'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Episode 2 Predictions: 3 Characters Who Will Die

Game of Thrones loves killing off characters, and with Season 8 marking the end of HBO’s hit series, you can probably expect a lot of death over the next five episodes. The show got off to a slow start with Episode 1 (RIP little Ned Umber), but you can probably expect at least one big death scene in Episode 2.

On that note, Inverse is launching a weekly series predicting who will die in each remaining episode of Game of Thrones. Read our predictions below and check back again next week, when we’ll break down who was right or wrong and make our best guesses for Episode 3 (aka the Great Battle of Winterfell).

Yara Greyjoy

Yara Greyjoy may have taken the path of least resistance in the Game of Thrones Season 8 premiere, opting to head home rather than join her brother, Theon, is the battle against the Night King, but that decision could be her undoing. After all, there’s nothing this show does better than tricking you into thinking a character is safe before brutally lowering the axe.

Yara’s decision to reclaim the Iron Islands from Euron (who’s presumably busy in King’s Landing) might seem like a good idea in theory, but remember who she’s dealing with. In Season 7, we saw Euron and his Iron Fleet of ships appear out of nowhere to intercept ships carrying the Sand Snakes, Yara, and Theon on their way to Dorne on a mission for Daenerys Targaryen. So it definitely wouldn’t be out of character for the same thing to happen again in Season 8 as Yara approaches the Iron Islands.

Ahead of Game of Thrones Season 8, pretty much everyone assumed that a Greyjoy would be the first character to die. That didn’t happen in the premiere, but with Episode 1 quickly approaching, it seems likely that this Great House of Greyjoy will pay a very great price.

— Jake Kleinman

Beric Dondarrion

"Careful Beric, you’ve lost your priest. This is your last life.” — The Hound to Beric Dondarrion in “Beyond the Wall”

Since the red priest, Thoros of Myr, died in Season 7’s “Beyond the Wall,” the one-eyed Beric Dondarrion is officially on his last life. He’s died at least six different times, and each time he was brought back by the Lord of Light similar to Jon Snow’s resurrection in Season 6. But with Thoros dead and Melisandre MIA, if Beric dies again, that’s it.

In Episode 2, nobody’s in greater danger than Beric, Tormund, and Eddison Tollett. Beric and Tormund fled south from the Wall following its destruction, and in the Season 8 premiere, they met up with Eddison at Last Hearth, where the army of the dead had already killed everyone. Poor Ned Umber was left pinned to the wall as a message.

The Episode 2 teaser shows Tormund warning Jon Snow how close the Night King’s forces are, but we don’t see Beric (or Edd) anywhere in the trailer. For all we know, their group encounters wights and/or White Walkers on their trip, and some of their party is killed. Maybe Tormund is the only one who makes it to Winterfell.

Even if Beric doesn’t die in Episode 2, it’s bound to happen at some point later in this season, perhaps at the Battle of Winterfell. Because if there’s one living character who has no place in the world after the Great War is over, it’s Beric.

— Corey Plante

Ser Jorah Mormont

My completely unscientific, unsourced theory on who will bite it in Episode 2 is Ser Jorah Mormont. As the White Walkers appear to make their initial moves to Westeros (based on the urgency of the preview teaser), Ser Jorah is among the first to ride in on horseback. That’s not enough to argue for his death, I get it. I’m just saying, it also could happen!

You’re not a Game of Thrones viewer if there isn’t one heartbreaking, shocking death, and no one has built up as much goodwill as Ser Jorah. It was his curing by Samwell that brought Samwell to Dany last week, which just opened the floodgates to all kinds of conflict and tension that will play for the rest of the season. Ser Jorah has done his part. All that’s left for him is to die, and all men must die.

— Eric Francisco

Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 2 airs Sunday, April 21 at 9 p.m. Eastern on HBO.*