Arya's Training May Be Key to Beating the Night King in 'Game of Thrones'

Arya Stark’s journey leading up to Season 8 of Game of Thrones has been filled with many faces, vengeance, and death. So it’s no surprise this trend will continue, but an exciting new theory suggests she could add one more name to her infamous kill list in the final season of Game of Thrones, and it could be her most dangerous target yet.

In the season premiere, Arya asks Gendry to make her a weapon she could use against the White Walkers. In Episode 2, she pries more information from Gendry about what the White Walkers are actually like. Maybe she’s just attempting to flirt for the first time ever, but is it possible that Arya could be plotting something shocking for Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 3?

Update, 4/28/19: See who lived and who died during the Battle of Winterfell

In a new theory, Redditor u/abutthole wonders if Arya will use her Faceless Men training to take on the identity of one of the wights or White Walkers in order to get to the Night King undetected. Assuming she can sneak up right next to him during the Great Battle of Winterfell, Arya could make short work of the zombie king with that spear Gendry made for her.

“She wants her special weapon to kill the Night King,” they write, “and I think she wanted to know what the wights were like not to sate her curiosity but to accurately portray one in order to get up close to Big Blue.”

The theory holds some merit primarily because of Arya’s history. She’s highly skilled and trained at the temple of the Many-Faced God. Her questions to Gendry about the White Walkers did sound a lot like someone who’s less interested in knowing what it’s like to fight them and more about wanting to understand what they are like up close so she could convincingly imitate one.

After all, the youngest Stark sister isn’t above taking matters into her own hands to seek vengeance. She knows taking out the Night King could end the battle before it’s really begun, and if she has that shot, she’ll take it.

Additionally, Arya now has the dragonglass weapon. On the other hand, though, she already had a Valyrian steel dagger, which would probably be a better close-up assassination weapon anyway.

And that’s not the only hole in this theory. Game of Thrones has repeatedly shown us that the Night King is incredibly powerful. He was also able to leave a scar on Bran’s arm while he was warging, giving the Night King the ability to track the Three-Eyed Raven at all times. So we’re guessing he’ll see through Arya’s disguise.

Arya would also have to find him first, and that will be incredibly hard to do amid thousands of White Walkers. There’s also the fact that she could be killed by any member of her own team while wearing the face of a wight, so it’s a lot to risk.

Game of Thrones Season 8 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. Eastern on HBO.