Could Another Targaryen Appear On 'GoT' Season 7?

Just when you think you've heard every Game of Thrones spoiler, a fresh one rolls right on in. This time, rumors are flying that none other than Rhaegar Targaryen will make a Game of Thrones appearance during Season 7. I've sifted through a lot of Game of Thrones nonsense in my time but this...this could be the real deal, guys. This Rhaegar rumor got started about one week ago when the lead singer of I See Stars, Devin Oliver, posted a cryptic photo on his Instagram. Captioned with, "I may or may not have made an appearance on Game of Thrones [sic] Season 7," the photo shows Oliver sporting a man bun and bow and arrow, ostensibly on set somewhere. Naturally, tongues have begun wagging like crazy, especially on the Game of Thrones Reddit, where many believe that a Rhaegar appearance is plausible and that, given Rhaegar's well-documented musical flair, it would make sense to cast a musician to fill his shoes.

Now, before we get too wildly off-base, I should probably say that the chances this photo was taken on the set of a music video or another band-related activity in Oliver's life are higher than him somehow sneaking off the Game of Thrones lot with a high-resolution photo. That said, I think there's plenty of reason to think that, going into Season 7, it would make sense for Rhaegar to finally make an appearance and that someone would be cast who's far enough removed out of a major spotlight (yes, I know Oliver is a popular musician but go with me here) so that the Game of Thrones fandom radar would not be focused on him.

Oliver certainly fits that bill, unless you happen to already be a fan of I See Stars. Even more interesting than that, though, is that it makes complete sense for Rhaegar to actually make an appearance in Season 7. With many of the main characters' worlds about to collide, a look back into the past and the events that led these people to the places they are when Season 7 begins would make perfect sense. We've had flashbacks to Cersei and Hodor's childhoods before and Bran has been able to go back to (unbeknownst to him) bear witness to his cousin/half-brother Jon Snow's birth in the Tower of Joy. Why wouldn't we have more flashbacks into the Targaryen family history, especially now the Jon and Daenerys will be closer to each other —and could go searching for their ancestral roots?

Considering that, it would make sense to show a bit more of Daenerys' family before her father was killed. That means a possible flashback to Rhaegar and his wooing of Lyanna Stark. If a flashback is not the case, then it could definitely happen through Bran, who seems to be searching for answers to his family's history through his Three-Eyed Raven powers. A Rhaegar appearance in Season 7 would not only shed light on the pivotal event that changed the Stark, Baratheon and Targaryen trajectories but it would give us a better look at the Tagaryen family. All we've see so far is Daenerys' father, the Mad King Aerys, and her odious brother, Viserys, both of whom were not exactly fun guys to be around. A flashback to Rhaegar could be redeeming to watch and, given the show is nearing the end, it would be nice to expand the narrative view of the show by giving us a peek into the fictional history of the world we viewers have so heavily invested in.

Whether or not the appearance of Rhaegar is true, is looks like Oliver is having a ton of fun stoking the rumor fires. Over the last week, he's been gently poking the bear by retweeting those who believe he's actually going to play the musical Targaryen. Although it's not been confirmed in any fashion by the Game of Thrones crew or showrunners, I think we should start crossing our fingers now that this rumor comes to fruition.

Image: Helen Sloan/Courtesy of HBO