Season seven of Game of Thrones might be over but the fates of a few characters are still up in the air. Sure, this year was dedicated to tying up storylines, bringing major characters together, and slitting a few throats (really just one in particular), but more than one player in the game of thrones has vanished, gone off the grid, or been locked in a dark dungeon somewhere.
Maybe we were supposed to forget about them or just accept their cliffhanger endings, but dammit, we won’t let these people go quietly into that good night. Here’s a list of Game of Thrones characters who might be dead (or at least forgotten by the writers, at this point).
Tormund Giantsbane
Of course we’re going to begin with the most important character on this list. (Maybe the entire show?) The wildling ginger has spent the past few seasons dutifully playing Jon Snow’s second, going along with his harebrained schemes and still, somehow, finding joy in the simple things. Venturing beyond the Wall with Jon (the perpetual Debbie Downer of the series) and the rest of the crew would’ve just been a depressing, idiotic suicide mission had not Tormund lifted all of our spirits debating the merits of phallic synonyms, bonding with the Hound, and professing his love for Brienne of Tarth. Tormund has served as the comic relief of the series at times when we desperately needed it. (Anyone remember emo Jon Snow last season before the Battle of the Bastards? Dude was wrist-cuttingly dark.) That season seven ends with Tormund hanging on for dear life as a reanimated dragon spews magical blue fire his way isn’t giving us warm feelings about his survival status come season eight. But we refuse to believe this show will end without Brienne and Tormund consummating their love, so let’s just tentatively assume he’s safe.
Yara Greyjoy
When we first met Yara Greyjoy, she was an Ironborn badass looking to inherit her father’s throne and rule the staunchly sexist Iron Islands. Then her brother becoming a torture victim and her uncle committing fratricide and usurping her ruined all of that, but she made a comeback when she aligned with Daenerys Targaryen, committed herself to creating a better, less rapey world, and set sail for the Iron Throne. The last we saw poor Yara, however, she had a knife to her throat, a slightly unhinged and definitely handsy uncle at her back, and her coward of a brother jumping ship. After being dragged through the streets of King’s Landing in episode three, Yara vanished from the show (and apparently the minds of the writers) until Theon magically summoned the courage to do the right thing and attempt to rescue his sister (proving once again, a male character can only achieve growth at the expense of a female character’s storyline on this show). Yara’s probably not dead – Euron dangled her life in front of his nephew during the big get-together in the Dragon Pit – but where she is and whether Theon will be able to rescue her in time are questions we won’t have answered until season eight. Unless, you know, the writers just completely scrap that subplot altogether in which case, a fond farewell to our queer Queen and her eunuch underling. We hardly knew ye.
The Sand Snakes
Two of the Sand Snakes met their gruesome ends at the hands of Euron Greyjoy in episode two of the seventh season. But one made it out alive, along with Prince Oberyn’s former lover-turned-vengeful Dornish supplanter Ellaria Sand. The two were paraded through King’s Landing before being given over to the mercy of Cersei Lannister, who chained them in the dungeons of the Red Keep. Cersei paid Ellaria back in kind when she gave her daughter a fatal kiss but apparently the poison could take hours or days — and seeing how time became an abstract concept this season, they both might still be alive. If not, well at least they learned a lesson in revenge courtesy of the master herself.
Beric Dondarrion
Beric Dondarrion is still a bit of a mystery on Game of Thrones, which is really saying something since fans are determined to theorize the show to death. The leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners and devoted follower of the Lord of Light has had run-ins with a few major characters over the seasons and recently aided Jon Snow in his mission to capture a wight beyond the Wall, but the last time we saw the guy and his flaming sword he was standing atop a wall in the process of tumbling down thanks to a dragon and an army of the undead. It’s hard to believe Beric has been brought back to life six times to ultimately meet his end atop a giant block of ice and not on the battlefield, making some kind of difference in the fight against the White Walkers but, then again, I never thought I’d see ice zombies dragging a dead dragon out of a frozen lake with conveniently handy and inexplicably large chains, so who knows?
Gendry Baratheon
Once upon a time, Gendry was poised to be a major player in the game of thrones. As the bastard son of King Robert Baratheon, he could’ve inherited his father’s crown, or at least made a play for it, when the rest of the kingdom found out Robert’s three legitimate heirs were more lion, less stag. Instead, poor Gendry was shuffled out of King’s Landing and sold to Melisandre, the Red Witch who used the blacksmith to work some blood magic. We got to check in with Gendry again this season, and he ended up playing a crucial role in the mission beyond the Wall. But after running for hours in the snow to send a raven to Daenerys, he basically disappeared again. It’s a good bet he’s not dead – unless another ancient sorceress got wind of his magical package – but we hope he drops by again in season eight, if for no other reason than to reunite with Arya, his future Lady.
Ghost
Before dragons and white walkers and giants and ice bears, direwolves were the mystical creatures inhabiting Westeros. And no direwolf has been as loyal as Ghost, Jon Snow’s white, four-legged companion. Ghost has been with Jon through wildling missions, zombie battles, and hostile takeovers and yet, for some reason, the animal has been missing this season. Maybe he’s off roaming the woods with Nymeria or maybe Jon’s being a typical dude and trading his loyal, ride-or-die for a hot fire-breathing dragon, but if we don’t get an update on Ghost in season eight, we riot.
Edmure Tully
Hey guys! Remember Edmure, the brother of Catelyn Stark? You know, the one who married that Frey girl and made the whole Red Wedding possible? No? Well he’s supposedly still being held captive by the Freys after being used in negotiations for Riverrun except, the Freys are dead – Arya kind of murdered all of them. So yeah, if you see Edmure, tell him we haven’t forgotten him.
