Some spoilers follow.
The first promo image for Game of Thrones Season 6 has been released by HBO, and it features none other than Jon Snow.
Naturally, this has led to all sorts of speculation regarding the Stark bastard's fate, and whether or not he's dead or just mostly dead as we head into next season. We're a long ways off from knowing for sure, but it seems more than a little strange to feature a dead character so prominently, leading many to believe that Snow is, in fact, alive. In some form or another.
And while the showrunners have said repeatedly that “dead is dead" author George R.R. Martin has hinted at other possibilities, saying “If there’s one thing we know in A Song of Ice and Fire, it’s that death is not necessarily permanent.”
Meanwhile, actor Kit Harrington was caught admitting: "Let’s just say that Game of Thrones will remain a part of my life for a while, I’ll probably be in my thirties when it’s over."
Here's the promo:
For my part, I find it not only hard to stomach, but hard to believe that Snow is truly dead. His body may indeed have perished (for now) but he's a Warg, and could have slipped into his Direwolf. There are at least two healers in the land that can bring people back from the dead as well. More to the point, without Jon Snow the show (and the books) have lost perhaps their most important central character. Jon is at the center of everything, and only Daenerys is as crucial to the story (though I'm more of a Tyrion guy myself.)
The point being, killing off Jon Snow is bad storytelling. There's been enough shocking death in these books and in the TV show. Ned Stark was ostensibly the main character in the beginning and he went and lost his head.
My deepest hope is that we do find out Jon's fate in Season 6, and fairly early on, too. After the stunt The Walking Dead just pulled, I'm not in the mood for more toying with viewers' emotions. We already have to wait nearly a year between seasons to discover what happens next; dragging it out further would be cruel and irritating.
My hunch is that this promo isn't meant to just get us talking about Snow. It's also meant to hint that Jon's role in the show (and the books) is far from over. He may be bloodied, but he's not dead yet.
I don't think that's a for sure thing, as some sites are suggesting. This is not HBO admitting Snow is alive, and it could just be a huge head-fake. We don't see his eyes here, for instance, and he could simply be in a new posture. But my money is on Snow's survival, resurrection, or some other cheating of the reaper. At least for now.
Game of Thrones returns to HBO this April.
APRIL. #GoTSeason6 #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/DSK2xZi9i9
— Game Of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) November 23, 2015
