Can the Night King Come Back to Life on 'Game of Thrones'?
Ding dong, the Night King is dead!
![Human, Fictional character, Screenshot, Digital compositing, Cg artwork, Games, Photography, Illustration, Supervillain,](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HAvXVEXNiYZagW4jUwGWnn-415-80.jpg)
Major spoilers from episode three, season eight of Game of Thrones ahead. Last night's episode of Game of Thrones is up there in my personal top five episodes of television ever. From start to beginning, the Battle of Winterfell was utterly terrifying—at least, from the little I was able to see in the dark. The Night King and his seemingly inexhaustible army pulled up to Winterfell, and they were not playing around with the North. The ice zombies quickly laid waste to the soldiers, including a few of our faves. Lyanna Mormont, we speak your name.
In the biggest WTF moment of the third episode, the Night King was slain by none other than the girl with no name, Miss Arya "Hands Rated E for Everybody" Stark. After narrowly escaping death-by-wight with a little help from Beric Dondarrion (RIP to a real one), Arya found herself locked in a chamber with Melisandre, the priestess of the Lord of Light. The red witch gave Arya a much needed pep talk, fully aware that she would be personally responsible for putting a stop to the Night King's terror and saving all of Winterfell. Melisandre reminded Arya of her destiny ("Brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes—eyes you’ll shut forever"), sparking the faceless girl's courage.
Arya snuck up on the Night King and his squad of White Walkers without them noticing, stabbing the super villain in the stomach with the dagger of Valyrian steel that Bran had gifted her earlier this season. We watched in pure shock and elation as the Night King and his homeboys burst into thousand-year-old ice shards. The endless zombie army fell dead where they stood, and even ice-breathing Viserion was out cold (can we talk about how Jon really thought he was about to fight a whole DRAGON—come on, my guy!). Winterfell may be a few hundred thousand men short, but at least some of our faves are still alive, thanks to Arya.
However, as the credits credits rolled, and we watched the previews for the next episode, we realized the gravity of what we'd just seen. The Night King is dead. Like, dead to the bed. Now what?
so just like that the night king is dead?? what about the rest of the season? they all kiss and make up and go mallorca 4 vacay? #gameofthrones https://t.co/NGUxP2EqwKApril 29, 2019
It's an old TV/film plot device, the old bait and switch, but this particular plot twist is...weird, to say the least. We've been watching the Night King march towards the North for seasons now, coming up with every frenzied theory in the book about his real identity and his motives for wanting to bring about a Long Night in Westeros.
We hypothesized that he was a Targaryen (which may not be entirely ruled out, seeing that he could ride Viserion), that he became the Night King after Bran warged into his mind, that he would kill Daenerys and make her his Night Queen. We were really out here thinking that the Night King was the big bad of Westeros, the Thanos of the Seven Kingdoms, when it's actually Cersei. Wow.
Is it possible that the Night King's story isn't quite done yet? Game of Thrones is notorious for killing major characters and leaving them for dead (Ned and Robb Stark, anyone?), but the series has also resurrected several people from the grave; Beric Dondarrion and Jon Snow were brought back to life through the power of the Lord of Light. It's hard to believe that the biggest conflict in Game of Thrones is the actual quest for the Iron Throne when an entire battalion of undead ice zombies was afoot, especially since the show's main antagonist had been shrouded in mystery for so long. We have yet to uncover the most important details about his existence, so there's no way that the Night King is no longer a threat...right?
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
Between the imminent battle between Cersei's giant army (and the latest addition of the Golden Company) and the last ten soldiers left standing in Daenerys' crew, Dany's looming descent into madness, and a possible Brienne-Jaime love connection, we've still got a lot of ground to cover in the remaining three episodes. Still, there are too many loose ends surrounding the Night King to ignore. Here's hoping we get the tea before the season finale.
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.
RELATED STORY
Lagos-born and Houston-raised, Ineye Komonibo is a writer and editor with a love for all things culture. With an academic background in public relations and media theory, Ineye’s focus has always been on using her writing ability to foster discourse about the deep cyclical relationship between society and the media we engage with, ever-curious about who we are and what we do because of what we consume. Most recently, she put her cultural savvy to work as a culture critic for R29 Unbothered, covering everything from politics to social media thirst to the reverberations of colorism across the African diaspora.
-
Why Did Prince William Remove Queen Camilla's Sister From His Payroll?
She was hired by King Charles in 2005.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Céline Dion Channels Her Inner Track Star at the Olympics
Logomania is back.
By Julia Gray Published
-
Zendaya and Team USA Gymnastics Both Endorse This Chic Nail Trend
It’s straight out of the Olympic rule book.
By Samantha Holender Published
-
How Victoria Justice Learned to Use Her Voice on the Set of 'Victorious'
The former Nickelodeon star recalls what it was like to speak up to adults on set as a child.
By Sadie Bell Published
-
Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones Tease an Announcement: "We've Got Some News to Share"
The former 'Normal People' costars and IRL best friends seem to have a new project in the works.
By Sadie Bell Published
-
The Woman Who Inspired Martha in 'Baby Reindeer' Calls the Series "a Work of Fiction" In a YouTube Interview
A woman has come forward as the alleged inspiration behind Martha in the hit Netflix series.
By Sadie Bell Last updated
-
The Best 'Friends' Episodes of All Time
Could these BE any better?
By Katherine J. Igoe Published
-
‘Bachelor in Paradise’ 2023: Everything We Know
Cue up Mike Reno and Ann Wilson’s “Almost Paradise."
By Andrea Park Last updated
-
Who Is Gerry Turner, the ‘Golden Bachelor’?
The Indiana native is the first senior citizen to join Bachelor Nation.
By Andrea Park Last updated
-
‘Virgin River’ Season 6: Everything We Know
Here's everything we know on the upcoming episodes.
By Andrea Park Last updated
-
Kim Cattrall Didn't See or Speak to Her Costars When Filming 'And Just Like That' Cameo
That's some type of commitment.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published