‘Game Of Thrones’ Actor Ian McShane To Revive A Dead Character, But Which One?

Game of Thrones is bringing Ian McShane in to revive a dead character, says the actor himself, but even that may not be what it seems. As McShane explains, his limited Game of Thrones gig is set to serve a very specific purpose.

Game Of Thrones Casts Ian McShane For A Very Brief Role

The fact that Ian McShane has been cast in only one episode already tells Game of Thrones a great deal about his character, implying that, in all likelihood, the as of yet unnamed character will meet an untimely death by the end of the episode. What else do Game of Thrones fans know about the character to be portrayed by McShane?

According to Entertainment Weekly, Ian McShane will be wandering the countryside as a rugged ex-soldier turned rural priest and while Ian’s Game of Thrones character will be primarily administering to the sick and infirm, it seems the Game of Thrones character will be granted some hidden talents as well.

“I am responsible for bringing somebody back that you think you’re never going to see again,” said McShane. “I’ll leave it at that.”

Game of Thrones fans who also follow the George R.R. Martin books suspect that Ian’s character is actually Septon Meribald, a character from A Feast for Crows.

Who Will Game Of Thrones Revive With Ian McShane’s Character?

While the general consensus is that Ian McShane will indeed be playing the Septon Meribald character on Game of Thrones, the speculation still flourishes with which character good old Septon will be reviving from the grave. The list seems endless.

Jon Snow naturally tops the list with Lady Stoneheart nearly tying for that number one slot, but those two fan favorites hardly exhaust the list of Game of Thrones characters that fans hope to see returning in the new season. There’s also the Hound, Myrcella Baratheon, Bran Stark, and Stannis Baratheon, just to name a few.

Vanity Fair suggests, or, rather, seems convinced, that the character destined to return to Game of Thrones at the healing hands of Ian McShane is none other than the Hound. When last seen, Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) had left the Sandor “The Hound” Clegane (Rory McCann) to die at the end of Game of Thrones‘ Season 4 and fans have been awaiting the Hound’s surprise return ever since.

Adding intrigue to the idea that the Hound might be returning to Game of Thrones is the fact that McCann was seen hanging around the Game of Thrones set during Season 6 filming.

The problem with this theory is that it becomes entirely dependent upon the idea that McShane’s character is a combination of two characters from the Martin novels: Septon Meribald and the Elder Brother character. According to Game of Thrones’ source material, Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), in looking for Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), comes across the Elder Brother, who informs her that the Hound is dead and that he buried the body, personally.

The gravedigger in the books bears a striking resemblance to the Hound, however, leading many readers to suspect that there is more to this story than it at first seems. If this does turn out to be the case, it does seem like a good way for Ian McShane’s character to bring the Hound back from the dead without employing supernatural means, but it would also indicate that his Game of Thrones character had either been mistaken or lying, when he told Brienne about the Hound’s fate.

On the other hand, could Ian McShane be bringing an entirely different character back from the dead? After all, Game of Thrones fans have been clamoring for Jon Snow’s return, ever since his untimely demise, last season.

Game of Thrones returns in April 2016 on HBO.

[Featured image by Dave Hogan/Getty Images]