Jon Snow's direwolf hasn't been getting any screen time in Game Of Thrones recently, but that doesn't mean that Ghost isn't important to the overall story. And when a person — or, in this case, an animal — has a seemingly special role on Game Of Thrones, it's always safe to be concerned for their safety. (Actually, it's always safe to be concerned for any character's safety.) So even though Ghost hasn't been by Jon's side lately, he may still be in danger of dying in Season 7. And if Jon's story line leads him to North of the Wall again, then it's really time to start worrying that Ghost could die on Game Of Thrones since his relationship to his owner means that the direwolf will most likely die protecting Jon.
The direwolf is the sigil of House Stark and although Jon's Starkness is through his maternal side and not his paternal side like he thinks, Ghost has been devoted to him from the very beginning. And the connection between each Stark sibling and their direwolf offers some insight into the human character. For example, fans had been awaiting the reunion between Arya and the only other surviving Stark direwolf, Nymeria. However, the Season 7 moment was bittersweet with the direwolf choosing to continue her life in the wild rather than return to Winterfell with Arya. This interaction was symbolic of Arya's journey since Arya has removed herself from humanity just as Nymeria did.
When it comes to Jon and Ghost, Jon has continued to stand by his morals — even after being murdered by some of his Night's Watch brothers. As a result, it's safe to assume that Ghost will always stand by and be loyal to Jon since even though he is a fierce beast, he shares the same qualities as his owner.
Another reason to think that Ghost will continue to protect Jon goes all the way back to the very first episode. Not to overestimate how intuitive the baby direwolves were or anything like that, but Jon was the person who was able to convince Ned Stark not to kill the direwolf puppies in the first place. He said each Stark child was meant to have a direwolf since there were five pups. Then, even after proclaiming how he didn't get a direwolf because he wasn't a Stark, Jon discovered the albino runt of the litter. Theon mocked Jon for this, but it would make sense that the most vulnerable of the direwolves would be the most grateful for Jon's kindness.
Yet, let's not underestimate the connections the other Starks have had with their direwolves — in particular, Bran. Bran was able to warg into Summer, which allowed him to experience walking again. While Jon can warg into Ghost in George R. R. Martin's books, that's not something that the HBO show has explored. And actually, Game Of Thrones will probably never have Jon warg into Ghost because if he didn't do it when he died, then when else would he?
But just because Jon won't warg into Ghost doesn't mean that Bran couldn't. Since Nymeria is out of the picture permanently and Summer died in the same White Walker attack as Hodor, Ghost is really the only direwolf left for warging purposes. Now that Bran is officially the Three-Eyed Raven, he may not need warging anymore since he can see everything. But if Jon goes North of the Wall again to get intel on the White Walkers, maybe Bran would join them by warging into Ghost.
However, the whole idea of Jon going beyond the Wall with Ghost in Season 7 is the main reason to think the direwolf could die. Inverse wrote about the theory that Jon could fulfill the legend of the Last Hero that comes from an ancient Westerosi story featured in Martin's books. Old Nan tells Bran the story of the Last Hero, who sought out the Children of the Forest in order to save humans from the White Walkers. If you think the Last Hero sounds a lot like Azor Ahai, another legendary figure who apparently saved the world from the White Walkers, well you're not off base since fans have theorized they might just be one in the same.
Whether you believe that Jon Snow is Azor Ahai or not, according to Old Nan, the Last Hero story goes like this: "He set out into the dead lands with a sword, a horse, a dog, and a dozen companions. For years he searched until he despaired of ever finding the children of the forest in their secret cities. One by one his friends died, and his horse, and finally even his dog, and his sword froze so hard the blade snapped when he tried to use it."
The second trailer for Game Of Thrones Season 7, which you can view above, sure makes it seem that Jon will be fighting White Walkers North of the Wall. And at the end of the trailer, Inverse noted that exactly 12 men are shown standing in a circle in the snow and that shot is followed by a lone man riding his horse away. It's presumably Jon Snow, as he's then shown standing up to wights alone. Even though the Last Hero really isn't a thing in the TV show, it sure seems like Jon is fulfilling that legend based on the trailer and if that's the case, all 12 of his men may die, his sword may be destroyed, his horse could go, and — most importantly to this article — his dog could die.
Although Inverse didn't make the direwolf connection, Blasting News realized that Jon being the Last Hero could mean death for Ghost. Sure, Ghost is more than just your average dog, but is it really a coincidence that the Last Hero legend directly references a canine companion? So for all those demanding more screen time for the direwolf, you may want to take that back. Because if Ghost accompanies Jon past the Wall, you should probably prepare yourself for yet another devastating direwolf death. But at least take some consolation knowing that Ghost's death would probably lead to Jon Snow seeing another snow-filled day.
