Game of Thrones season 7: What’s the endgame for Bran Stark?

Bran Stark is a character like no other within the Game of Thrones universe, mostly because he barely exists on a single plane. He can see into different eras, examine history, and offer up some further insight on what is happening and what could happen.

Yet, one of the larger questions that we now wonder is this: Is he nearing the end of his purpose? Was his entire mission to deliver the truth from the Tower of Joy? Now that he is piecing together Jon Snow’s parentage, where do things go from here? Bran is a seer and a valuable source of information, but it certainly wouldn’t shock us if another Stark or two fall by the end of the series.

The biggest reason to be fearful for Bran in season 7, aside from the fact that his purpose following the Jon Snow reveal may fade, is that he’s not altogether equipped at defending himself. Hodor is gone, and he doesn’t have this huge coalition protecting him. (He mostly just has Meera Reed, pictured above, and she can only do so much at this point.) He’s also been through so much already that he may have a sense of peace once he feels as though he’s played a role.

It’s funny to say this while also saying that Bran is a bit over-powered for the war to come, but it’s tue. If you can just use him in order to determine the course of things, the story is a little less exciting. There is a very clear reason why is being targeted so much — he’s a threat, and an enormous one at that. We do think that eventually, that is going to catch up to Bran — it’s largely a question of when, how, and then where the show opts to go following that as it looks a little bit more towards its final episodes.

Our prediction right now for Bran

It pains us to say it, but we don’t think that he makes it to season 8. He fulfills his purpose in season 7, lends a hand to Jon and others, and then is killed off by the Night King before he can do any more harm to their cause. Bran gets a hero’s death, and now it’s up to Jon, Sansa, and Arya to carry out the Stark name — though to make it clear, we do also think that we’re going to see Arya die before the end of the series just because she’s the sort who doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone.

We do love the Bran character and hope that the writers honor him no matter what. Our attachment to him stems all the way back to the pilot, given that his actions with the tower really were the jumping-off point for the whole series.

New episodes of Game of Thrones premieres on HBO Sunday night — the wait is finally almost over! If you do want to get some further news and information right now when it comes to Game of Thrones, be sure to head over to the link here. (Photo: HBO.)