Why Dany's Dragons May Not Survive 'GoT' Season 7

Things are happening on Game of Thrones, there's no denying that. Major characters are dying, or maybe dying, and no one's faves are safe. So, will Daenerys’ dragons die in Game of Thrones Season 7?

The show is known for its plot twists and consistent flaunting of storytelling convention, but let’s just call it like it is: That scene where Qyburn had Cersei demonstrate the sheer force of the scorpion on Balerion the Black Dread’s school bus-sized skull was about as big of a flashing neon Chekhov’s gun as they come. That, plus all of Daenerys’ advisors’ constant warnings and Drogon’s injury during that epic loot train battle in Episode 4, adds up to some pretty serious foreshadowing. The odds are very slim that all three of Dany’s dragons are going to make it through the season alive.

First off, there’s Daenerys’ death-defying attitude to contend with — after all, she’s survived not one, but two fiery conflagrations that should have killed her. Now, she feels invincible, and even more so with her three dragons by her side — which actually makes her vulnerable. She’s not being as careful as she should, as evidenced by Drogon’s encounter with Bronn. And who here thinks that the near-miss will make Daenerys more cautious? Yeah, it’s not likely — especially as the preview clips of Episode 5 feature Daenerys and Drogon wreaking havoc together once more, while Varys tells a troubled Tyrion, “You need to find a way to make her listen.” Her supreme confidence has all the markings of a tragic fall from grace, which could end up meaning death for one or more of her children.

Some of us may have laughed when Qyburn unveiled his scorpion, but after seeing it in action, it’s clear that it means business (or it will once he builds a new one, anyway. Drogon sure made doubly sure that scorpion was destroyed, first with a blast of fire, then with a hefty whack of his tail). Drogon will most likely survive his bolt-to-the-shoulder, but it does pave the way for a more serious injury down the line. After all, in A Dance with Dragons, Tyrion muses at length about how to kill a dragon — and he concludes that a spear to the eye would probably do it. There’s also the fact that there’s precedent in A Song of Ice and Fire history for such a death — Aegon the Conqueror’s sister-wife Rhaenys’ dragon Meraxes was killed with a Scorpion bolt to the eye.

Scorpion-wielding Lannisters are one thing, but things are sure to get even more treacherous should Daenerys make good on her offer to fight alongside Jon against the White Walkers (after he bends the knee, of course). Once the White Walkers come into play, there’s no telling what creative ways they might have to take down a dragon. It’s also worth noting that the glimpse we got of what may have been a reanimated Wun Wun during Bran’s vision of the White Walkers marching through Westeros, doesn’t exactly bode well. After all, if a giant can be turned into a wight, who’s to say the same can’t be true for a dragon?

After getting the rug pulled out from under us time and time again, from Ned’s execution to the Red Wedding, fans have come to expect a certain death toll where our protagonists are concerned — so, when it comes to the deaths of Daenerys' dragons, it likely becomes less a question of "if," and more a question of "who?" and "when?"