With recent rumors circulating about people spotting the White Walkers crossing The Wall for the filming of Season 6, it’s pretty evident that somehow The Wall will be brought down for the White Walkers to do a full invasion of Westeros. But how will this be accomplished? My blog post will examine several potential key characters that are the most likely candidates for this duty.
Jon Snow
At the moment, it’s hotly being debated whether Jon Snow is truly dead. Again rumors hint otherwise while the showrunners contests that he truly is dead. Of course, the showrunners leave the true answer ambiguous on purpose. Most people interpret the end of season 5 with Jon Snow’s fate in a cliffhanger as the person “Jon Snow” in name is dead. But the actor and representation of Jon Snow as possibly Azor Ahai or even Jon Stark might return.
If that’s the case, why should anyone assume that Jon Snow would be responsible for the destruction of The Wall? As a member of the Night’s Watch, Jon Snow was one of the most vocal in the protection of The Wall from the White Walkers so this theory would preclude him doing anything as insane as this. However, he was murdered by his sworn brothers and we do not know for certain if he returns how he returns. Most people believe that Melissandre will be the one who resurrects Jon Snow. However, let’s not forget that her visions were often interpreted incorrectly, which lead to the destruction of Stannis Baratheon.
The most famous of conspiracy theories concerning Jon Snow’s heritage is that his mother is Lyanna Stark, Ned’s sister and that Jon Snow’s real father was Rhaegar Targaryen. One of the most interesting points about the theory is that of a blue flower growing at The Wall. People connect the color blue with ice and makes up one half of the subtitle “A Song of Ice and Fire,” which implicates Jon Snow as being of ice and cold. Some people have further interpreted and possibly wished that Jon Snow come back as a White Walker.
Well now that becomes a very interesting possibility.
And that’s where my theory builds upon the notion that Jon Snow is the one who brings down The Wall. Some have suggested that Jon Snow might sacrifice himself and become a White Walker to end the invasion. Perhaps, his destiny is to thwart the invasion through some form of marriage and that bringing down The Wall could be a metaphor for freedom. Another possible outcome is that Jon Snow turns his back on man after the White Walkers convince him that the only method for saving the rest of the people in Westeros is to remove The Wall and join the White Walkers to ensure the survival of the rest of people. In that scenario, Jon Snow in shooting for the higher ideal of saving the ones he loves decides to bring down The Wall.
Another thing is that we do not know for certain if the entirety of The Wall is demolished during Season 6. And the reason why I mention this in lieu of my proposed theory is that Jon Snow was shown wearing the armor of the Starks. So if he makes a comeback as a Stark in that format, most likely he wouldn’t bring down The Wall immediately. That of course begs the question on how more White Walkers are able to get around The Wall. But that’s a different situation altogether.
Melisandre
I do not think Melisandre by herself will act consciously in demolishing The Wall. If she has anything to do with the destruction of The Wall, it will be through her inability to interpret her visions correctly. As I mentioned in the Jon Snow situation, we aren’t exactly sure how Jon Snow may get resurrected. The basic assumption is that the prophecy of Azor Ahai will be fulfilled in that Melisandre will connect Jon Snow to the prophecy and attempt to bring him back.
Yet we have seen the fallacies in putting too much faith in prophecies within the world of Game of Thrones and we have seen Melisandre’s failures to correctly understand her visions. There’s the chance that what she does is incorrect and upsets some order in the universe. So her action might cause Jon Snow to become a liability for the rest of the realm.
Ramsay Bolton
Of anyone who probably can and would take down The Wall, Ramsay Bolton should certainly show up on top. He’s obvious a highly unstable character and would probably drop The Wall just for a few giggles. Essentially, Ramsay Bolton is The Joker from The Dark Knight and is one of the people around who would want to see the world burn.
Despite his insanity, he’s not a stupid figure. He does have some sense as demonstrated through his military tactics in defeating Stannis’ army at the end of season 5. And whereas The Joker did not have any clear motives outside of pure anarchy, Ramsay Bolton does has a perverse relationship with his father, whom Ramsay wants to please and is very wary of. Ramsay does desire power and basic luxuries in life. Not to mention he’s a Northerner, something he did emphasize when he was able to beat Stannis’ army. Because of that most likely in the very least he will be aware of the White Walkers and why The Wall stands.
The other thing is that he is not in possession of one of the key devices that can bring down The Wall, which is a magical relic that Mance Rayder was searching for in the novels. Ramsay Bolton though does have the advantage in being at Winterfell where there supposedly exist an artifact of power in the crypts. Should Ramsay Bolton somehow discover this item then he might use it somehow as a bargaining chip one way or another.
Ultimately, Ramsay Bolton more than likely will not be the key player in taking down The Wall. His actions in slaughtering Stannis’ army may provide severe consequences as they did not burn the bodies, thus providing more fuel to the Army of the Dead. But I do not see him despite him having the highest chance to pull the trigger given the opportunity. I just doubt he’ll be given that opportunity.
