Game of Thrones actor Isaac Hempstead Wright denied the popular fan theory that his character Bran Stark is really the Night King. Of all the characters on Game of Thrones, none has had a more intriguing arc than Bran Stark, and none is in a more mysterious position as the show heads into its final run of episodes.
Bran was just a boy when the series began, but his life soon took a tragic turn when he was pushed out a window at Winterfell by Jaime Lannister. Having survived that trauma, a paralyzed Bran found himself haunted by dreams of a three-eyed raven, dreams that would point to his own destiny after barely escaping Theon Greyjoy’s takeover of Winterfell. Bran would seek that destiny beyond the Wall, with new friends Jojen and Meera Reed in tow, in a mysterious storyline that found Bran ultimately becoming The Three Eyed Raven himself. Bran then returned to Winterfell much changed from when we first met him, and now fans are dying to find out the role he will play as Game of Thrones heads into its endgame.
One popular fan theory holds that Bran Stark, thanks to the warging power he acquired, actually became the Night King when he traveled back in time to stop The White Walkers, now existing both as himself and the Night King. The theory came up when Wright visited Jimmy Kimmel Live, seemingly denying the theory’s validity. Under questioning about potential season 8 spoilers and whether the enigmatic Bran is still a good guy, Wright replied, “I think he’s the Three-Eyed Raven, who is definitely on the side of the living.” Kimmel later brought up the “Bran as Night King” theory and Wright answered, “Yeah, I’ve heard this. I can neither confirm or deny.” But of course, Wright previously declared that Bran is on the side of the living, so Kimmel took that as a denial that he is in fact The Night King. Realizing his potential mistake, Wright tried to wriggle out of it by saying, “Who says the Night King’s dead?” before jokingly saying, “I don’t know! Help me HBO!" See the whole interview below:
Though Kimmel is clearly joking around with Wright, there’s no doubt that things get a little tense during the exchange, as Wright begins to realize he’s been trapped into revealing more than he should have. So, should fans take the interview as evidence that The Night King theory is debunked? Or is there more to be gleaned from Wright’s remark about The Night King not being dead? Indeed, another part of the “Bran as Night King” theory holds that when all is said and done, the series’ supposed bad guy will be revealed as the secret hero who finally brings peace to Westeros. If The Night King truly is the actual hero of the story, and the one who puts an end to all the strife in the Seven Kingdoms, he could be said to be on the side of the living.
When it comes to Game of Thrones fan theories, Bran as the Night King seems to be a bit of a stretch, and it becomes even more of a head-scratcher when factoring in the idea that the clearly brutal and inhuman Night King is secretly the good guy of the story who is destined to bring peace to Westeros. Then again, Daenerys is currently being set up as the true villain of the story, so maybe it’s not such a huge reach to think The Night King, who is actually Bran Stark, might turn out to be the savior of the living.
More: Game Of Thrones Season 8 Premiere: 5 Things That Satisfied Fans And 5 Things That Bothered Them
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live
