The final season of Game of Thrones [1] is almost upon us [2], and we already have SO many questions. There are already tons of theories [3] out there about how the epic fantasy will finally end [4], and many of those theories [5] focus on who's going to make it out alive.
Since we already know that the final battle is set to be epic [6] — and deadly — it's pretty safe to assume that some of our favourite characters [7] who have survived to this point [8] won't make it out alive. But who's most likely to survive when the dust settles? We've rounded up all the major characters [9] and ranked them from most likely to survive to least likely to survive. See where we've ranked your favourites, and whether or not you agree with our theories!
Missandei
Although she's a tough cookie, Missandei is an advisor, not a warrior, and thus she's likely to be out of the main fray. She's also right in the middle in terms of her character's importance: she's not unimportant enough to be an easy sacrifice, but she's not important enough to be chosen by the writers for a big emotional death. All this points to her survival being likely.
Varys
Varys is a consummate survivor and a non-combatant for the most part. If anyone can survive this war, it's him. Plus, he's glimpsed in the season eight trailer [10] hiding out in the Winterfell vaults with other non-fighters, so it's likely he at least survives through to the final battle.
Sansa Stark
The Starks are going to be front and centre during the final stretch of episodes, and it seems pretty likely that at least one won't survive. Sansa probably has the best chance of survival: like Varys, she's a longtime survivor, and it's easy to see her surviving to lead the North [11] even if her battle-friendly siblings don't.
Tyrion Lannister
If there's a Lannister who can survive [12], it's Tyrion. He's not in need of a redemption arc, so his likelihood of dying heroically in battle goes down just from that alone. His death wouldn't have a major impact on other characters, so the likelihood of the writers killing him off for dramatic effect might be lowered too.
Daenerys Targaryen
Dany's ultimate fate is one of the biggest questions going into the final season, and there really are only two options: she'll take the Iron Throne or die trying. Based on some of actress Emilia Clarke's comments that seem to imply Dany makes a morally murky decision [13] near the end, we'd guess that she survives, but Game of Thrones does delight in upending expectations.
Arya Stark
Despite the appearance of mortal danger [14] for Arya in the latest trailer, Arya might emerge alive after all. Unless she's killed off to motivate someone else [15] (Gendry or Jon, most likely), Arya's battle-ready skills could save her life.
Tormund
Tormund is exactly the kind of character who tends to get killed off in heroic fashion: a comic relief character who's close to some of the major players. But his relative unimportance to the big-scale machinations of the plot might allow him to slip through the cracks and survive.
Gendry
After several seasons off-screen, Gendry has returned for the final stretch of episodes. It seems unlikely that the last Baratheon [16] would have been brought back without a good reason, so we'd place his survival rate as more likely than not: he's a strong fighter, but not a real contender for the throne unless something major changes [17].
Brienne of Tarth
Brienne will definitely be involved in the final battles of Game of Thrones, but her survival odds seem about even right now. On the one hand, she's sure to be in the thick of the fighting, and her death would be an emotional trigger for several other characters including Jaime, Sansa, and Arya. But on the other hand, she might be just unimportant enough for the writers to let her survive to help pick up the pieces.
Bran Stark
Let's be honest: we're not even sure if Bran can die now that he's the Three-Eyed Raven. What we are pretty sure about is that he's got a crucial role to play [18] in defeating the Night King [19]. Whether or not his supernatural self can survive that encounter? We'd put the odds at around 50/50.
The Hound
The Hound is part of Arya's "list" and could easily meet his end [20] at her hand or in an upcoming battle. But since that's a minor storyline in comparison to the massive happenings elsewhere, he might survive solely because the writers have more important things to focus on.
Grey Worm
Grey Worm is seen preparing for battle in the latest trailer, and given that these upcoming battles are likely to have a high body count, that puts him squarely in the cross-hairs. Even more: he's a generally decent character with emotional ties, so his death would definitely pack a punch.
Jon Snow
Much like his new love (and aunt) Dany, Jon Snow is likely to either emerge victorious or not emerge at all. He's too important to the narrative to not have an important fate. There are theories out there that Jon must die [21] in order for an overall victory to be achieved, which puts him higher on this list than most action-series heroes would be.
Samwell Tarly
Why is a relatively minor character so high on this list? Because he's one of the only characters with crucial information: the knowledge of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark's true relationship and thus of Jon's identity and claim to the throne. Killing off a character with this kind of information [22] is the kind of twists writers live for, and it would throw more questions into the final chapters.
Jorah Mormont
Ser Jorah has battled greyscale and a broken heart and so far survived, but his tragic past and noble character makes him exactly the sort of character who's likely to die. It's easy to imagine him dying heroically in Dany's defence, so we'd be surprised if he makes it out alive.
Jaime Lannister
We're all pretty sure Jaime's gonna die, right? He's had quite the arc of redemption over the course of the series, from a nasty, amoral hedonist to a conflicted almost-hero. He could cement his redemption with a heroic death [23], especially if the theories about him playing a part in major prophecies [24] come to pass.
Cersei Lannister
It seems unlikely, at this point, that Cersei will hang onto the Iron Throne, and we can't imagine her giving it up without fighting to the death [25]. If Jaime dies too, it would be eerie and oddly fitting for the twins to go down together (or at the hands of each other) after their actions started the whole plot.
Theon Greyjoy
Like Jaime, Theon is a character in serious need of redemption. He's desperate to prove himself and to be a hero, which is a recipe for "sacrificial death in battle."