Daily Times

It’s a little less than a month out from the beginning of the end-of Game of Thrones, that is. As we all wait (not so patiently) to see how who finally ends up on the Iron Throne, the fan theories are kicking into high gear.

Everyone is speculating about whether or not Sansa and Daenerys will hate each other and if Cersei is really pregnant-but what of the series’ ultimate Big Bad, the Night King? From the trailer, it’s safe to say we’re going to see at least one epic battle with the icy ruler and his White Walkers, but who is he really after? Many assume it’s Jon Snow, and they might be correct. But a new theory on Reddit suggests that Bran Stark, a.k.a. the Three-Eyed Raven, is the Night King’s true target.

Let’s break it down.

The theory stems from an interview that Vladimir Furdik, the actor who plays the Night King, gave to Entertainment Weekly. “People will see he has a target he wants to kill, and you will find out who that is,” he said. “There’s also that moment [in “Hardhome”] when Jon Snow was on the boat and the Night King looked at him and raised his arms – there’s a similar and even stronger moment between Jon and the Night King this time.”

Based on that, the Redditor posits that the target is actually Bran, not Jon. Here’s why: “The NK has had many opportunities to kill Jon. If he was after him that bad, he would have killed him by now! Also, the actor brought up Jon and NK’s stare down in the same sentence as ‘he is after someone’ so HBO wouldn’t let him say those things together because it’s too spoilery. So it can’t be Jon.”

“There’s some show dialogue that tells us that Bran is very important as well. Like Jojen Reed! He tells Bran, ‘only one thing that matters, you!’ So he’s saying that Bran is the only thing that matters. There’s also Benjen. He tells Bran ‘one way or another, he will find his way to the world of men. And when he does, you will be there waiting for him.’ Also, Remember when the NK touched Bran and then the three eyed raven tells Bran, ‘he touched you! He knows your here! He’ll come for you!’ The NK is coming for Bran? I mean that’s telling us everything we need to know right there. So he’s after Bran!”

But, why? Basically, because Bran is the Three-Eyed Raven. But also because it has been noted that the Three-Eyed Raven and the Night King are “ancient enemies.” And this centuries-old beef possibly began with the very first Three-Eyed Raven who may have been the person to build The Wall, keeping the White Walkers at bay for a long time. “So the last hero and the children ban together and create something that can defeat the NK. They gave this man the power he needs to put a stop to the NK,” the Redditor says. “That’s why the NK has tried to stop any three eyed ravens from being trained. That’s why the NK killed Bloodraven and tried to kill Bran. That’s why he is coming after Bran. That’s why the NK and three eyed raven are ancient enemies!”

So the Night King is possibly after Bran because he is the Three-Eyed Raven, and the Night King is always against whoever the new Three-Eyed Raven is because of this ancient feud-but also because the Three-Eyed Raven has the knowledge to stop him.

Phew, that was a lot-but it all does make sense. Of course, this is a show that kills off main characters when you least expect it and is constantly zigging when you think it will zag, so this theory might well be proven false during this final season. Either way, though, can someone just take down that nasty Night King already?