Mance Rayder
One of the biggest changes from the books is that season 1 had Mance Rayder “killed.” The books hint that he’s still alive as a result of Melisandre glamorizing him and Rattleshirt in exchanging places. However, the TV series simplified his fate and subplot of the bard with his “wives” invading Winterfell to save Theon but more importantly the fake Arya Stark from The Boltons. So from the book’s point of view, Mance most likely is still alive.
In the TV series, because that section was cut out, we can only assume that his fate is short possibly in the books as well. Still, I put him in this section because of his supposed true quest in the books of searching for the aforementioned artifact in the Winterfell crypts. One can only conjecture that Mance’s purpose in locating this artifact is to bring down The Wall to help his people. Even though it’s an insane idea it seems that is his desperate move to find a feasible solution before the White Walkers hit the Wildlings and cause a bigger issue.
Since he’s theoretically dead in the books, I wanted to come up with a compromise in suggesting that he will not be the one responsible for causing the destruction of The Wall. However, he might have an agent to do the real dirty work for him.
Tormund Giantsbane
Tormund’s character seems to play a far larger role in the TV series than in the books. However, the main point is that he’s pretty much Mance’s #2 and the person likely to carry out Mance’s original plan. In the TV series, Tormund sees the death of his comrade Mance as well as the slaughter of his people during the episode Hardhome. No doubt it unsettled him but we have little idea as to how it will effect him. With Jon Snow dead, the relations with the Night’s Watch will be further strained, especially with Alliser Thorne’s extreme hatred towards the Wildlings fueling these tensions.
With Jon Snow by his side, Tormund was able to have someone to help make rational and diplomatic decisions. Without Jon Snow, or even Mance Rayder around, Tormund might be driven to his Wildling instincts, leading him to perform rash actions. Because he had no true loyalty to the Southerners, he might just go through with Mance Rayder’s plan if it’s to drop The Wall.
There’s a lot of reasons for Tormund to bring down The Wall. However, having witnessed first hand what the White Walkers are capable of, he might not be the person who performs the act. He does love his people but the warnings both from Jon Snow and his own experience may force him to make a sacrificial decision.
Cersei Lannister/Jamie Lannister
Like Ramsay Bolton, Cersei Lannister more than anyone is one of those people just crazy enough to do anything given the opportunity. She is no stranger to having power and lusts for it so she can bend reality to her will. Given the opportunity to bring down The Wall and destroy all of Westeros in revenge for her children’s deaths, there is no doubt in my mind Cersei is a prime candidate for this deed.
However, the biggest issue with Cersei is simply logistical. She’s nowhere near Winterfell and probably has no knowledge of the artifact that may pose a threat against The Wall. However, if she does learn of the power and existence of the artifact, she probably will send forces to locate it. And those forces really are Jamie Lannister (and possibly his latest sidekick of Bron the Sellsword).
In season 5, Jamie’s storyline completely veered away from the books in traveling to Dorne. Of course, the primary point of his travels was to reconnect with his daughter, Myrcella, who finally acknowledged him as her rightful biological father just before she dies of poisoning. If anything that will provoke him further in his somewhat chaotic decisions that are driven by duty and his love for his sister.
Jamie does have the capability to locate and use the instrument if pushed. It might not be necessarily a case where he travels to Winterfell (or maybe it’s not even the artifact of Winterfell that will cause the downfall of The Wall). If anything though, he can be manipulated by his sister into doing such a deed.
Euron Greyjoy
Many people grew angry that Euron did not make an appearance in season 5 but are absolutely thrilled that his story will start in season 6. Euron is another heavy hitter in the sense that he has a major game changing piece, which is a horn that can control dragons. He sends his brother Victarion Greyjoy to court Daenerys Targaryen and have him bring her back to the Iron Isles to marry. At the same time, he gives the dragon horn, Dragonbinder, to hopefully take control of her dragons.
But really beyond having Dragonbinder in some capacity, is Euron Greyjoy a bigger player? I felt that coming this late into the game, Euron will be significant in some sense but his real power play is just the horn and taking over the Iron Isles after Balon falls. But because both are pretty big negotiation pieces, he will be sought out in some capacity.
The way Euron handles things makes me believe that he will not be directly responsible for the destruction of The Wall. However, he does have a piece that can cause some serious issues. One theory I have in how he relates to everyone is the rumored photo of Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey and Natalie Dormer, presumably in King’s Landing. Of course, the big implication here is that somehow Daenerys finally has arrived in King’s Landing. With dragons perhaps?
