Speculation: Who will kill Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones Season 7?
By Corey Smith
3. Arya Stark
Now we’re cooking with butter. Over the years, Arya Stark has morphed from a precocious tomboy into a full-blown assassin. At this point, she may have the skills necessary to take down even a queen. Lest we forget, Cersei has been on Arya’s death list since Season 2, and that list is growing shorter by the day. Basically, only Cersei and the Mountain, both of whom reside in King’s Landing, remain on it. (Melisandre was on at one point, but seems to have been forgotten.) See where we’re going with this?
True, Arya may turn north instead of south, especially if she learns that Jon Snow is King in the North. But it’s also possible she’ll head for King’s Landing and vengeance. About a month ago, this casting call made us think that the latter option is more likely. For Season 7, HBO wanted to cast a city guard who comes across “a suspicious-looking person on his nightly patrol.” Immediately, we thought of a King’s Landing guard who tries (and probably fails) to stop Arya from sneaking into the Red Keep.
Arya made a beeline for Walder Frey as soon as she landed in Westeros. He’s dead, and the next people on her list are in King’s Landing. We’re betting on her single-mindedness here.
So how likely is Arya to pull off the ultimate hit? She has training and she has desire, two things you need if you want to accomplish your goals. But does that add up to a dead Cersei Lannister? It could, particularly if Arya is capable of assuming a disguise and going deep undercover, as she did with Walder Frey in “The Winds of Winter.”
But honestly, we don’t see Arya being the one, either, not because it wouldn’t be satisfying, because there’s a stronger candidate on the list.