integral to the show to be left out. However, fans still flocked to social media to celebrate their reappearance.

In fairness, the trailer still did not show Bran telling Jon Snow (Kit Harington) that he is actually a Targaryen, which fans are holding their breath for. It would not be unlike Game of Thrones to kill Bran just before he can carry out this vital task.

Other characters that fans were worried about showed up as well. Fans saw the return of Gendry, King Robert’s bastard son who explored beyond the wall with Jon Snow and the others. The adventure-loving smith has not had a lot to do, yet he shows up prominently in the trailer, promising to return in Season 8.

Of course, the biggest comeback is Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju). Fans have been worried about him and Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) ever since the Season 7 finale. The two were standing on top of The Wall when the ice dragon knocked it down, and while they were shown diving out of the way, it was unclear whether they survived.

They were shown in just a glimpse in the new trailer, walking down a hallway with Dolorous Edd (Ben Crompton) by the light of Dondarrion’s flaming sword. This indicates that the two of them are heading back to Castle Black to rejoin the rest of the Night’s Watch.

Meanwhile, the trailer did not show any sign of Bronn (Jerome Flynn), and fans are nervous about his absence. He, too, seemed safe at the end of Season 7, so hopefully there simply wasn’t enough screen time to go around.

Game of Thrones Season 8 premieres on Sunday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.