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Game of Thrones season 8: Is Arya being set up to kill the Night King?

*Spoiler warning* There were a number of reunions in the first episode of the long-awaited eighth season of Game of Thrones

Roisin O'Connor
Monday 15 April 2019 06:56 BST
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Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 2 Preview

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Arya's reunion with Gendry in episode one of the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones was one of the undeniable highlights.

Not only did fans enjoy seeing some light flirtation between the two, but they also caught a glimpse at a mysterious weapon Arya wants the blacksmith to make for her.

The weapon, which is to be made from rare substances that are known to kill White Walkers, is comprised of two parts and looks as though it will function as a javelin-crossbow hybrid.

Many fans are now wondering if Arya will be the one to kill the Night King, rather than Jon Snow, with the logic being that the Night King represents death itself, a theme that has been most closely tied with Arya's story and her training with the Faceless Men.

Others are more sceptical and believe that Jon or Daenerys will be the ones who have to face the Night King, and have therefore wondered if Arya will instead take down the ice dragon.

A deliberately drawn-out shot showed Arya staring up at Dany's dragons with awe, and perhaps intended to remind viewers that dragons can be killed from a distance (Bronn injured Drogon with a large crossbow in season 7, and the Night King took down Viserion with a spear in "Beyond the Wall").

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair’s “Still Watching” podcast, Thrones weapons master Tommy Dunne teased what fans will now likely interpret as a hint at Arya's new weapon.

“There is one creation in Season 8 that is absolutely phenomenal. It’ll be a showstopper," he said. "That was great to finish. It was great to make, great to design it that it was about to be reverse-engineered and made into two different items.”

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