'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Spoilers: New Teases Hint at Night King Victory

HBO is keeping much of what happens in Game of Thrones Season 8 a secret, but we do know the Night King and his forces are looming large. The Army of the Dead is ready to do even more damage after bringing down the wall, but no matter what he does, the Night King has to lose, right? Maybe not, according to several new interviews with the cast and crew of Game of Thrones Season 8.

Light spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8 below.

“I don’t think of him as evil, I think of him as Death,” showrunner David Benioff told Entertainment Weekly of the Night King. “And that’s what he wants — for all of us. It’s why he was created and that’s what he’s after.”

That doesn’t bode well for those about to face the Night King and his army in Winterfell. What’s even more disconcerting is Maisie Williams telling EW “there’s a lot of death this year.”

Now, those two comments may be unrelated. After all, one is a tease for Season 8, and the other is simply part of who a character is. However, that doesn’t mean there can’t be a link, either.

We know there’s a big battle episode coming up in the final season of Game of Thrones. Leaks suggest it’s happening in Episode 3. The Season 8 trailer offers a look at some fight scenes, presumably from that big battle, and it even ends with the Night King’s arrival at Winterfell.

Let’s be realistic. A lot of characters are going to die in Season 8, and not everyone is going to survive this upcoming battle. It’s just not possible, especially on a show like Game of Thrones. It’s likely that at least several characters (major or minor) will die because of the Night King, meaning he will likely get “what he wants.” He will, in a way, serve his purpose.

But there may be a bit more to the Night King, as Vladimir Furdik told EW that his character “wants revenge” and “has a target he wants to kill” in Season 8.

If you think that character is Jon Snow, however, you might be wrong. “There’s also that moment [in ‘Hardhome’] when Jon Snow was on the boat and the Night King looked at him and raised his arms — there’s a similar and even stronger moment between Jon and the Night King this time,” the actor said.

It’s the use of “also” that suggests Jon isn’t the Night King’s target, but will he succeed in killing the person who is and get that revenge?

While we don’t know exactly how it will end for the Night King or those opposing him, we do know one thing: He won’t speak during Season 8. “Anything the Night King says diminishes him,” Benioff said to EW.

So, prepare for the silent, deadly threat of the Night King to possibly take out one or more of your favorite characters — or at least try.

Game of Thrones Season 8 premieres Sunday, April 14 at 9 p.m. on HBO.

Related video: Game of Thrones Season 8 Footage Side-by-Side Comparison