‘Game of Thrones’ Spoiler Posters Enrage Fans

New posters for Game of Thrones season 8 went up in New York City this week, and people were dismayed to find that they contain spoilers for fans who are not up to date yet.

HBO is airing the final season of its fantasy drama in April of next year, and the hype is already mounting. So much so that many fans wondered why the premium cable network felt the need to paper New York’s public transit system with posters which revealed major character deaths from the existing 7 seasons.

Photos of the posters began circulating on Reddit, and soon spread to other forms of social media. They show some of the pivotal moments from the series, going back to season 1 and up through the most recent episodes. They showed some of the most iconic moments in the series, but for some, they came too early.

I have some good friends who are only in the first two-four seasons and loving it so far… This is really dumb by HBO,” one Reddit user commented. “Could easily choose less spoilery pictures.”

“I kind of can’t believe they’re spoiling some of the main events from each season with these posters,” added another. “I get that they’re mainly for show watchers that have seen it all already, but don’t you think they’d take into account the hundreds of thousands of people who will see these that haven’t seen the show yet?”

With the final season approaching, some hold-outs are undoubtedly giving Game of Thrones a chance for the first time. The impact of a TV event of this magnitude is rare, so some binge-watchers are likely streaming the first seven seasons from HBO. For any of them in New York, the shocking climax of the first season is now ruined.

Another poster showed the long-awaited death of King Joffrey Baratheon, the boy-king who terrorized the realm of Westeros for the first few seasons. Joffrey’s death was one of the most surprising hotly anticipated moment of the show, and spoiling it for new viewers struck the wrong chord with some fans.

Still, there is plenty to see in the 67 existing episodes of Game of Thrones. Advertising flubs aside, HBO can bet on solid ratings and a rise in subscriptions when the final season comes around.

In the meantime, fans of the original novels, A Song of Ice and Fire, have over 700 new pages to pore over this month. Martin released a fictional history of House Targeryan, Fire and Blood, earlier this month, and it has many thrilling stories and big revelations to offer.

Game of Thrones season 8 will premiere on HBO in April of 2019.