Perhaps high on the joy of correctly predicting Jon Snow’s return from the dead, Game Of Thrones fans have been extra exuberant with their theories this year. But unlike Jon Snow’s resurrection, most of these predictions haven’t come to pass: Hodor isn’t a horse. Arya doesn’t have a stalker nor was she in disguise nor is she the same person as the Waif. Cleganebowl is off the table, and Lady Stoneheart doesn’t look like it’s happening on the show either. But, hey, as long as the internet keeps cooking up weird theories, we’re happy to keep reporting on them, because you never know which one could turn out to be the correct “Hodor means ‘hold the door’” prediction.
This latest theory centers on Jaime and Cersei Lannister, loving siblings in more ways than one. The theory has popped up on multiple Reddit threads and a YouTube video or two, and Buzzfeed has put together a particularly comprehensive primer. The crux of the theory is that Jaime will kill Cersei after she grows crazy and decides to burn down King’s Landing with wildfire. It would be both a fulfillment of the prophecy Cersei received as a child and a way to bring Jaime’s king-slaying days full circle as he’s forced to kill his “Mad Queen” sister just as he once killed the “Mad King” Aerys to stop him from burning down King’s Landing with wildfire. Just to make things extra tragic, these theories generally suggest Jaime will die as well, either at his own hand or in the wildfire if he’s not able to stop Cersei in time.
The biggest evidence to support this theory is the prophecy that Cersei heard as a child (seen in flashback in the fifth season premiere). One element of the prophecy from the books that didn’t make it into the show is that after drowning herself in tears over the death of her children, Cersei will be choked to death at the hands of “the valonqar,” which is High Valyrian for “little brother.” The term could potentially refer to any younger brother in the series (Bran maybe?), but it would most immediately point to Cersei’s own brothers, either Tyrion or Jaime, her twin who was born after her.
Admittedly, it’s odd that the “valonqar” line would be cut from the show if it turns out to be important later (Maybe there will be another flashback to the rest of the prophecy just before it comes true?), but adding fuel to the wildfire is the cryptic exchange Cersei has with Qyburn in the most recent episode. He confirms that the “rumors” she heard are true. It’s not exactly clear what they’re talking about (the exchange isn’t in the books), but one option is that Qyburn has discovered vast amounts of Aerys’ wildfire hidden under King’s Landing. If Cersei were to eventually use that wildfire—say, after Tommen dies—it could account for the explosion Bran saw in his vision, plus it would pay off all the times she’s talked about burning people in the past:
It would be a sad send-off for the show’s two most likable “villains,” particularly after Jaime’s “Fuck prophecy, fuck fate, fuck everyone who isn’t us” statement of purpose. On the other hand, it would also fulfill Jaime’s Darth Vader-esque redemption arc quite nicely, especially if he gets to shout “Tommen, I am your father” somewhere along the way, too.