Game of Thrones season 8 theory suggests Melisandre returned in disguise in episode 2

Will her Varys prophecy come true in episode 3?

Game of Thrones fans are questioning the location of one character who has been missing from season eight so far.

Melisandre – also known as the Red Woman – hasn’t been seen since season seven, although Carice van Houten’s appearance at the season eight premiere confirms she’ll have a part to play in the final four episodes.

The last time fans saw Melisandre, she was in Dragonstone and issued a warning to Varys (Conleth Hill) before leaving for Volantis.

It came after Varys said to her: “If you don’t mind my saying, I don’t think you should return to Westeros. I’m not sure you’d be safe here.”

Melisandre’s response? “Oh, I will return dear Spider, one last time. I have to die in this strange country, just like you.”

This all but confirms that the pair will perish in the final season – but when can we expect to see the Red Woman?

All we can look to is theories circulating Reddit. One intriguing post posits that Melisandre could actually be at Winterfell, ready to help in the battle with the White Walkers. In fact, it suggests that we saw her in episode two in the guise of someone else entirely: the young scarred girl who begged Davos (Liam Cunningham) to let her fight, only to be sent to the crypts.

Lest we forget, Melisandre uses her ruby necklace to disguise her true appearance of an elderly woman – and if anyone needs to hide from the other characters, it’s the Red Woman: not only did Varys threaten her, but she’s still on Arya’s kill list.

The fact she’d hide as a young girl resembling Shireen Baratheon – whose distressing death she played a part in and with whom Melisandre knew Davos shared a close bond – lends credence to this idea.

“She used her ruby to glamour herself as this little girl with a burn scar,” the Reddit user writes.

The new batch of photos teasing this weekend’s episode also confirmed the appearance of another character in the crypt: Varys. If this theory turns out to be true, this would place Melisandre and Varys in the same place at an extremely crucial time for Westeros.

Could their respective deaths arrive in episode three? It seems likely – especially when considering those in the crypt may not be as safe as everuone assumed.

Melisandre’s death would hopefully mark the character’s redemption; we can assume she is now fighting for good (she did bring Jon and Daenerys together, after all).

If so, she won’t be the only character who looks likely to go out in a heroic manner: one of the most likely candidates to die is surely Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen), who’ll be protecting Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) – the Night King’s target.

The latest episode of the series featured a controversial Arya scene that actor Maisie Williams thought was a prank when she first read the script.

You can find our extensive ranking of every character – from worst to best – here and our definitive episode ranking below.

Game of Thrones is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK.