There are only three episodes of Game of Thrones left, leaving little time for some fan-favorite characters to show up again.
Warning! Spoilers for Game of Thrones lie ahead!
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Game of Thrones tells not one, but many stories spread across the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and the lands beyond. The show has expertly juggled various plot lines over the last decade, some of which went years without intersecting or even affecting each other at all. Now, with the series finale approaching and the world shrinking, that web of stories is beginning to close in on itself.
Still, there are many loose ends that have not come back around yet. Beloved characters have been left hanging, in some cases for years now with no new word. Some are main characters who may or may not be dead, while others are almost certainly alive — we just have not heard from them in a while.
At this point, it seems unlikely that all of them can come back around. As it is, it seems like a tight fit to get Daenerys’ war against Cersei into just three episodes. On top of that, many fans hope that the White Walkers are not finished yet, as just one battle is a quick ending for a threat that has been building since episode 1.
Still, there are ways that far-flung characters could turn up, especially as the north and the south prepare for their inevitable clash.
Before we get into those that may return, let’s make note of a few who probably will not. To start, we haven’t seen the end of Ser Ilyn Payne, the executioner who was on the top of Arya’s list for a while. however, since he has not appeared on the show since 2013, it seems unlikely that Game of Thrones will dedicate screen-time to him.
Likewise, we can probably assume that everyone Cersei has locked in a torture chamber is gone for good. That includes Oberyn Martell’s paramour, Ellaria Sand and their daughter, Tyene. Septa Unella, who chanted “shame” behind Cersei in her infamous Season 5 walk of repentance, was also left there, and is also is likely dead.
Finally, ahead of the Season 8 premiere, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss broke many fans’ hearts by confirming that Ser Pounce, Tommen Baratheon’s beloved pet cat, is also dead. The cat was last seen in Season 4, and was never mentioned again. Fans held out hope for him, but he is unlikely to make an appearance in the “Last War.”
With that out of the way, here is a look at some of the characters who could show up in the final three episodes of Game of Thrones.
Meera Reed
Meera Reed was by Bran Stark’s side constantly starting in Season 3, yet she has not turned up so far this season. After escorting him home to Winterfell, she announced that she was going home to Greywater Watch to check up on her family. Meera was disturbed by Bran’s cold new attitude, and left in bad spirits.
After being in the main cast for four seasons, it would be no surprise if Meera turned up again on the march south, especially if — as many fans expect — Bran’s green-seer magic continues to play a big role going forward. Meera’s father, Howland Reed, is an accomplished green-seer and a close friend of Ned Stark.
Many fans also nurse beloved fan theories that Meera, like Jon Snow, has secret parentage that will come into play. Some believe she is the Jon’s twin, or the daughter of Ned Stark and Ashara Dayne, or any other combination of magical bloodlines. However, this seems like too much to bring into play so late in the game.
Daario Naharis
It would certainly be a taste of more conventional TV drama if Daario Naharis, Daenerys’ former lover, re-appeared in the upcoming war effort. Daario was a free-spirited former slave from the fighting pits of Meereen, and the leader of the sell-sword company the Second Sons. In short, he is just about the opposite of Jon Snow.
The last time we saw Daario, Daenerys was breaking up with him. She knew that political marriages would be a currency going forward, so she left Daario to keep the peace in Slaver’s Bay.
However, having lost most of the Dothraki and Unsullied in the Battle of Winterfell, she may now call upon the Second Sons for help reclaiming King’s Landing.
This would bring Daario to Westeros, where he would likely come face to face with Jon Snow. However, Jon and Daenerys now know that they are related by blood, so the romance between them could be over for good.
Jaqen H’ghar
A character very likely to show up again in Season 8 is… No One. Jaqen H’Ghar was the Faceless Man assassin who gave Arya access to the House of Black and White. Later, someone wearing the same face trained her, although we can’t be certain if it was the same Jaqen due to the Faceless Men’s shape-shifting abilities.
Arya killed the Waif at the end of Season 6, leaving Jaqen alive as she fled back to Westeros. The assassin seemed not to be in a hurry to chase her, but Arya did steal faces from the temple. She has also misused their magic, killing for personal vengeance with no deference to the wants of their “many-faced god.”
It would make a lot of sense if Arya had to reckon with her crimes against the Faceless Men. If she were to encounter one of them in the upcoming episodes, they would most likely be wearing the face of Jaqen, the Waif, or both.
Syrio Forel
Speaking of Arya’s former mentors, we have just three episodes left to hope that we see Syrio Forel again. Syrio taught Arya the art of Braavosi swordplay in the first season, and then defended her against a small force of Lannister knights with just a wooden practice sword.
