I'm pretty sure the phrase "winter is coming" refers to the long stretches between Game of Thrones seasons, and now that it's here, we have nothing to do except speculate on questions like — will Jon Snow fight the Night's King in Season 7? In a lot of ways, it's what we've been waiting for this entire time; not that I haven't enjoyed getting to know the characters and twisting around in the plot for the past six seasons, but the great war has always been on the horizon. And without George R.R. Martin's books out to guide us, there's no way to know exactly what the show's writers have in store for us next season. We're all flying blind into Season 7 together.
But if going to take a second to guess at what happens, I'd say a battle between the newly-crowned King in the North Jon Snow and the fearsome Night's King is a pretty sure bet. Probably not early on — I suspect they'll save those episodes for smaller skirmishes between more expendable characters and plot development in other storylines — but Episode 9 of Season 7? I mean... I'm not a gambler, but I'd set aside that evening for something big, and that showdown sounds like just the thing. After all, that's what Jon Snow was rallying all the Stark bannermen toward in the finale, with the well-timed assistance of Lady Mormont, of course. Many of the Northern Houses still don't believe that the White Walkers are even a thing, and were ready to ride south and return home to wait out the winter, but Jon knew better than to let that happen. Without a sizable force, they don't stand a chance against the Night's King and his hordes of undead, so the fact that he's amassing one is proof positive that Jon plans to ultimately come face to face with him.
And even if that weren't the case, and he didn't have an army at his back, Jon Snow is just not the kind of character who lets a challenge like that of the Night's King go answered. They've already crossed paths once, at Hardhome, and it clearly had an effect on both of them, so I have a feeling the Night's King is seeking out Jon as much as the other way around, and there's no way they can delay it another whole season. At the end of the day, it won't matter the size of his army; I have a feeling Jon Snow will be locking swords with the Night's King in Season 7 no matter what.
Images: HBO; Giphy