So my idea is that if Daenerys has made the voyage to King’s Landing and possibly is starting her invasion of Westeros, having the power of dragons behind her, she’s able to make short work of the Lannister army and pacify them. Rather than attempting to promote war, she will use advice from her sidekick Tyrion in bargaining in gaining favor with both the Lannisters and Tyrells, which is what may be implied during that scene.
While Margaery may be inclined to join with Daenerys, it’s highly likely that Cersei, being the batshit stubborn nut, never will oblige. And here’s where we can connect Cersei to The Wall, to Jamie’s destiny and Euron all at once. Once Euron learns that Daenerys has hit King’s Landing and successfully pacified the Lannisters, Euron will make his ultimate power play in sending his fleets to capture Daenerys. Cersei will learn of Dragonbinder and convince Jamie to blow it on her behalf, thus self-destructing in the process (which is implied in the usage of the horn; either that or his Golden Hand provides some form of protection and allows him to survive. However, I prefer the former idea which will further Cersei’s insanity).
With Jamie dead but the dragons under Cersei’s mad control, Cersei will command them to perform the ultimate act of destruction which is to get rid of all the traitors in the world. Because she does not understand how to control dragons and has no link to them, the dragons misinterpret her commands to mean demolish The Wall (she might even get to ride a dragon to witness her act).
So like Melisandre, Euron Greyjoy might simply be a tool en route to the person who causes the true destruction of The Wall. He might be capable of pulling the trigger and even feel it enticing but the way the book describes him makes me believe that he’s far too sane and power hungry to do an act as stupid as bringing down The Wall.
Daenerys Targaryen
Beyond the artifact in Winterfell, Daenerys’ dragons are probably the only other weapons in the world that can take down The Wall (fire breath vs ice?) With Dragonbinder in the wrong hands, it’s pretty much a guarantee that Daenerys’ dragons can toast anything, including and more than likely The Wall. But what if Daenerys herself is the one who issues out the mandate to her dragons to take down The Wall?
We’re led to believe that Daenerys will be some sort of savior based on the way Varys has convinced Tyrion (and the audience to a large degree) on her qualities as a ruler. Yet her major flaw is in her biological heritage in connection with the Mad King. As everyone reminds her and the audience of the Targaryens’ propensity towards insanity resulting from inbreeding, Daenerys most likely will need to come face-to-face with her weakness at some point and conquer it.
Yet what if she fails in this regard and turns out to be truly an insane, oppressive ruler? Daenerys is not the purest of people around. Tyrion’s encounter with her pointed out Daenerys’ own flaws, something she may not have considered in her self-absorbed quest to bring the world to an idealistic image. Season 5 alone has shown her to be quite vindictive and one sided. What would happen if and when her dragons are fully grown and she sets her will to the world?
Some people see the conflict of Ice and Fire as essentially Jon Snow vs Daenerys in the end. Right now, she has no real knowledge of The Wall nor the Whitewalkers in the manner Jon Snow possesses. Without such knowledge, she cannot make proper calls in utilizing her dragons against The Wall and can compel them either through a 3rd party’s manipulation over her or if her bloodline’s insanity manifest some day within her.
Theon Greyjoy
Going back North, we have to return to another very suspect character in Theon Greyjoy. Even though at the end of season 5, Theon seemed to have a moment of clarity in saving Sansa Stark, we cannot tell if the Reek personality is just an act or if he will permanently suffer from a Stockholm type of syndrome at the hands of Ramsay Bolton. The real question becomes how and why would Theon Greyjoy do anything against The Wall? He’s someone who just seems so far removed from everything and is just trying to escape and survive.
First, Theon is north and near/at Winterfell. Having just escaped The Bolton’s by jumping from the wall with Sansa, we can presume that he will need to hide some place within that vicinity. As Stannis’ army just suffered a massive defeat, Sansa and Theon have no allies except possibly Brienne and Podrick. More than likely, both will survive the fall and find some spot for refuge. One possibility is the Crypts of Winterfell which would be ironic considering that’s where Sansa had just visited with Petr and where Bran, Rickon, Osha and Hodor hid from Theon. From a story point of view, it’s just a very logical place for them to go.
One idea I have is that if they do hide within the crypts, Sansa might return to Lyanna’s burial spot and find the artifact there since her tomb seems to be the only one with any major significance to the audience. Although the novel A Dance with Dragons shows Mance Rayder supposedly subdued by Ramsay Bolton in the pink letter to Jon Snow, in which we can partly assume that Mance was searching for the artifact, the show removed that section of the story entirely and may leave that part to Theon and Sansa.
So let’s say this situation comes to fruition and Theon and Sansa come into the possession of this artifact. The next question is why Theon would employ it to destroy The Wall? As of now, Sansa is aware of Jon Snow’s promotion in the Night’s Watch to Lord Commander. While she also is now aware of her two younger brothers Bran and Rickon being alive, she needs to make a choice as to whom she can pursue for protection and reconnecting. Just before Theon is captured in season 2, Maester Luwin advises Theon to escape the impending Northern invasion and head to Castle Black where he could disregard his past, take a new vow and earn his way in the world. As neither have any idea where Rickon nor Bran are, Castle Black would seem to be the most logical spot for them to head for protection.
