When Bran lost the use of his legs in Game of Thrones, he started having visions that would lead him to train under the mysterious Three-Eyed Raven. However, once Bran started studying on his own he became overwhelmed with visions and in the most recent episode, "Blood of my Blood", Bran sees life flash before his eyes. Bran doesn't just see his life flash before his eyes, he sees all life in Westeros flash before his eyes. He bears witness to events that have happened throughout the history of Game of Thrones, like his father's beheading and the Red Wedding, which Bran was previously unaware of. He even sees history before the events of Game of Thrones. Like all visions in this show, Bran's latest has clues to the future of the show spread throughout, and here's what you need to know.
For the most part, Bran's visions are comprised of things that fans have already seen happen in the real world or are previous visions of Bran's. For instance, the vision of a dragon's shadow over King's Landing comes from Bran's vision in Season 4 upon touching the weirwood. However, some images in the vision are entirely new and promise some exciting new directions for the series. Here's everything you need to know about Bran's latest set of cryptic clues.
The Mad King
Through Bran's visions, Game of Thrones fans got their first glimpse of the Aerys II Targaryen, the Mad King. The Mad King was a topic of popular discussion earlier in the series, and Jamie Lannister's claim to fame is being the one to kill the former King. In Bran's vision, The Mad King's infamous declaration of "Burn Them All!" is heard repeatedly. It's a cool thing for Game of Thrones fans to be able to see this crucial part of Westeros history, but why is it being shown now? What about this detail do the writers want the fans to absorb as they watch the series at this juncture?
Perhaps they're juxtaposing the rule of one Targaryen that wants to "Burn them all" with another Targaryen in power who also wants to burn those who oppose her. Is Daenerys Targaryen, daughter of Aerys, going to go mad and use her dragons for evil? Her name is awfully similar to her fathers, and she is gaining power at an incredibly fast rate . Fans have been following Daenerys under the impression that she's a hero, but what if she's not? This vision reminds fans that the Targaryen's have bad blood flowing through them, and a complicated relationship with sanity. Perhaps the true complexity of Danerys' character is not that she's a good person, but that against all odds she is somehow not evil.
Wildfire
Bran sees visions of a group of alchemists preparing Wildfire, the volatile substance used famously during the Battle of Blackwater. The Mad King sought to use Wildfire to carry out his wish to "burn them all." However, The Mad King was thwarted by Jamie Lannister and the rest of Robert's Rebellion. So why the vision of a Wildfire explosion in the halls beneath King's Landing when that never happened?
What if it's going to happen? King's Landing is in a dire state, with the Faith Militant in control of the city and having been made an official part of the political system. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and no one is more desperate than the Lannisters or the Tyrells at this point. According to a theory by Redditor joshsalvi, it's possible that Cersei Lannister will take after one of her family's greatest foes and use wildfire to destroy the Faith Militant? Perhaps Lady Olenna, who managed to poison King Joffrey, has determined a rather explosive method for taking care of King Tommen, in addition to the High Septon and his Sparrows. Either way, this Wildfire explosion didn't happen yet, which means it may happen soon.
Bloody Hands
A seemingly innocuous piece of new footage features a bloodied hand curling up. There's another person's army nearby, and the arm of the dead person is wearing a gauntlet. The clip itself isn't especially exciting, but what is exciting is where it's placed in the vision. The clip comes directly after a shot of a young Ned Stark asking "Where is my sister?" Immediately after the image of the hand, we see the deaths of the Mad King and Robb Stark. The train of thought of any viewer watching the breakneck pace of the vision will go "Lyanna... Death... Targaryen... Stark." That's very intentional.
According to the books, Ned Stark found his sister Lyanna lying in a bed of blood in the Tower of Joy, the place Bran almost entered but the Three-Eyed Raven said it was not yet time. Perhaps this is yet another of many clues hinting that Jon Snow is the not the bastard child of Ned Stark, but truly the child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Ned's sister Lyanna Stark. If it's true that R + L = J, this short image may just be the latest clue in the long-running mystery.
Bran has got a lot to learn about his newfound powers, and fans are going to be learning a lot about what's to come on Game Of Thrones through Bran's visions. His visions have previously led him to the weirwood, and warned him about the growing white walker force, but what are they warning him of now? Bran's visions have gotten him through six seasons of just about every awful thing that could possibly happen to someone, they will surely lead him through to the end of the show with equal aplomb. Here's hoping that everyone doesn't die by wildfire before fans get to that ending.
Images: HBO (4)
