Game Of Thrones Season 6: 6 Characters Ian McShane Could Be Playing

6. Howland Reed

Howland Reed, the mysterious Crannogman who was one of Ned Stark's best friends and most loyal companions, is yet to appear in either books or show in anything other than a mention of his name. However, he's surely got to at some point, because he would seem to be a key character in the series. He accompanied Ned to find Lyanna at the Tower of Joy, and apart from the Lord of Winterfell he was the only person to leave alive. With Ned now gone, it means Reed is the only one who truly knows what happened there, and thus may well be the sole keeper to the truth about Jon Snow's parentage. However, while the show may be doing the Tower of Joy in flashback form, the role in that situation would surely be too young even for McShane. He could play Gerold Hightower, the Lord Commander protecting Lyanna, but that doesn't seem quite as important a part. That means if he is Howland Reed it'd have to be in present day, which could still work. We haven't seen or heard of Rickon, the youngest Stark, since Osha led him away to safety, and there is a possibility that they ended up at Greywater Watch under the protection of Reed. If that's the case, and Rickon is set to come back into the fold - which discounts the possibility of everyone having forgotten about him - then Reed could appear as well. Howland Reed is such an enigma that his appearance can't come soon enough, and McShane certainly could play the role, although at this stage it would appear more hopeful than anything concrete. Plus, y'know, there's the fact that Jonathan Pearce might already be playing him anyway...