‘Game of Thrones’: Big Season 8 Questions After Season 7’s Finale

The Game of Thrones season 7 finale “The Dragon and The Wolf” saw one the most epic meeting of characters in the show’s history, as well as a major reveal of a longtime fan theory, and the dark milestone of The Wall finally buckling and breaking under the assault of The Night King’s new zombie ice dragon, Viserion.

However, as with any good season finale, “The Dragon and The Wolf” left us with as many new questions as it did answers. As fans suffer the long wait for Game of Thrones season 8 to arrive, we know that the questions listed below are going to be a the source of a lot of thought, analysis, and debate.

Here are the five big questions for Game of Thrones season 8, after the revelations of “The Dragon and the Wolf.”

Who Is Coming For The Mountain?

“Clegane Bowl” is one of the biggest events that fans have wanted see in Game of Thrones, as the rivalry between The Hound and The Mountain has been one a fan-favorite side-story of the series. 

In “The Dragon and The Wolf” the two Clegane brothers meet during the parley at King’s Landing, and Sandor (The Hound) approaches Gregor for a little bit of sibling trash-talk. During that conversation, The Hound comments on his brother’s transformation, saying “…That’s not how it ends for you, brother. You know who’s coming for you. You’ve always known.” 

The question for season 8 is: who is finally going to bring The Mountain down? A lot of fans are speculating that Sandor’s quote was self-referencing: that he is the one who will finally kill his brother. Other fans point to Sandor’s newfound religious faith in the Lord of Light as foreshadow that Gregor will suffer the same horrible fiery pain he put his brother through. Either way, The Mountain is one Game of Thrones villain that fans will be happy to see get his just desserts.

R.I.P. Oberyn…

Did Cersei Cut Another Deal?

Arguably one of best scenes in “The Dragon and The Wolf” is the long-awaited reunion between Cersei and Tyrion Lannister. That scene brought a lot of powerful emotions and grudges into a tense moment of life-or-death bargaining – but how it ended has left a lot of fans talking. 

We know that Cersei is planning to betray the rest of the coalition of the living by having the Iron Fleet ferry The Golden Company to Westeros, to conquer the south while The Great War is fought in The North. What we don’t know, is if she struck a side deal with Tyrion, in order to guarantee the survival of her unborn child and the Lannister clan. 

The question for season 8 is: Are Tyrion and Cersei really conspiring? And if so, how will Dany and Co. react if/when Tyrion’s plot is exposed? We saw what happens to schemers when Littlefinger finally got his – hopefully Tyrion isn’t undone by his own machinations. 

How Much Will Heritage Matter?

In the climatic moments of “The Dragon and The Wolf” we finally got the official confirmation of Jon Snow’s true name and heritage. Now that we know that Jon is actually “Aegon Targaryen,” the true inheritor of The Iron Throne, the question is: How much will heritage matter? 

That’s a question that Jon and Daenerys will have to answer on both a personal and political level when season 8 begins. Personally, they will have to deal with their romantic relationship being weird because Dany is actually Jon’s aunt; politically, they’ll have to decide if they can rule together as king and queen, or will view each other as competitors. 

In the history of Westeros, the male and female Targaryens have gone to war over the throne (“The Dance of Dragons”) and have also “kept it in the family” when it comes to breeding. So there’s precedence for Dany and Jon to go either way. As for Jon’s larger destiny: he could very well end up being “The Prince Who Was Promised” and the entire inspiration of “A Song of Ice and Fire” – if he survives The Great War. 

How Dangerous Is Zombie Dragon?

The ending of “The Dragon and The Wolf” saw The White Walkers finally arrive at The Wall. With The Night’s King newest weapon, the resurrected Viserion, The Wall was finally breached, and the army of the dead crossed into Westeros. 

The big question for Game of Thrones season 8 is: just how dangerous is zombie-dragon Viserion? The revelation that the dead dragon now spits blue fame is a telling sign: anyone who took a science class knows that blue flame is hotter than the orange and yellow flame. Apparently, it’s hot enough to breach The Wall and destroy all of the mystical runes protecting it.

If Viserion now has hotter flames than his brothers, and is as hard to kill as any other White Walker, then the army of the living (and particularly Daenerys and her dragons) are in for quite a dangerous fight. 

Will Winterfell Fall to Winter?

After season 7 ends with The Wall coming down, it seems inevitable that Game of Thrones season 8 will begin with a first major battle against The White Walkers – and it seems that Winterfell could be The Night King’s first big attack on Westeros. 

If there is another Battle of Winterfell, the question is: can the iconic stronghold actually hold out against The White Walkers – or will Winterfell tragically live up to its name? 

It wouldn’t be surprising if Jon, Dany, and Co. suffer their first major loss in The Great War by losing hold of the Stark family home. After all, that place has had a pretty consist run of bad luck…

Game of Thrones season 8 will premiere in 2018. You can catch up on season 7 on HBO On Demand or HBO GO.