Editor’s note: contains season 1-5 spoilers
On Sunday, the critically acclaimed HBO series “Game of Thrones” will return for its sixth season. Left with a gut-wrenching cliffhanger, fans have been clamoring for more adventures. But with such a complex show comes many possibilities for the upcoming season. But as a warning: just as winter is coming, so are spoilers.
“Game of Thrones” takes place in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos. The land of Westeros is broken up into the Seven Kingdoms, where people all bow down to the family that holds the Iron Throne. The series is full of constant turmoil, battle and betrayal between groups in the hopes of securing a place on the Iron Throne. Throughout the show, many families have been brought together and ripped apart, and the show has no boundaries as to which characters are safe and which will be killed off.
Last season, fans let out a collective cry when beloved character Jon Snow was murdered by his own brothers-in-arms in the season finale. The show is well known for killing off beloved characters, but Snow was arguably the biggest character on the show. And despite the fact that the show runners, as well as the cast, have outright said “Jon Snow is dead,” many fans refuse to believe it.
Since this shocking death, theories on Jon Snow’s possible return have been swirling around. Some say he is part of the “R+L=J theory,” in which Jon Snow is actually a Targaryen — a legendary family that only Daenerys Targaryen carries the name of — and is going to rise up with Daenerys to help bring peace to Westeros. Kit Harington has also been spotted on set numerous times, so many believe he is there filming for the upcoming season, although this has not been confirmed.
Another popular theory circulating the Internet is that Snow will be resurrected as Azor Ahai, a legendary hero who defeated the White Walkers that planned on taking over Westeros thousands of years ago. Many viewers of the show are fully behind the theory of Snow returning, but are unsure of the capacity in which he will serve in the show if he were to return.
But Snow’s death is not the only storyline fans are eager to learn more about. Followers are also excited to learn more about the crippled Bran Stark, who was last seen in season four and is traveling through the North of Westeros. The North is full of evil creatures, including the White Walkers, but Bran is intent on traveling to the North to “learn to fly,” unaware of what that truly means. Upset that Bran was not included in any of season five, some can’t wait to see his story continued.
Yet despite the excitement, some fans are very nervous about season six, as this is the first season they will be going off-book. “Game of Thrones” author George R. R. Martin has yet to finish his upcoming novel, “The Winds of Winter.” Because of this, this season will be the first to not have any storyline pulled directly from the books. Martin has given the show runners an endgame to work toward, but for the most part, they are on their own.
For fans of big battles and shocking twists like the Red Wedding, season six seems as if it is going to be made for them. If there were any time to get into “Game of Thrones,” it is now. Promised to include gigantic battles, huge plot twists and more, it’s sure to be a season to remember.