Small Council: Who’s going to die in Game of Thrones Season 6?

Game of Thrones Season 6 will be here before we know it, and if past seasons are any indication, characters are gonna die. Who’s most likely to be on the chopping block? Welcome to a very morbid edition of the Small Council.

DAN: It’s been said that this upcoming season of Game of Thrones is the first where fans who have read the books won’t have any idea what’s coming. Now, that’s not exactly true. Season 6 will still likely cover a bunch of leftover stuff from the novels, and book-readers should be able to predict at least three decently important deaths.

That said, there’s a ton we book-readers don’t know, and rather than pointing out the characters who are preordained to die, I’m going to talk about a couple of the many, many people whose fates aren’t set in stone. And now that our roadmap is gone, I realize that it could be just about anybody. It’s a scary time to be a Game of Thrones fan.

The writing is on the wall (no pun intended) for a couple of characters. Most obviously, how long can Jorah last now that he’s got greyscale? It’s not really a matter of if he dies—it’s all about how much drama the show can wring from it when it inevitably happens.

As for someone a little less expected, I’ll say I’m scared for Tommen…good, sweet, naive Tommen. Unless he wises up really fast, he’s just too gentle to stay alive in this world. To use the lingo of the show, he’s a piece, not a player, and players are going to try and use him to win the game. In the wake of her walk of shame, Cersei is probably going to go to war with the Faith, and there will be a lot of opportunities for Tommen to be caught in the crossfire. I don’t know how exactly his death might come about, but I have a feeling his days are numbered.

Also, and this probably goes without saying, it would be swell if Ramsay Bolton bit it this season. I know I shouldn’t wish death on anyone, but he’s fictional, and I loathe him. Toss us a bone, show.

KATIE: Tommen’s got to go sometime; he’s too sweet and useless to make it much longer. I’ll trash talk about Joffrey until the day I die, but at least he wouldn’t have allowed the Faith Militant to be armed, and Tommen would do well to realize that the king can, in fact, do something about it when his queen is tossed in a cell. Put up or shut up, man (but I’m guessing somebody will shut him up before he can take a stand).

On the flip side of the coin, my money’s on a good ol’ Ramsay death. It’s not just wishful thinking, either—there’s only so much narrative mileage you can get out of a sadistic psychopath, and Ramsay’s run his course. He tortured Theon beyond recognition, abused Sansa, and dismantled Stannis and his army, and quite frankly there’s not much left for him to do. He can’t get worse, and there’s no redemption to be had, either, so pushing his story further would prove ineffective at best.

This train of thought leads me to wonder if Littlefinger’s time is dwindling down as well. Considering that he always comes out on top, the guy has to get knocked down for good eventually, but I could see him lasting another season. I firmly believe that Sansa will bring about his downfall—she’s his weakness, but she needs to be in a more firm position of power before she can sign his life away. Based on what we know and can speculate about what’s coming up for her, we might have to wait just a tad longer before she has the authority to snap her fingers and have Littlefinger’s head lobbed off. But, hey, we’ll get there.

COREY: If Season 6 is half as bloody as Season 5 ended up being, we are in for a long list of characters meeting whatever gods they believe in this season. Ramsay, Roose, or poor Walda seem to be the most popular choices, but I am going to guess that before the season is over, all three have met their dooms. It does seem likely at some point that Ramsay will explode on either Roose or Walda, with Walda unfortunately looking like the most likely candidate. That would obviously escalate into a conflict between father and son, something the books hint that Roose has anticipated, at the least. We know there’s a big battle coming at the end of the season, and I think Roose will be gone by the time it begins.

I concur with fellow council members that Kevan Lannister and Maester Pycelle will most likely bite it this season, but I disagree with others who believe Tommen will perish in Season 6. First, I think one dead Lannister child will be enough for one season, and while Myrcella technically died in Season 5, her death will mainly be felt this upcoming season. I also tend to believe that it will be Tommen in charge when the White Walkers begin their march south. Who better to ineffectually manage the initial war effort than him? Since it doesn’t seem likely that the full scale White Walker invasion takes place this season, I see at least one more season for poor little Tommen.

Jorah Mormont seems a likely candidate to die this season, though. Not only does he have Greyscale, but Jorah’s story seems almost at an end. You can only get banished and then return so many times before that starts to get played out. And realistically, what else is there for Jorah to do after he presumably rescues Daenerys?

