'Game of Thrones' Arya Is Batman — No, Really

It might sound crazy, but it might just be true: Game of Thrones ' Arya Stark is Batman. Specifically, she is Batman as he is portrayed in the 2004 iteration, Batman Begins. Hear me out. I've seen the Christopher Nolan film more times than I can count, and as a devoted Game of Thrones viewer, the instant Arya showed up at the doorstep of the Faceless Man, I knew it to be true: Arya is Batman — at least, she's on her way to becoming Batman.

While ideologies surrounding the beloved adapted series — based on George R. R. Martin's A Song of Fire & Ice — are endless, I would argue this one in particular has an impressive amount of evidence to ground it. And with the 10th anniversary of Batman Begins this month, it is a perfect opportunity to revisit the Nolan epic and spelunk into a batcave of Arya/Bruce Wayne crossover theories.

George R. R. Martin himself credits comic books as his source for inspiration as a child, so perhaps this theory isn't outlandish at all. "When I was young, I read all sorts of comics. The superhero comics which were all coming pretty much from DC then. Superman. Batman.." he says.

Is a man intrigued? Then please, read on. Here are 10 reasons that prove why Arya Stark is becoming Batman Begins' Batman.

They Are Both Children Of Well-Known & Respected Parents

Arya is the daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark of Winterfell. Eddard served as hand of the King, and he and his family were an important part of the social and political sphere of the Seven Kingdoms. Bruce Wayne's parents were the supremely wealthy owners of Wayne enterprises, an entity that attempted to revitalize the dying Gotham city by injecting new public transportation and jobs.

They Both Watched As Their Parents Were Killed

Just like pint-sized Bruce Wayne witnessed the brutal murder of his parents in the streets of Gotham, Arya watched as her parents were slaughtered. Ned Stark was beheaded publicly, as young Arya watched in horror. She was also present for (though did not physically witness) her mother's demise during the infamous Red Wedding. In this way, both Bruce Wayne and Arya Stark have the same early recognition and experience with fear and tragedy.

They Both Swear A Vow To Avenge Their Parent's Death

Arya has her list of names, and Bruce Wayne has a heart beating for the sole purpose of avenging his parents' death. Both are transformed by their loved ones' demise, and find a reason to live by swearing to kill their parents' killers.

Both Trade In Their Family Name For A Disguise

Arya became a lowly peasant boy, and Bruce Wayne became the same.

They Travel The World & Hone Their Mental & Physical Skills

Arya seeks guidance from the Faceless Man and his strenuous, patience-based training. For Wayne, it is the company of the League of Shadows that helps him transform. The ninjas of the League of Shadows are highly-trained assassins who have the capability to become invisible. These ninjas keep those with too much power or influence in check. Arya's Faceless Men serve an identical purpose.

They Learn The Importance of Theatricality

Bruce Wayne becomes a literal symbol of a bat, and Arya transforms into many different people, most notably and currently, the girl who sells oysters down by the water.

They Both Become No One

Through training from the League of Shadows, Bruce Wayne learns how to disappear. And through her education with the Faceless Man, Arya becomes a blank slate able to assume the identity of anyone.

The Doom of Valyria is The Attempted Destruction of Gotham

Batman Begins' League of Shadows serves one main purpose, to burn cities to the ground once they have become too terrible and self-sabotaging to be saved. Through Liam Neeson's Rra's al Ghul, we learn The Shadows' immediate motivation: "Gotham must be destroyed," he says as he unleashes chemical warfare on the city. For the League of Shadows believe that a city must be completely eliminated in order to rebuild itself stronger than ever before.

The Faceless Men may have a similar motive. Arya is told that the earliest of the Faceless Men offered the "gift of death" to those enslaved and with no way out in Valyria. R. R. Martin writes of the Doom in A Dance With Dragons: "The proudest city in all the world was gone in an instant, its fabled empire vanished in a day, the Lands of the Long Summer scorched and drowned and blighted." This image mirrors exactly what The League of Shadows is known to do — successfully extinguishing cities in ruin, the same fate it attempted to inflict on Gotham.

Bat Symbolism In Harrenhal

Like Bruce Wayne spends much of his existence before becoming Batman imprisoned, Arya spends a great deal of time being held captive at Harrenhal, and as this fan made video points out, the sigil of Harrenhal is that of House Whent, and the sigil is none other than... a bat.

They Have A Similar Trajectory (Maybe)

It is difficult to say what will become of Arya and her brood of Faceless Men, but if Batman Begins' storyline is any indication, she will be asked by the men to complete a task that is against her moral code. Perhaps she will be asked to help them extinguish King's Landing — a potential hotspot for crime, immense monetary debt, and corruption. Or perhaps her betrayal will come in the form of a single individual. Bruce Wayne was asked to execute a criminal to show his dedication to the league, but he could not — he would not — and if he had, he would not have become Batman. Arya is fueled by vengeance, but this is not to be confused with a lack of compassion. She has the capability to turn on the Faceless Men and become her own version of Batman, choosing justice for the people over a singularly focused revenge plot. Winter is coming, and Arya may just be the hero that Gotha— er, Westeroes, needs.

Images: HBO; Warner Bros.; Tumblr; Giphy