Will Arya Take Jaime's Face and Kill Cersei on 'Game of Thrones'?

Hear me out on this.

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(Image credit: HBO)

Spoilers for Game of Thrones season eight, episode four. Well, we're in the great game now, to quote Tyrion. Game of Thrones episode three really, really delivered on an epic battle with the undead Night King and his army of wights. There was even a surprise twist, which is now typical for the show—a.k.a. our little spunky badass Arya swooped in (literally) and saved the day by plunging her Valyrian steel dagger into the Night King's heart. Now, it's time for the final season's real big bad: Queen Cersei, who's looking awfully smug in the episode four trailer. Who will finally conquer Game of Thrones' Mad Queen?

But let's back up a second to the red priestess Melisandre (RIP) and her pep talk/hint at Arya's destiny in episode three, because fans think it might be a hint that there's more badassery to come from our favorite Stark warrior. Essentially, Melisandre reminds Arya what she'd told her in season 3—that Arya would close green, brown, and blue eyes forever by killing a whole bunch of people. In last night's episode, Melisandre put emphasis ever so slightly on the blue eyes part, reminding Arya that—oh wait, the Night King totally has blue eyes and he's coming for my brother, BRB, gotta go save him and the rest of mankind. Seriously, I cheered so hard at that scene that I might have alarmed my neighbors.

But fans are also pretty certain that there's more to come from our little assassin—mainly, that it's a hint that we're getting a Cersei-Arya faceoff, terrible pun intended.

Now, this might initially seem to contradict Cersei's Valonqar prophecy, which, if you're not familiar, was part of the witch's prophecy about Cersei insinuating that "a little brother" would murder her. The most obvious candidates would be Tyrion or Jaime, both of whom are still alive. There's another theory out there that she'll die in childbirth. But now fans think that Arya will take Jaime's face and use it to impersonate him and finally kill the Mad Queen for good, which would keep the Valonqar prophecy intact. It would also give more credence to the theory that Arya is legendary warrior and "princess that was promised" Azor Ahai.


I find this theory to be kiiiiind of plausible? Arya absolutely has a role to play in the rest of season 8, and there's a reason she (and a lot of other characters) have survived this long—it's "plot armor" in the sense that the main characters have to stay alive in order to continue on to the big battle with Cersei, during which I predict we'll see more main character deaths. I don't think Arya will just randomly take off Jaime's face, considering he just fought bravely alongside her family to try and defeat the Night King? But, if Jaime dies in other circumstances, like in battle, it would mean she could steal his face without killing him.

Either way, I wouldn't doubt that there's going to be a cool "face-off" moment during which Arya pulls a bait-and-switch for an important plot point. Arya killing Cersei would be very similar to Arya killing the Night King, so I doubt it would be that straightforward—after all, George R.R. Martin and the show creators don't like to repeat themselves—but I'm betting she's involved somehow. And it's going to be super exciting.

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Katherine J. Igoe
Contributing Editor

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York TimesParentsInStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLEHarper’s BazaarSeventeenGood Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award. 

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeanshow sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.