If you thought regular White Walkers were scary, you won't be prepared for The Night's King, aka the bald White Walker leader on Game of Thrones. Played by Richard Brake, the master of the creepiest army in Westeros appeared at the end of Sunday's episode "Hardhome" to revel in the White Walkers' victory over the Wildlings. While his people slaughtered Jon Snow's army, he walked, slowly and deliberately, towards a fleeing Jon Snow. Dressed in a snazzy leather outfit, and with a crown of icicle spikes seemingly growing out of his head, The Night's King is easily the scariest of all the White Walkers, and he seems to have taken an interest in Jon Snow, which can only be bad news.
This isn't actually the first time we've seen The Night's King. We got a glimpse of him back in the "Oathkeeper" episode of Season 4. In that one we saw him turn one of Craster's babies into a young White Walker, creepy electric blue eyes and all. For that reason alone, The Night's King should be feared, and, on Sunday, we saw him use his special skill again to resurrect the dead Wildlings. They then became members of his own army of White Walkers.
Those who read the Game of Thrones books know that The Night's King and the Starks go way back. Legend has it that originally The Night's King was the commander of The Nights Watch, and possibly even a member of the Stark family. One day he met a pretty blue-eyed White Walker woman and joined forces with her to rule the North, frequently performing human sacrifices. Eventually his reign of terror was toppled with help from the Starks, and he was banished to beyond the wall to lie in wait for his revenge.
For now, The Night's King let Jon and about four of his men paddle away. But, it felt like more of a deliberate decision than an act of mercy. I'm betting Jon Snow (whether he's an actual Stark or not) has a role to play in The Night's King's ultimate plan for revenge, and he better watch out.
Image: Helen Sloan/HBO
