Game Of Thrones: 10 Reasons That Character Isn't Really Dead

Spoiler alert! The Game of Thrones fifth season finale was one of its most shocking yet, ending with the brutal murder of the beloved Jon Snow. It was a huge surprise, especially since Jon is arguably the main protagonist of the series next to Tyrion and Dany. How could he really be gone?

Well, he almost certainly isn’t. Yes, while it might initially sound like just the first stage of grief, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest Jon Snow isn’t actually gone for good and that he’ll be back next season.

That doesn’t mean he didn’t die, though. You can’t exactly get stabbed that many times in a row and be left to bleed out only to wake up later with a few bandages. No, viewers really did witness the death of Jon Snow. But there’s a precedent in the series for characters to come back to life, and Jon will almost certainly be raised from the dead in Season 6.

The good news is you probably won’t have to wait until the sixth season airs to find out the fate of Jon. Given how often set pictures leak online, there’s almost no way the production crew can hide Kit Harington for several months while he films for the next season. If production kicks into gear and Kit is nowhere to be found, well, that’s when it’s time to get really worried.

For now, though, let’s dive into all the evidence that suggests Jon Snow will return.

The primary theory about Jon's return is that Melisandre will raise him from the dead. Remember, she’s a priestess of the Lord of Light, and it has been established that she isn’t all talk. She really does have mystical powers, as seen in Season 2 with the birth of the smoke baby.

It has also been established that followers of the Lord of Light have raised people from the dead before. Recall back in Season 3 when Arya ran into the Brotherhood Without Banners and Beric Dondarrion. Beric was hanging around with Thoros, another Lord of Light follower. When Beric was killed in a battle, Thoros said a prayer to the Lord of Light, and suddenly Beric rose again.

Not only that, but the finale made a very deliberate decision to have Melisandre return to the wall. Think about it: what’s the point of showing her coming to the wall and doing absolutely nothing if not to put her in place to resurrect Jon Snow? Melisandre came to the horrible realization that Jon, not Stannis, is the chosen one, and so she booked it to the wall to be there in time for his death. 

The show makes clear that followers of the Lord of Light can raise people from the dead, and then a Lord of Light follower just happens to stroll in right before Jon dies.