Game Of Thrones: 12 Easter Eggs You Probably Missed In Season 5

The show has so far flirted with fan theories and speculation almost as much as the source material that has actually been published. In the fifth season alone there was confirmation of the dragonsteel theory, and several heavy hints at the R + L = J speculation, but it's not all been positive. Some rumours have seemingly died on the show's narrative track, including the possibility that Uncle Ben is still alive somewhere.

Up to that point, his fate was unknown, even with the return of his horse to the Wall, and it was with almost painful mischief that the show used the possibility of his being alive - something that book fans have al but accepted, thanks to the appearance of Cold Hands - to trick Jon and catch him unawares.

That wasn't the only theory killing moment either. The Mance Lives possibility that fans were holding onto after his fiery death - propelled onwards by the revelation that Rattleshirt was set to appear in Hardhome - was unceremoniously stomped on when Tormund took exception to the Lord Of Bones' goading and smushed his head in. In that case even more than the Cold Hands quashing, it felt like the killing of the character (and the theory) was almost ceremonially brutal - like the writers were making a profound point about it definitely not happening.