How their journey fares is anyone’s guess. But it’s possible that Euron, now entering into the picture, also decides to head north, possibly learning the fate of the true heir to the Iron Islands. Should they encounter, Euron might test Theon’s loyalty to the Iron Islands and pressure him into using the artifact to bring down The Wall for one reason or another. The key here is that Theon has a history of poor decision making and the only one that looks favorable to him thus far is saving Sansa. However, he is a weak willed character and him becoming Reek symbolizes what he is on the inside. Hence, he is a good candidate for destroying The Wall in a time of need.
Although this story arc does have potential to move in this direction, my feeling is that Theon’s role is not slotted for this act. Instead, I see him for certain making it to Castle Black, helping Sansa along the way and recovering the artifact in Winterfell. However, I do not think his fate really is tied to the obliteration of The Wall.
Sansa Stark
If Theon is partly connected to this mysterious artifact due to logistics, then Sansa certainly will play a part too. Now, Sansa is in a very odd position in the TV series and far removed from where she was located in the novels. However, her situation in the TV series along with her experiences in King’s Landing and Petr Baelish may threaten her psyche, lending her to become a credible person to do something foolish as bringing down The Wall.
And while Petr Baelish has taken her under his wing in fine tuning her notions of politics from her days in King’s Landing, she still is incredibly naive. Even in season 5, she let herself be manipulated by Petr Baelish in marrying a psychopath and be brought into the family of the people who betrayed her own. She has finally made a few moves on her own but still acts as a piece to others.
Because of that aspect in her personality, despite the growth we have seen in her character, Sansa, for me at least, remains an unreliable character. She has the heart but not necessarily the mind, not truly proven yet in times of duress, to make the confident decisions necessary.
So if she obtains the artifact in Winterfell (and quite possibly will in the next season in my opinion), she will be able to do some serious damage. However, I do not think by herself she will use it to bring down The Wall. It would happen as a result of another hand that leads her to make an irrational decision. She may also turn out to become like Cersei, mad over the loss of family. Catelyn Stark made such decisions, which led her to release Jamie Lannister among some of the biggest mistakes.
Petyr Baelish/Littlefinger
Beyond anyone, the person most likely to set into motion the destruction of The Wall is none other than Petyr Baelish/Littlefinger. While others may be directly or slightly less directly responsible for affecting the fate of The Wall, Littlefinger will be the main influencer in all of this as he clearly states in season 1 how he intends to fight everyone through “fucking them.” He is the person to risk everyone, namely the world as the people of Westeros know it, in order to obtain what he wants, which is everything.
Also, Petyr Baelish has mentioned having a new ally. Most people directly think of Lady Olena Tyrell. However, Baelish used the word “male” implying that possibly he has yet another ally in his pocket. In addition, the Tyrells, while being equally scheming as himself, have not exactly proved to be fruitful in their relationship as Lady Olena in season 5 threatens him with her two children’s lives in jeopardy.
My theory has been that Petyr’s real ally is none other than the White Walkers. Sure, he could use the Iron Bank of Braavos, which makes a lot of sense as they have a similar mind set and background. But Petyr is all about the largest gambles and even the Iron Bank does not seem to satisfy his own criteria for bets.
So why join with an unearthly ally? Because it’s the ultimate piece of power outside of Daenerys’ dragons that can lead him to obtain everything. Also, we see Petyr moving towards the North in his personal conquests, first gaining control over the Aerie and possibly Winterfell through either Sansa Stark or Cersei. His moves are very destructive in getting each side to battle, leading to piles of graves. To the White Walkers, he’s merely supplying more troops to their army the second The Wall drops.
On top of that, he can move large pieces. For instance, I nominate him as the person to get Sansa to use the artifact in Winterfell to take down The Wall. Or possibly be the informant to Cersei in figuring out how to rid the Lannisters of Daenerys the moment she’s able to invade with her dragons and tip Cersei off to Dragonbinder. He could be the one to coerce Euron in heading north to convince Theon to use Dragonbinder or move south once Daenerys hits King’s Landing.
No matter how the act happens, there’s no doubt in my mind that Petyr will play one of the biggest roles in taking down The Wall. He wants to see the utter destruction of the world for the wrongs done to him in the past. He wants to reinvent the world through creating a hellish environment that he can hide in. And he doesn’t care about anyone beyond himself. While we have yet to see him talk about The Wall, he more than likely is aware of its purpose and through his grapevines the White Walkers. The same can be said about Daenerys and her dragons. It’s just going to be a matter of time before he can play with those pieces as well.