10 Questions Fans Want Answered in Game of Thrones Season Six

Patrick Costello

Next: Video Preview for 'Girls' Episode Two

Season five of Game of Thrones ended with a cliffhanger, but Jon Snow’s fate is not the only thing that has fans concerned. Quite a few characters were left in questionable circumstances at the end of the show’s most controversial season to date, and the tiny morsels of news that have trickled out in recent months regarding the upcoming season have only served to further whet our appetites.

With only sixty days remaining until the premiere, the fan community is even more excited than in previous years (if that’s possible), since this is the first season for which there is virtually no source material to consult for answers. Much like Arya Stark, we’ll all be going into season six blind.

Let’s take a look at some of the most urgent questions that have fans on the edge of their seats in anticipation and trepidation of season six of HBO’s Game of Thrones…

SPOILER WARNING: The following article refers to events and characters from George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels which may or may not be depicted on Game of Thrones. Fans who wish to remain “Unsullied” by spoilers would do well to beware. All others jump through the Moon Door at their own risk.

How much will the show spoil the books?

With the recent announcement that the next novel in George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” saga will not be released any time soon, HBO’s flagship is heading into uncharted waters with no more published source material to guide the way. Given the widespread dissatisfaction expressed by many over some of the writing decisions made last year by show-runners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, it’s understandable that lovers of the source novels, who find themselves in the unique situation of having very little idea what to expect this season, might be a bit worried.

However, perhaps readers need not get too upset. Although last year Martin ceased his usual practice of writing one episode per season so that he can concentrate on finishing “The Winds of Winter”, one would have to imagine that Benioff and Weiss are well aware of at least the broad strokes of the author’s plans for his most pivotal characters. And even if the show does diverge wildly from Martin’s material, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. When TWOW is finally published, book fans will be able to enjoy reading without having been overly spoiled, and non-readers will remain blissfully unaware of any difference.

While it’s true that much of season six will be a mystery until it airs, there is good news for book fans. We can still expect at least a couple familiar story-lines, since the show will be backtracking to Martin’s fourth book in the series, “A Feast For Crows’, to pick up a few delayed plot points. The bad news is that we’ll have to wait for “The Winds of Winter” to be released to find out just what changes the show made.

What has Bran been up to?

When last we saw Brandon Stark, at the end of season four, he was a shaggy-haired little boy crawling through a cave in the wilds beyond the Wall. In the recent promotional photos released by HBO, we see a more grown-up, clean cut Brandon with his new mentor Bloodraven, played by the legendary Max Von Sydow. Bran took season five off to complete his Greenseer apprenticeship, and word is that he’ll be coming back for season six with new powers to explore.

Judging from the fact that Bran is standing in the above photo, it seems safe to say that he’s being guided through a vision in which he observes some important events from the past. Casting reports and on-set reports have ensured that rumors are flying about the scenes to which Bran will bear witness, and while we wouldn’t want to engage in idle speculation (at least until later in the article), it’s pretty safe to say that they’ll be significant and informative.

Is Sansa PREGNANT??

When HBO released a batch of promotional shots of various characters from season six, none caused more of a stir among fans than the photo of Sansa Stark shown above. Some think that Sansa may just be sporting a baby bump, courtesy of her strange…er, estranged husband, Ramsay Bolton.

With all the controversy last season regarding Sansa’s wedding night, one can only imagine fans’ reaction if it turns out to be true that she finally escaped her sadistic husband, only to find that she’s got a little Ramsay in the oven. It might be almost as bad as Ramsay’s reaction when he finds out he’s lost not only his wife and his Reek, but also his heir.

While it is certainly possible, and would seem to ratchet up the tension even further, nothing has been confirmed. It could merely be that Sansa has her arms tucked under her cloak. Don’t start knitting little pink flayed man booties just yet.

How crazy will Cersei be?

Notice that the question is not “Will Cersei be crazy?”

Being forced to walk naked through the streets of King’s Landing was probably the worst punishment imaginable for the stiff-necked Queen Mother, and would be more than enough to have her screaming for blood. Once she discovers that her daughter Myrcella has been murdered, there’s no telling just how far Cersei will go in pursuit of vengeance.

Her enemies may think that she’s been declawed, but the Lioness of the Rock has a secret weapon. With Ser Robert Strong, the mountainous new member of the Kingsguard, at her side, bet on Cersei to come out roaring in season six.

Is Stannis really dead?

The short answer is: Yes.

Given the show’s willingness to depict gruesome deaths on a regular basis, perhaps fans can be forgiven for hoping against hope that Stannis Baratheon might still be alive, since his execution at the hands of Brienne of Tarth was not shown. Readers know that Stannis is still alive and kicking in the books, and while some insist that there’s a chance he survived, most think that the show has simply shortened his character arc and he will eventually suffer a similar fate in future books.

