'Game of Thrones' Creators Drop a Huge Hint That the Night King May Return

Everybody is dying (dying, I tell you!) to know what the heck is going to happen next on Game of Thrones Season 8. As we prepare for the last three episodes of the eighth and final season, fan questions about the show, especially when it comes to the Night King and his White Walkers, has reached a fever pitch.

This enthusiasm is shared by late night luminaries like Jimmy Kimmel. Earlier this week, the comedian hosted Game of Thrones co-creators and showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and used the opportunity to throw some of those big, long-simmering questions Weiss and Benioff’s way. Trying to get them to crack or react to a question in a revealing manner is a tough job, but if anyone is up to the task it’s Kimmel.

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Possible spoilers ahead for Game of Thrones.

Toward the end of their conversation, Kimmel turned the conversation in an unanswerable direction. The questions weren’t unanswerable in the sense that they were total head-scratchers, but unanswerable insofar as they would have potential spoilers for what the final episodes hold.

The first question is arguably the most interesting (well, to me, anyway). Kimmel simply asks, “Are we for sure done with the White Walkers?” to which Benioff instantly yet almost emotionlessly — again, to avoid spoiling anything — replies, “Yeah, we’re not gonna answer that,” eliciting a laugh from the audience.

Even though Benioff tries to play it cool, his reaction to this question is still quite telling. One one hand, it’s entirely possible the White Walkers are gone for good, and Benioff is just messing with us. In the past, Game of Thrones has made sure anyone associated with the production stays tight-lipped about what happens on set, so, of course, Benioff wouldn’t give up the goods with the final episodes on the horizon. That he’d avoid nipping potential storylines in the bud — even if he knows the White Walkers aren’t returning at all after Arya killed the Night King — still makes sense.

Then again, even if there is seemingly no way to resurrect the White Walkers or the Night King, there are theories out there. One is that there is a second Night King, who may soon arrive on the scene to resurrect the White Walkers. Without being restricted to George R. R. Martin’s source material anymore, it’s possible they could rewrite the rules and have Bran go full Three-Eyed Raven and find a way to either resurrect the dead on his own or create a new Night King that can make that happen. If this is the case, then we haven’t seen the last of the White Walkers, which explains Benioff’s withholding response.

There’s also the question of what Daenerys and Jon will do to make up for the decimation of their army following Episode 3. With Bran available to possibly do some spooky stuff like create White Walkers while also knowing, thanks to his connection to the Night King, how to control them — who’s to say the White Walkers are really gone for good?

Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 4 airs Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern on HBO.