Over the course of eight seasons, Game of Thrones [1] has given us a number of shocking deaths [2], from Joffrey Baratheon succumbing to a cup of poisonous wine to Ramsay Bolton becoming a feast for hounds. Yet, the one well-deserved downfall that's eluded us all these years is the demise of Gregor "the Mountain" Clegane. Since his death and resurrection in season four, we've come to think of him as nothing but a monstrous henchman for Cersei Lannister. However, his history as a loyalist to Tywin Lannister and his role as the murderer of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen's children makes him one of the vilest villains in the realm [3] and underscores the cruelty of Robert's Rebellion and the War of the Five Kings.
For those reasons, we have no doubt that Gregor's past will come back to haunt him in the worst way imaginable. In fact, as the Seven Kingdoms prepare for the Last War [4], Ayra Stark [5] and Gregor's brother, Sandor Clegane [6], are on the road to King's Landing with revenge on their minds. Both of them have the skills to take down the Mountain, but if you're wondering who else could put an end to the man known for crushing heads and slicing his victims in half, consider our list of Westerosi warriors.
Jaime Lannister
Although he has lost his dominant fighting hand, Jaime still has one huge reason to risk battle with the Mountain — Cersei Lannister. Now that he's made the decision to return to King's Landing, the two men will surely clash, but it's not for the reason you think. Game of Thrones director David Nutter tells Business Insider that the Kingslayer isn't going home to handle some cryptic unfinished business [7] with his sister: "I've seen some fans guessing that Jaime is bluffing to Brienne or he's trying to push her away because he's on some suicidal mission to kill Cersei, but for me it rings more like he's slipping back into that deep bond he has with Cersei."
But just because Jaime regresses into his old relationship habits, doesn't mean Cersei will accept his affections now that she has Euron Greyjoy [8] in her corner. Remember, Jaime left King's Landing at the end of season seven with the mark of treason on his head. Cersei considered his dragon pit negotiations with their brother, Tyrion, and Jaime's desire to aid the North in the Great War acts of conspiracy against her and the crown. At the same time, Jaime despises that she purchased the Golden Company [9] and plotted with Euron behind his back. Before he could leave the Red Keep, Cersei set the Mountain upon him and Jaime dared her to give the kill order. Cersei hesitated and Jaime took his leave unharmed, but we're betting he won't be given the same courtesy upon his return.
With Cersei already putting a hit out on Jaime's life in the form of Bronn the sellsword, the Mountain probably has orders to slay Jaime on sight. While the odds of Jaime winning such a fight are long, we might find ourselves surprised by the things a man can do for love.
Ser Brienne of Tarth
Even though Brienne currently resides at Winterfell as bodyguard to Sansa Stark, we refuse to believe the series would leave her out of the final battle (or end with her pining over a man [10]). Brienne is a warrior, so it only makes sense that she joins Daenerys in the fight for King's Landing, especially after Euron and Cersei succeed in killing a dragon, destroying a fleet, and beheading Missandei.
While it would be cruel of Daenerys to use Brienne as a weapon against the queen, Brienne certainly has a massive personal reason to storm into the Red Keep and cut down all those in her path — Jaime Lannister. In our minds, Brienne and Jaime's courtship ends so abruptly that there must be more to the story. We believe the pair will meet again on the battlefield in a scenario where Brienne fights the Mountain to kill Cersei or save Jaime. Such a battle would not only provide closure to Brienne's side of the relationship but also fulfil Maggy the Frog's prophecy [11], first revealed in season five, which states that someone "younger, more beautiful" will cast Cersei down and take all she holds dear.
Jaime and the Mountain are the only people of consequence left in Cersei's life (other than her unborn child [12]), and Brienne the Beauty holds the upper hand in both the matters of love and warfare. Remember, Brienne is one of the few people to defeat Sandor "the Hound" Clegane in combat, which means she's a formidable opponent for the Mountain. She is also the more honourable of the two women when it comes to doing what's best for the people of Westeros and the people she loves.
Grey Worm
With such a heavy season eight spotlight on Brienne and Jaime, you may have forgotten about the quieter romance between Grey Worm and Missandei [13]. Their love story begins in the fourth season when Missandei agrees to teach the commander of the Unsullied [14] the common tongue and grows stronger in season five when an attack by the Sons of the Harpy nearly leaves Grey Worm for dead.
By the seventh season, Grey Worm confesses his love for Missandei and the pair consummate their relationship [15] in the morning hours before the Casterly Rock invasion. Then on the eve of the Great War, the couple fantasize about running away together to the beaches of Missandei's homeland in Naath, an island in the Summer Sea off the coast of Sothoryos.
Sadly, this last event never happens because the Mountain beheads Missandei [16] in a show of Cersei's strength as the sitting queen. Grey Worm is present at the execution and displays anguish at the loss, a rare bit of public emotion from the usually stoic commander. We can't imagine the series wouldn't spend five seasons building a relationship if they weren't going to have Grey Worm seek retribution for his lost love.
Trained in the arts of spear and shield as well as short swords for close quarters combat, Grey Worm has the tactical training and the discipline to thwart the Mountain, and he's probably the last person anyone in King's Landing would expect to break rank and go rogue.
Ayra Stark
Thanks to the season eight focus placed on the complicated history between Arya and the Hound [17], we think it's safe to argue that the series may be setting up a tag team fight in which the Hound sacrifices himself to protect Arya from the Mountain before Arya strikes the final deathblow to the elder Clegane. Remember, the Mountain earns the top spot on Arya's kill list [18] in the second season for his torture of the people at Harrenhal where she's a captive, so she's motivated for this fight. Plus, with Cersei also on Arya's, she'll be doubly driven to dispatch the one man who stands between her and the fulfillment of her destiny [19]. But more importantly for the viewer, the young Stark's defeat of the Night King [20] and her years as a Faceless Man [21] prove she can outwit imposing figures of any magnitude.
Sandor “The Hound” Clegane
As we learn in the first season, the prevailing reason Sandor hates his brother stems from a confrontation the pair have as children. Gregor's mean-spirit and oppressive nature leads him to press his young brother's face to a fire after Sandor finds and takes pleasure in a toy his brother discards. The punishment continues until the family's servants intervene, but the right side of Sandor's face sustains severe burns that scar him physically and emotionally — that's why the Hound shows an intense fear of fire [22] during the Battle for Winterfell. In addition, the books suggest that Sandor believes his brother murdered his sister and father whose death remains a mysterious hunting accident.
On the show, the brothers grow up to work together in the Kingsguard where Sandor grows increasingly disgusted by his older brother's bloodlust. This friction comes to a head during a jousting tournament to celebrate Eddard Stark's appointment as Hand to the King. Gregor loses a round to Loras Tyrell and chops the head off his own horse in frustration. He then proceeds to knock Loras off his mount and strike the man down with his sword until Sandor intervenes. The brothers engage in a bitter battle that only ends when King Robert Baratheon demands they put down their weapons.
Sandor leaves King's Landing in the second season before the brother's can resolve their life-long feud, but the men have a brief reunion at the wight demonstration [23] in the dragon pits during the seventh season finale. The scene crackles with tension, but with the visit being one of truce-making nature, the Hound restrains himself. Instead, he takes a verbal stab at his older sibling saying, "Remember me? Yeah, you do. You're even fuckin' uglier than I am now. What did they do to you? Doesn't matter. That's not how it ends for you, brother. You know who's coming for you. You've always known."
Tough words coming from the smaller of the pair. Yet, when we last see Sandor, he's making good on his word by travelling along the road to King's Landing with Ayra Stark, who's just about the best fighting partner in Westeros.