Daenerys might turn into a villain in this series of Game of Thrones
In Game of Thrones, everyone has a villainous streak, even those who were once tender-hearted. Westeros just has a way of brutalising people, but I guess that's what happens when, say, your entire family is massacred in front of your eyes.
Accordingly, fans have never stopped speculating that Daenerys would ultimately follow in the footsteps of her father, the Mad King Aerys, and the last two episodes of the show's final season certainly seem to hint that the Mother of Dragons could turn against our heroes - including her lover and nephew - Jon Snow.
Even before the premiere of season eight, Reddit user, nanoelite, took to the platform to theorise that Dany will be the next big baddie to look out for;
"Both the show and the book series seek to portray a fantasy setting in realistic terms, clearly displaying the grim aspects of medieval life, the brutality of warfare, and the grey morality of its characters. That's why I don't think that either the Night King (a supernatural entity with absolutely no characterization) or Cersei (a comically evil despot) will be the big bads. Both characters are too easy to root against, and having a clear conflict between good and evil doesn't seem in line with what we have seen from the first seven seasons."
The Redditor also pointed out that Daenerys is now a more compelling villain than Cersei because of her sheer manpower: she has two dragons, the support of the north and the armies of the Unsullied and Dothraki. Sure, Cersei may have the Golden Company, but does she have elephants? No.
Watch the chilling teaser for this weekend's episode:
"Daenerys is just more of the same, believing her way is the only way, refusing to compromise, and slaughtering dissidents, only she has dragons and a moral banner to rally armies behind. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and ultimate power will ultimately corrupt Daenerys. Setting her up as the final villain would be a much more moving, and fitting, ending to the show, instead of having the power couple team up to kill the zombie army and the comic villain," the Reddit user continued.
This may not be the only surprise coming, however. People on Twitter also have cause to believe we'll be losing one of our favourite characters in the next few episodes: Brienne of Tarth.
To recap last Sunday's episode, Brienne finally became a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and her joy was palpable. But as many were quick to point out, the characters on GoT pay a heavy price for even the most meagre moments of joy, and so have been speculating that Brienne's great victory may culminate in an untimely demise.
"I’m so happy for my shooter Brienne for finally getting the Knight ranking she deserves. It’s all she ever wanted. The smile on her face was so pure and joyous. She’s definitely bout to die," asserted one social media user, while another corroborated "It’s almost like her character arc is complete...You know what happens next right?"
Roll on Sunday!