Arya assumed Syrio was dead, and put Ser Maryn Trant on her list of men to kill in retribution. However, we never saw what became of Syrio, and some have been expecting his return for years.
In fact, some popular fan theories even suggest that Syrio was a Faceless Man himself, or at least connected to them somehow. They see it as no coincidence that Arya went from a Braavosi sword master to a Braavosi assassin, and believe that Syrio has been somehow pulling the strings all along.
Edmure Tully
Catelyn Stark’s brother, Edmure Tully, has been a prisoner of war for years, and some hope to see what has become of him before the series is over. Edmure made plenty of mistakes early on, but he has paid for them in spades as a prisoner of the Lannisters.
The puzzling question is: where is he? We last saw Edmure in Season 6, when Jaime tried to use him as bait to end the siege at Riverrun. Afterward, Walder Frey mentions that Edmure is “back in the cell,” perhaps suggesting that he is in the dungeons under The Twins.
This means that, when Arya showed up in disguise and killed all of House Frey, Edmure may still have been languishing down below without her knowledge. In that case, Arya would have consigned her uncle to a gruesome death by starvation.
On the other hand, Jaime did offer to take Edmure back to Casterly Rock. He proposed keeping him as more of a hostage than a prisoner, allowing him to have a normal life within the castle with his wife and son. If that’s what happened, he may not have fared much better. Daenerys’ Unsullied took Casterly Rock in Season 7. They found the castle unmanned, as Jaime had used it to distract them while he descended on High Garden.
This means that the only place where Edmure could possibly be alive is King’s Landing, if he was dragged there along with the rest of the Lannister household. If that’s the case, he could show up in the end, though it seems like a big leap to take.
Robyn Arryn
Of the many men Sansa Stark’s hand has been promised to in marriage, only one is unaccounted for: Robyn Arryn, Lord of the Vale. Robyn was prominent in earlier seasons as the bratty son of Lysa Arryn. He and Sansa were engaged before Littlefinger pushed Lysa through the moon door, seizing control of the Vale.
We last saw Robyn in Season 6, agreeing to whatever Littlefinger wanted of him. Robyn approved his idea to send the Knights of the Vale north to fight in the Battle of the Bastards. Those forces remain loyal by Sansa’s side to this day, so there has been no word from Robyn up in his mountaintop castle since.
The young lord might want retribution from his cousin for stealing his warriors, so Robyn could make an appearance in the politicking going forward. On the other hand, this seems like the kind of thing that wouldn’t fit into these action-packed last episodes.
Robett Glover
A major conflict of this season has been Jon Snow’s declining popularity among the other Northern lords. After bending the knee to Daenerys, many lost faith in their elected King in the North. It didn’t help that he sent young Ned Umber north to his death, and allowed young Alys Karstark to die protecting Bran in the Godswood last week.
The anger of the northern lords was embodied in Robett Glover, who took his forces and left Winterfell in the first episode of Season 8. Glover returned to Deepwood Motte, his family’s stronghold on the western coast of the continent. Given that the Army of the Dead broke through the eastern side of The Wall, and the thick Wolfswood lies between Winterfell and Deepwood Motte, they could have been safe there. On the other hand, House Glover could have been wiped out by the White Walkers just like House Umber.
Either way, Glover has already turned his back on Jon Snow and House Stark several times before, so if he turns up again he may face real consequences. Whether we see him again probably depends on whether Jon wants to solidify his control in the North or go for the Iron Throne itself.
Nymeria
Finally, one character many fans are hoping to see again is Nymeria, Arya Stark’s direwolf. Nymeria ran off in Season 1 of the series when Arya sent her away, scared she would be executed for biting Joffrey. She reappeared in Season 7 when Arya got back to Westeros. Nymeria is now the leader of a vicious wolf pack, but it was not clear if she recognized Arya. She did not return to Winterfell with her former master.
Many fans hoped that Nymeria’s wolf pack would show up in the Battle of Winterfell, perhaps giving the living an edge over the dead. However, even Jon’s wolf Ghost got very little screentime in the battle. Perhaps now that they are heading south to face normal men again, the wolves will make a comeback.
In the books, Nymeria is much more prominent. When Arya sleeps, she sees through Nymeria’s eyes in her dreams, terrorizing the war-torn countryside as a wolf. However, the show’s producers have repeatedly said that the direwolves cost too much in special effects, editing and time to be as prominent in the show as they are in the books.
Hopefully, some of our favorite characters will show up in the final three episodes of Game of Thrones. Even if they don’t, the show has a strong cast with plenty to work with in the wars to come.
Game of Thrones airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
