Game of Thrones theories: Could Bran Stark be the Lord of Light?

'Everything Bran has done recently ultimately leads to Arya defeating the Night King'

**Spoilers for Game of Thrones season eight, episode four “The Last of the Starks” below**

Few fans expected Arya Stark to kill the Night King. The formerly faceless woman managed to pierce the villain’s heart during the Battle for Winterfell, in the process defeating the Army of the Dead.

With the dead now turned to dust, Arya seems to have fulfilled the Azor Ahai (Prince that was Promised) prophesy foretold by Melisandre and the other followers of the Lord of Light.

Some Game of Thrones followers have debated whether Arya is actually Azor Ahai, while others are now questioning who The Lord of Light may actually be.

One theory that has picked up momentum online posits that Bran Stark, who has become the Three-Eyed Raven, may actually be The Lord of Light – the guiding hand who led Arya to end The Long Night.

“Everything Bran has done recently ultimately leads to Arya defeating the Night King,” the theory states, via NME.

One of the things Bran did last season was to give Arya the Valyrian Steel dagger that she would use to kill the night king – a weapon that was first seen in season one.

“That plan was set in motion all the way back in season one,” the theory continues. ”Future Bran made sure that dagger was sent to kill his childhood self.

“He put the key piece in play… All of the ‘magical Lord of Light moments’ that are supposedly the God’s work, are actually Bran manipulating the past, resurrecting people and making sure Arya got the knife and made it to kill the Night King.

“The simplest explanation to all of this… The Three-Eyed Raven is the Night King’s opposite. The Night King’s opposite is the Lord of Light. Therefore, Bran = the Lord of Light (or at least what people think is the Lord of Light due to the signs he brings).”

This would also explain the Night King’s interest in killing Bran above all others at the Battle of Winterfell, as he knew The Three-Eyed Raven/Lord of Light would be the one to end his reign of terror.

Unfortunately, the fourth episode of Game of Thrones added little to the theory, with Davos commenting that The Lord of Light has gone, leaving them to defeat Cersei.

“The Last of the Starks” was described as “an oddly structured and not hugely satisfying episode” by The Independent‘s critic. The fourth episode of the show’s final season also saw Daenerys (Clarke) suffer some devastating losses after arriving in King’s Landing to face Cersei Lannister (Headey).

You can watch the intense new trailer for the penultimate episode of the show here. Click through the below gallery to see our extensive ranking of every character in the series – from worst to best – is below.

The final season of Game of Thrones continues every Sunday. The show is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK.