‘Game Of Thrones’: San Diego Comic Con Confirms Character Death [Spoiler]
No, not that character, the one we really hope is dead.
WARNING: Spoilers for HBO’s Game of Thrones abound in this article. If you have not watched all the current episodes up to the season 5 finale, please turn away now.
At the San Diego Comic Con panel for HBO’s Game of Thrones, everyone wanted to know if Jon Snow (played by Kit Harington) is really dead (to which the cast are fairly united on the fact that he is), there was one other death from the season 5 finale that was ambiguous — that of Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane). Fans saw Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) stand over Stannis and raise her sword as if to kill Stannis, and that is certainly what Stannis expected, but the scene cut away leaving no visual on whether Stannis was actually dead or not.
So could this also be the fate of Stannis Baratheon? Could fans see him return in season 6 of Game of Thrones?
Well, confirmation has come from from the episode 10 (entitled “Mother’s Mercy”) director, David Nutter as he spoke to Entertainment Weekly, that Stannis is, in fact, dead.
“From the very beginning, and [through] the script process, that was the intent — he’s dead.”
Nutter also pointed out he thought showing Stannis’ demise in all its gory detail would be “gratuitous.” Although, arguably, that is a moot argument on a show that has bought us the term “sexposition.”
While many fans will be relieved at this statement after Stannis burned his daughter alive as a human sacrifice to the Lord of Light, there is still the fact that while HBO is saying Stannis is dead in Game of Thrones, is that really a confirmation? After all, many Jon Snow fans refuse to believe that their favorite character is really dead even after many reports from the cast (including Kit Harington) that Jon Snow is not to return in season 6. Fans predicting, instead, that the fate of Jon Snow will be carried forward into season 7 of Game of Thrones thanks to very carefully worded phrases from the actors.
And, now that the TV series of Game of Thrones is officially running concurrent with the books the series is based on by George R.R. Martin, it really is anyone’s guess as to how season 6 will pan out. As Natalie Dormer (who plays Margaery Tyrell) says, the cast and crew are currently “bookless” looking forward to season 6. Although, if Nutter is correct in Stannis being really dead, could actually be considered a spoiler for book fans as his fate is still potentially unknown there.
What do you think, is Stannis Baratheon really dead in Game of Thrones? or is it just a ploy to keep fans guessing as to what will eventuate in season 6? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below.
[Image credit: HBO Inc.]