I would also say Walder Frey seems another character who shouldn’t be planning for the future. Even if Arya, Nymeria, or some other Stark-related sympathizer doesn’t get to him, Walder is in his nineties, not exactly a spring chicken.

Last but not least, my out-of-nowhere pic for the shocker death we will see this season? Melisandre. This one is iffy, because we don’t know entirely which direction they are going to go with Jon Snow’s death/resurrection yet. If it’s something that will happen more than once, like with Beric Dondarrion, then I say Mel sticks around. If it’s a one time thing, which seems the most likely, I would say that Melisandre perishes shortly after Jon breathes once more. Similar to Jorah, I just don’t see much a storyline for the red woman after she has served her primary purpose: bringing Jon back to life.

On a side note, I am very excited to see where this all goes. While the biggest part of me wishes the books were set down, a small part of me will enjoy not knowing. If there is another Red Wedding moment in this season, it will be a complete surprise to everyone, and that’s a fun place to be.

CAUTION: THE FOLLOWING RESPONSE ARE FULL OF SPOILERS

RAZOR: Game of Thrones Season 6 needs to have just as an impactful death as Season 5 did (I’m looking at you Jon Snow). With the stakes raised at nearly every point, I’m betting just about every major character will, at some point, have their souls in the cold grip of the grim reaper. My first nomination has to be good old Uncle Kevan Lannister. His death is nigh, with Cersei just now making her way through the streets of King’s Landing. And with winter finally hitting the capital, I have a feeling a white owl will be visiting a certain maester’s window, and Kevan may not be too long for this world. So, let’s go ahead and add two to my list: Kevan Lannister and Maester Pycelle.

Finally, I believe Roose Bolton and his wife are going to be killed by Ramsay so that he can assume the title of Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell. I am absolutely convinced that the man hung upside down on the Bolton cross in the Season 6 trailer, flayed and burned, is Roose. I think Ramsay does this to prove to his enemies and loyal bannermen alike that if you cross him, no matter who you are, you will suffer the same terrible fate as his father. I also think that what will happen to Walda is something that Game of Thrones has never shown before…Ramsay’s madness and evil knows no bounds, and I for one, cannot wait.

ANI: Let’s think about this logically:

• Finn Jones, cast in the lead of a new Marvel show. Sorry Loras, you’re toast.
• Natalie Dormer did a LOT of pre-Game of Thrones press. That’s usually a bad sign. Margaery: could be toast.
• As to Cersei’s children: Gold will be their crowns and gold will be their shrouds, and they’ve been dying on average one a season. Tommen: toast.
• Liam Cunningham has been front and center since the real press push started. That’s also a bad sign. Besides, is the man really wielding a sword with three stumpy fingers on one hand? Davos: could be toast.
• Jorah Mormont: He’s got a degenerative, nigh-incurable disease. He can’t last long.

Other toast possibilities: Trystane Martell (with Myrcella dead, you really think Cersei will let him live?), Tormund Giantsbane (because he made the main character roster this year.) Roose, Fat Walda and the baby are all probably toast because Ramsay needs to be unfettered. (Though I’d bet my life it won’t be in that order.) Also, Kevan Lannister and Maester Pycelle are probably on the block because they’re already toast in the books (though since the means to their ends is not currently in King’s Landing, I’m sure some other chaos agent-type will do the deed.)

Finally: Someone major, who we haven’t actually guessed yet. I’m not saying Sansa, Arya, Tyrion, or Dany…but Brienne? Jaime? Major northern B-list players, and everyone left at the Wall…all are at risk for toastdom.

CAMERON: Theon and Ramsay are my top bets. I don’t really imagine a scenario where Theon’s situation improves, though he could get a heroic death of some sort. Ramsay’s gotta go, though. Loras is also a prime candidate, but it’s okay: he’s escaping to a world where he gets to be a superhero. Lastly, is this the year we finally see Balon Greyjoy crumble? It would make no sense to do a kingsmoot storyline if there’s no vacancy in the seat.

I refuse to believe any other rumored deaths until I watch it with my own eyes.

Because the field of potential victims is so high, you can choose up to three options on this poll.