Game Of Thrones: 13 Crazy Fan Theories That Could Actually Be True

What else is there besides R+L=J?

Game of Thrones Jon Tyrion Daenerys Three Heads Of The Dragon
HBO

For every Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire fan theory that hits the nail right on the head, it seems there's another that misses and breaks your hand instead.

R+L=J, the biggest fan theory in the history of the saga - both books and show - has now been confirmed in the latter, and it's only a matter of time before it is canon in the former as well. It was a perfectly formed theory, picking up on the various clues throughout the text, and one that pretty much everyone believed.

On the flipside you've got the 'crackpot' or 'tinfoil' theories, such as Varys being a merman, Roose Bolton being a skin-stealing immortal, and Gendry actually appearing on the show again.

They're a huge part of being a Game of Thrones fan, but with the biggest one now considered true, what's left? Well, quite a lot actually. Ned Stark is still alive, so is Robb, and literally everyone is a Targaryen.

In terms of those that are actually believable, there's much more than just R+L=J. Season 6, for example, went around the broadstrokes of the Grand Northern Conspiracy theory, and went to great pains to setup and then dash hopes of Cleganebowl.

Excluding the ones mentioned, then, and with an attempt to keep it to those that could still work in book and show (with a couple of exceptions), these are the fan theories that, while pretty out there, could actually be true.

13. Bran Stark Is Every Brandon Stark (And Influenced The Mad King)

Game of Thrones Jon Tyrion Daenerys Three Heads Of The Dragon
HBO

Bran warged into Young Hodor while in the present Meera shouted at him to 'Hold the door', leading to the answer of why Hodor can only say that one word. It broke hearts (and the internet), and also opened the door to a whole new realm of Bran-related theories.

While there may be some variances, the general gist of the most believable (let's not get into him being the Lord of Light here) is that he's been moving through history, influencing key events.

One such example goes along similar lines to 'hold the door', stating that he was responsible for the voices in the Mad King's head, which drove him to repeatedly yelling "burn them all." This wasn't Aerys shouting about the people rebelling against him, but hearing Bran shouting about wights. The theory was aided by the fact that Aerys II was one of the character's to appear in Bran's visions.

It continues going back into Westeros' past, and actually posits that he was every Brandon Stark who ever lived (alluded to when Old Nan gets the Brans confused). So there's his uncle Brandon, a death he himself may have actually been responsible for; Bran the Breaker, who defeated the Night's King; and of course Bran the Builder, founder of House Stark and the man credited with building the Wall. So yeah, Bran himself may have built the Wall, and rather poetically, he's probably going to be the one who brings it down as well.

Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.