Here's Why Cersei Lannister Might Die In 'Game Of Thrones' Season 8

There are so many great mysteries of Game of Thrones Season 8. Among the most interesting, of course, is the question of whether Cersei Lannister will live to see the end of it. Will Cersei die in Game of Thrones Season 8, or end up victorious? The premiere of the next season may be far away, but that doesn't mean fans can't speculate.

There was a lot going on when fans last saw Cersei Lannister (played by Lena Heady). In the Game of Thrones Season 7 finale, she made quite a few gasp-worthy reveals. First and foremost, of course: Cersei was pregnant. She was expecting a fourth child and she didn't care who knew. After all, she sits on the Iron Throne for the time being. Later on, she announced that while she'd brokered a ceasefire with Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow, she had no intention of upholding it. Her so-called allies will be among the last to find out, it seems.

With pregnant Cersei sequestering herself in the Red Keep, it might seem like she's safe from the onslaught of the Night King. She's also on Arya Stark's list, though. And if you've been watching closely, once you're on Arya's list, you're not much longer for this world. The Hound is an exception, though. For now.

So, will Cersei die in Season 8 of Game of Thrones? Let's take a look.

The thing is, Cersei kind of deserves to die. She's a vengeful, angry, and bitter character. To hear stories of her childhood is to know that she's pretty much always been this way. Even so, Cersei's rapid descent into Mad Queendom wasn't foretold. At a young age, a witch (correctly) told her that she'd have three blonde children, but lose them all. The witch said nothing of Cersei's fate. After Cersei eliminated most of her enemies at the end of Season 6, she was crowned Queen, and has done some genuinely terrifying things with the title.

On the flip side, though, the saying in Westeros goes, "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die." Cersei plays to win; she always has. One could argue that this is the purest distillation of Cersei that fans have seen yet. Does she deserve the crown, given the work she's put into it? The things she's sacrificed? Does the future of the Game of Thrones world deserve an outlook as bleak as a Cersei Lannister legacy?

Now, in her childhood, the soothsayer told Cersei that she wouldn't marry the man she was betrothed to at the time (true), that she would have three kids (yes), they would be blonde, indicating a pure Lannister line (oh yes), and that she'd have to bury them all. That all checks out. Now that the Game of Thrones television series has surpassed the books, it's difficult to predict what might happen. Viewers heard nothing of a fourth child, whether it was expected or not. So, Cersei's announcement would come as a shock — even to her. That could be a clue that she'll die in Season 8, and maybe even before having the baby.

Fans should root for Arya Stark to be the one to deliver the final blow. By all accounts, she should. Perhaps while taking on the visage of another character? May viewers suggest Littlefinger, please? That would be incredible. It would also be satisfying to watch Arya face off against Cersei for real, or even against The Mountain — or whatever is left of him at this point. The concept of Sansa and Arya separating once more is enough to cause pangs in the hearts of fans. Further, Arya has the skill, the drive for vengeance and every reason to target Cersei personally.

Overall, Cersei's ruthlessness has made her disliked among fans. Paradoxically, it's also what makes her among the most qualified to rule Westeros. But Game of Thrones ending with a Lannister rule would feel so hollow after eight seasons. It's not what many fans want to see happen, and even Heady doesn't think Cersei will stay on the Iron Throne until the end. "It can’t be me because I’m already there,” the actor told the New York Times in 2017.

But with Game of Thrones, you never know — fans will have to wait it out for Season 8 in order to find out.