There’s no trailer just yet, but that won’t stop these (early) Game of Thrones Season 7 predictions.
By Ryan Colantonio // With just under two months until the premiere, it’s time to shift gears into Season 7 predictions mode! This week features five general story beats to look for come July. Of course, prepare for material from all books and seasons.
Rhaegar is Coming
Over the last two seasons, Rhaegar Targaryen’s onscreen appearance has been heavily foreshadowed. Besides Lyanna’s Season 6 debut, fans saw two Rhaegar-centric scenes in Season 5. Given the show’s history of not-so-subtle foreshadowing, it’s a safe bet the dragon prince will finally appear in Season 7. Of course taking place via Bran’s greensight, let’s examine the possibilities.
One option is a flashback to the eloping of Lyanna and Rhaegar. In addition to confirming Jon’s parentage, this would also address whether he’s a legitimate Targaryen or Rhaegar’s bastard. Bran could even uncover some hidden evidence to help prove Jon’s identity. Rhaegar’s harp at Winterfell or a letter at the Isle of Faces are both likely candidates.
Another option, possibly in tandem with the first, is a singing of the Song of Ice and Fire. Rhaegar is the only character in the series with demonstrated knowledge of the song. One of the aforementioned Season 5 scenes already foreshadowed his love of singing. When asked about the subject during an AMA session, composer Ramin Djawadi responded with a coy “no comment”. As the Prince That Was Promised comes to the forefront in Seasons 7 & 8, what better way to explain the prophecy than this song.
Jon’s Season 7 to-do list likely includes acquiring mass quantities of fire, fighting men, and dragonglass. With Daenerys’ large army and fire-breathing dragons on Dagonstone, the family name might be just what he needs to form an alliance.
Bran Visits The Long Night
While the full extent of Bran’s powers remains a mystery, it’s clear his destiny is to stop the Night King. Luckily for Bran, the Night King’s invasion of Westeros has failed once before. The allied forces of the First Men and the Children of the Forest defeated him during The Long Night. Most likely, Bran would be quite curious as to how bronze-wielding savages defeated the Army of the Dead. A greensight flashback to The Long Night could be a real game changer in the Wars to Come.
Despite the walkers’ survival thousands of years later, the Night King doesn’t seem like the type to sue for peace. Instead, the deciding factor in the Battle for the Dawn may have been forest magic. According to the Season 6 Histories & Lore, greenseers did exist at that time. The very same greenseers capable of water magic, warging, entering dreams, and travelling across time and space. It’s certainly possibly these god-like beings eventually figured out how to prevent the Night King’s necromancy. At any rate, if Bran could uncover something of this magnitude, the Night King would be in considerable trouble.
Cersei Destroys King’s Landing
Unlike prophecies and visions, greensight only shows glimpses of actual events from the past or future. All but two of Bran’s greensightings have come to pass: the Red Keep’s destruction and a dragon above King’s Landing. Some fans have linked the two together, however this isn’t quite accurate per the new Season 7 teaser. Winter has arrived in King’s Landing, confirming that Bran’s glimpse of the dragon must be from the past. As for the Red Keep’s destruction, the culprit may be a lioness not a dragon.
During the Battle of the Blackwater, viewers learned that Cersei would rather die than surrender to an enemy. While she didn’t end up poisoning herself, she did have Tywin Lannister there to save the day. This won’t be the case when Daenerys arrives.
It’s well known that Mad Aerys wanted to burn King’s Landing before Robert Baratheon could take power. In Season 6, Cersei took her first steps toward becoming the Mad Queen. Quotes about her burning cities to the ground have been rampant since Season 4. More importantly, with just 13 episodes left, the King’s Landing arc needs a resolution to shift the focus northward.
Cersei’s burning of King’s Landing, would be a fitting end not just for herself but Jaime as well. As the consummate tragic hero of A Song of Ice and Fire, Jaime is destined for a bittersweet end. A repeat of Aerys’ wildfire plot, with the added conflict of the woman he loves, would be perfectly Martin-esque.
Euron Burns
As Daenerys prepares for Westeros’ Second Targaryen Conquest, let’s quickly revisit the first. Taking place some 300 years before Game of Thrones, this conquest brought a fiery end to the Iron Islands then rulers. Just as King Harren finished construction on Harrenhal, Aegon Targaryen and his dragon would destroy House Hoare for good. Much like Harren Hoare, death by dragonfire could be in the cards for Euron Greyjoy.
Diving into the lore of Westeros, an underlying theme is history repeating itself. Cersei channeled her inner Mad King in Season 6, multiple characters evoke Azor Ahai, and another Battle for the Dawn is all but imminent. It would be quite fitting if the Second War of Conquest in some way called back to the first.
Unfortunately for Euron, his kingdom’s current situation most resembles 300 years prior. Just as Harrenhal was the greatest castle of its time, Euron’s 1000 ships will be Westeros’ greatest achievement in shipbuilding. However, wooden ships don’t fare so well against dragons… just ask the masters of Slaver’s Bay. And unlike his book counterpart, Euron won’t have any magical horns to protect him against Drogon and company.
Sam’s Discovery
For the longest time, Samwell Tarly has been on the path to reading something important in a book. The showrunners probably wouldn’t have included a line like “Keep reading, Samwell Tarly” if not for this reason. Now that he’s finally reached the Citadel, there’s a few different secrets Sam could uncover.
One possible discovery is information regarding Valyrian steel. Sam is fully aware of this white walker weakness, and is likely to start his research here. The long forgotten means of forging Valyrian steel would certainly be a major discovery. Past seasons have already featured flaming swords and a Lightbringer name-drop. As a central part of Azor Ahai’s victory, the Red Sword of Heroes may even make an appearance.
Other possibilities include evidence of Jon’s parentage, how to train a dragon, and the Horn That Wakes the Sleepers. Of these three, dragon-taming seems the least crazy. Sam’s war horn hasn’t appeared since its initial discovery, while Jon’s parents appear to be Bran’s mission. Admittedly, Dany’s dragons were a bit vicious in the earlier seasons. However, after their coordinated attack on the slaver’s fleet, this may no longer be the case.
By nearly attaining his lifelong dream in Season 7, Sam will also be in danger of dying. Hopefully, he sends Jon the recipe for Valyrian steel before that happens.
Closing Remarks
As July 16 approaches, be on the lookout for more Season 7 predictions right here at RetroZap! Also, make sure to check back for breakdowns of each full-length trailer…You know, the ones that can’t get here soon enough.