The Ending of 'Game of Thrones' Was Hidden In This Season 1 Poster This Whole Time

Spot the Three-Eyed Raven.

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(Image credit: HBO)

You have got to kidding me right now. After eight years of dedicated, loyal viewership, endless heart palpitations over gruesome deaths of beloved characters, and dodging spoilers at all costs for the final episode, the ending of Game of Thrones was in plain sight all along.

GoT fans are currently reeling at the discovery that a promotional poster for the very first season of the show, shared back in 2011 before we’d even caught early sight of a dragon, really gave away the final season’s big conclusion. No, seriously.

The poster is almost like a game of hide-and-seek, and it’s not until you take a closer look that you really notice the big clue that has everybody freaking out. Behind the cheery, foreshadowing slogan of "You Win or You Die” sits Ned Stark on the Iron Throne. But take a closer look to his side, and you’ll also notice a black bird, which we can safely assume is a raven.

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(Image credit: HBO)

If your mind hasn’t already been blown by that humble discovery, then put the image into the context of Sunday night’s final episode. Ned Stark’s youngest son, Bran Stark, better known as the three-eyed raven himself, was chosen by his peers in the closing scenes to be crowned Lord of the Six Kingdoms. So, while he didn’t sit on the Iron Throne himself, he did technically win the Game of Thrones.

The pesky season 1 poster either accidentally predicted the eventual outcome, which is kind of amazing, or was sneakily giving the game away all along without anybody even realizing. So all we had to do was look through the poster archives of the past eight years? Are you KIDDING ME?

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(Image credit: Giphy)

If it wasn’t intentional, then this is up there with the coffee cup and the plastic water bottle in Game of Thrones Face Palm-worthy Moments.

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Lucy Wood

Lucy Wood spends most of her time writing about celebrity news, reading books, and waiting for the glorious day that she have enough millions for a pet sloth. She also has a YouTube channel on the go where she pretends to know things about fashion and life advice.