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    1. Culture

    These Weird White Walker Symbols Might Be Hints About Bran Becoming the Night King

    *Shrieks incomprehensibly at random passerby*

    Katherine J. Igoe's avatar
    By Katherine J. Igoe, Mehera Bonner
    Published 26 April 2019 In News

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    You know how some Game of Thrones fans think Bran Stark is secretly the Night King because they:

    a) Dress like twins.

    Bran and the Night King's outfits pic.twitter.com/Sikv9Jp4xeAugust 21, 2017

    And b) Are totally the same person due to a very elaborate theory that you can read all about here, but basically involves Bran traveling back in time, "warging" into the Night King to stop the Children of the Forest from creating White Walkers, failing, and getting trapped in the Night King's body.

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    Watch full video here:

    More evidence surfaced in season 7—specifically the fact that a Reddit genius noticed the White Walker army formed the profile of a wolf—which happens to be the Stark Sigil—while strolling past the wall.

    Blue, Aqua, Water, Turquoise, Azure, Turquoise, Organism, Marine biology, Underwater,

    (Image credit: Reddit/HBO)

    For comparison, this is a flipped image of the actual sigil:

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    In the words of this eager fella:

    Of course, this could just have been GOT producers throwing a nice easter egg our way—but there's now more evidence in season 8 to potentially support this theory.

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    There's the weird, Targaryen-shaped sigil that the White Walkers made out of the poor dead Umber boy and a bunch of his relatives' body parts (vomit):

    Am I tripping or does the Night King’s pattern resemble the Targaryen house sigel? #GOT #DemThrones pic.twitter.com/kUDSSDnrRiApril 15, 2019

    Initially, this seems like it weakens the theory, since Bran is not a Targaryen. This could instead be a hint that the Night King is after world domination—it's his "F*ck you, I'm coming after all of you" message (or it could just be the White Walkers being creepy, per usual).

    But there's also a theory that the human who became the Night King actually WAS a Targaryen and is indicating that he's coming to claim his throne. So, he's asserting his dominance over every human and telling them he can't be killed. Ugh, no thanks, that's so creepy.

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    Aren’t we going to talk about this.Was the Night King a Targaryen ?#GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/h4CNht3xoXApril 15, 2019

    There's also the creepy handprint on Bran's arm, "branding" him as connected to the Night King forever and ever. Some fans think that mark is like a virus, polluting Bran from the inside out.

    Hand, Leg, Arm, Sky, Foot, Darkness, Photography, Flesh,

    (Image credit: Archives)

    Bran brought up that mark again in episode 2, so it's important—and it looks like the mark has turned a different, ugly brown color, which could symbolize infection. (freaks out quietly)

    There's also Bran telling Jaime in episode 2, regarding the big upcoming living vs. dead battle, "How do you know there is an afterwards?" I mean, Bran might just be hiding information from Jaime, but that might also mean that there is no afterwards because Bran becomes the Night King and he gets stuck in a time loop.

    Aaand finally, there's the fact that Bran says the Night King ultimately wants to kill him. Bran says it's because the Night King wants to destroy any trace of humanity, past and present, but if the Night King is Bran, then the Night King wants to fulfill/break this time loop. Bran will go back to the past and become the Night King, and the Night King will kill Bran in the present, leaving no trace of the Three Eyed Raven left.

    Guys, the signs are not looking good, and I'm worried.

    For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

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    Entertainment Editor

    Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm. She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.

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