'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Spoilers: 5 Ways Cersei Could Die (or Survive)

We’re still months away from Game of Thrones Season 8. We don’t even have an official trailer, but there’s already been tons of speculation (and a few leaks) around which characters will live or die in the show’s final season.

But for one of the most despised characters on Game of Thrones, death is all but a certainty. Seriously, if Cersei doesn’t die in Season 8, HBO will have a full-blown revolution on their hands. However, as some fans have noted, the reviled Queen of Westeros doesn’t necessarily need to die to have an unhappy ending.

On that note, here are five ways Cersei’s story could play out in Game of Thrones Season 8.

5. The Prophecy Will Come True

As you probably recall, a fortune teller already revealed Cersei’s future, and part of that prophecy hasn’t made it into the show — yet? In the books, the last part of the prophecy says, “And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you.”

“Valonqar” is High Valyrian for “little brother.” That could mean either Tyrion or Jaime.

4. Arya Will Kill Her

This is a popular theory, and the only question seems to be if Arya would be using someone else’s face (like Jaime’s) while doing so.

One fan even suggests Arya ends up using Cersei’s face. “We see Arya sneak into the castle in search of Cersei but then we don’t see much of it,” redditor u/LighTMan913 writes. “A few scenes later we see Cersei do something we wouldn’t expect her to do, only to then see Arya take off Cersei’s face.”

3. She Will Die as a Result of Her Pregnancy

This one is probably a stretch, given that it doesn’t seem likely enough time will pass between the end of Season 7 and the end of Season 8, unless there’s a time jump at some point in the season or during the finale.

But if it does happen, it could also bring the prophecy mentioned above into play.

“She can die the same way her mother did bringing Tyrion into the world,” redditor u/swagh3tti says. “If she dies during childbirth, it would mean she technically died by the hands of Jaime, who is her little brother.”

It is possible that Cersei could suffer a miscarriage in Season 8, but the only way that could likely result in her death would be tangential. Maybe as a result of the miscarriage, Cersei does something that then leads to her death.

2. Cersei Lives

Some fans think that Cersei will still be alive when the finale is over.

Redditor u/d3v01d23 thinks her death will be teased but it won’t actually happen on-screen. “I think it would be such a Game of Thrones tease to indicate that various people could kill her in the immediate aftermath of the show - Jaime, Jon, the Mountain, Pycelle, a million others - but then leave her alive and fans to wonder ‘what if?’ until the books finish,” they theorize.

Whether Cersei lives or dies, it does seem likely that she’ll be in a position where someone could kill her at least once in the final season.

1. Cersei Is Exiled

“I don’t think she dies in the main story, just gets dethroned and probably exiled,” redditor u/algaliarepted writes.

There’s even the possibility of her being exiled in the sense that she’ll be left all alone at the end of the series, which redditor u/msett18 thinks would hurt her the most.

“Death is not the best punishment for Cersei,” they write. “The only thing she ever cared about is her family and her power. Cersei losing her father, children, Jaime, and all her power is the best justice for her. The best ending for Cersei’s character arc is to make her live alone and powerless for the rest of her life.”

Maybe, but let’s be real. If Cersei doesn’t meet her untimely death in Game of Thrones then this entire eight-season saga will be a big disappointment.

Game of Thrones Season 8 will premiere in April 2019 on HBO.

Related video: Game of Thrones Season 8 Teased in Epic New Video