More from HBO

For those who are still not convinced, consider HBO’s wonderful series of “Beautiful Death” paintings by Robert M. Ball. Depicting some of the show’s most infamous mortal moments, Ball’s artwork captures the essence of many deceased characters while paying tribute to their memory. If there were any doubt as to Stannis’ fate, it is hard to believe that a poster memorializing him would have been produced, especially when one considers that a certain other person’s death, which will be discussed later, was not depicted in a painting.

Nobody expects the Stannimaniacs out there to accept this on faith, though, which is why we’ll have to wait until season six to close the book on the “Rightful King”.

Is the Hound still alive?

Left for dead by Arya after losing a ferocious battle to Brienne of Tarth in season four, nobody expected to see Sandor Clegane ever again. However, book readers know that ever since “A Feast For Crows” was published, fans have speculated that the fate of Sandor Clegane might not have been as cut and dried as was initially thought.

While teasing us with a hint regarding his undisclosed role in season six, Ian McShane may have dropped a bigger bombshell than he intended when he informed us that he’d be appearing in a small role, and that he’d be bringing someone back with him whom we never thought we’d see again.

This little tidbit ignited a firestorm of speculation, and reports of actor Rory McCann being sighted in Ireland around the time of filming has many fans are hoping that McShane’s comment means we haven’t seen the last of everyone’s favorite chicken-loving badass.

How much of a gamechanger will Euron Greyjoy be?

When Danish actor Pilou Asbaek was cast as Theon Greyjoy’s infamous pirate uncle Euron, most fans said “Who?”

A sinister and mysterious character about which we actually know very little from the books, Euron Greyjoy, younger brother of Theon’s father Balon, is one of the more exciting and interesting new characters to appear on the show since Pedro Pascal’s Oberyn Martell electrified fans in season four. Seizing control of the Iron Islands in the wake of his brother’s death, Euron Crow’s Eye, as he’s known in the books, embarks on a plan to invade Westeros and seat himself on the Iron Throne with the help of some hijacked dragons.

As a fan favorite, Euron has the potential to be even bigger than Oberyn, as he and his fellow Ironborn figure to emerge as major players in the game. Nobody’s sure of his agenda or his plans, but there’s one thing that’s certain. If Asbaek brings the same intensity that he brought to his starring turn in the Oscar nominated “A War”, fans may have a whole new reason to get excited about future seasons.

Who were Jon Snow’s parents?

All the way back at the beginning of season one of Game of Thrones, Ned Stark promised his bastard son Jon Snow that the next they spoke, Ned would tell Jon all about his mother, a woman whom Lord Stark had steadfastly refused to identify. We all know how that turned out.

In season five, when Sansa and Littlefinger were speaking in the crypts of Winterfell, we got our first clue that the show would soon address Jon’s true parentage when we saw the look Petyr Baelish gave Sansa as she muttered the oft-repeated tale of Rhaegar Targaryen’s “kidnapping and rape” of her aunt, Lyanna Stark.

Try as they might to contain information leaks, the show’s producers have been unable to stop rumors from circulating that one of Bran’s visions in season six would be a look into the past at the infamous events at the Tower of Joy. Known by book readers as the site of Ned Stark’s heroic stand against the Kingsguard at the end of Robert’s Rebellion, many fans consider this to have also been Jon Snow’s birthplace.

If the rumors are true and Bran gives us a look at these events, the biggest mystery of the entire series could soon be solved, and the internet’s favorite equation, R+L=J, could be confirmed…or disproved…before the end of season six.

Will we finally get Lady Stoneheart?

It has almost become a tradition for the Lady Stoneheart rumors to circulate before each season, and while it could certainly be baseless speculation, there are a few credible rumors floating around out there that seem to suggest a possibility that this may indeed be the year. (Notice how firm a stand I took there?)

Murdered along with her son and his wife and child at the Red Wedding, Catelyn Stark’s mangled corpse is brought back to a sort of half-life by devotees of the Red God, and she wreaks havoc in the Riverlands as she exacts a terrible vengeance on her killers in “A Feast For Crows”. So far, the character has been left off the show, much to the disappointment of book fans. However, casting reports and interviews with special effects technicians have raised our hopes from the dead once again.

With David Bradley returning to reprise his role as Lord Walder Frey, perpetrator of the Red Wedding, we and he may be in for a chilling surprise this year. But there’s one more question that fans have been asking about season six ever since season five ended, and the answer to that may explain the lack of stone in our hearts. Two resurrections in one season might be asking a bit much.

How will Jon Snow be brought back?