'Game of Thrones': 4 Fan Theories for Jon Snow's Return

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(Spoiler Alert: Do not keep reading if you have not seen the Season 6 premiere of “Game of Thrones”)

“Game of Thrones” fans still refuse to accept that Jon Snow (Kit Harington) actually died in the Season 5 finale, even though he remained dead in the Season 6 premiere on Sunday.

But in author George R.R. Martin‘s “A Song of Ice and Fire” fantasy universe, in which the dead can rise from the grave — and have many times — there is no guarantee Snow is dead for good.

Book readers knew of Snow’s demise all the way back in 2011 with the release of “Dance of Dragons,” so there are plenty of theories as to how he could come back. Here are a few of the top contenders:

Also Read: 'Game of Thrones': Jon Snow Was Most Tweeted-About Character During Season 6 Premiere

1. Snow used the warg ability to transfer his mind to his direwolf, Ghost

While only Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) has demonstrated an ability to enter the mind of others as a warg, all of the Stark children have shown an innate ability to control their respective direwolves. A traumatic event like getting stabbed to death by your own men just may have shaken Jon’s warg power loose, allowing him to live on in the body of his most trusted companion, the albino direwolf Ghost.

2. Snow will be resurrected, Part 1

Lady Melisandre (Carice van Houten) fled from Stannis Baratheon’s (Stephen Dillane) camp before his defeat at the hands of the Boltons and made her way back to Castle Black. She has demonstrated incredible magical powers already, and Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye), another follower of the Lord of Light, resurrected his friend Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) in Season 3. Will the Red Woman seek to redeem her failure with Stannis by bringing Jon Snow back to the light?

Also Read: 'Game of Thrones' Season 6 Premiere Finally Reveals Jon Snow's Fate

3. Snow will be resurrected, Part 2

Another popular theory is that Snow is the offspring of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. If that were true, he would have “the blood of the dragon” like Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). The men of the Night’s Watch would no doubt burn Snow’s body after killing him to prevent him from becoming a wight. If Snow is indeed a Targaryen, however, the fire could give him a magical rebirth similar to Daenerys when she burned in her dead husband’s raging funeral pyre and hatched her dragons in Season 1.

4. Snow will become a White Walker

In episode eight Season 5, Jon has a long stare-down with the Night’s King (Richard Brake), the leader of the White Walkers. Many believe this was meant to imply a connection between the two. And as the Night’s King was able to bring tens of thousands of wildlings back to life with a wave of his hand, it seems an easy task to resurrect the Bastard of Winterfell.

'Game of Thrones' Season 6: Who Will Survive, Who's Doomed? (Photos)

With over 60 characters already dying on "Game of Thrones," we expect the death toll will only rise in Season 6 -- and past shocking deaths have proven that no one is safe in the Seven Kingdoms.
In danger: Cersei Lannister
She's power-hungry, but she's also a mother, and she's about to be a grieving mother twice over, as her brother/baby daddy is sailing back from Dorne with their fatally-poisoned daughter. Will her enemies strike while she's at her most emotionally vulnerable?
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Safe: Littlefinger
Probably the most conniving of Westeros power players, Littlefinger has an uncanny knack for survival. He'll probably end up as the Hand to whoever ends up ruling the Iron Throne in the end.
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Safe: Arya Stark
Arya's having a rough time of it in Braavos, but going blind is just the start of her training to be one of the Faceless Men, and it would be a shame to not see her through this fascinating journey.
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Doomed: Melisandre
The Red Woman may have magical powers, but is she immortal? If not, she could be obsolete this season as she's lost Stannis, her dog in the fight for the Iron Throne. Of course, she could be useful in resurrecting Jon Snow, but what about after that?
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Safe: Meera Reed
Bran will need his protectors around him as he prepares to unleash his new warg powers upon Westeros, and now that her brother Jojen has already made the ultimate sacrifice to keep the powerful child safe, Meera will probably need to stay around for a while to carry on this important duty.
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Safe: Jaime Lannister
While his sister/lover probably won't handle it well when she receives news that another child of hers has died, Jamie's always proven to be more level-headed when it comes to the children who never really knew he wasn't just their uncle, but their father.
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In danger: Loras Tyrell
The Knight of Flowers hasn't been around much, and maybe he's too irrelevant to the story now, but HBO must need to bring him back and kill him off at some point since Finn Jones has got to go off and become Marvel's Iron Fist.
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Safe: Daenerys Targaryen
The Mother of Dragons appears to be far from home (wherever that may be), back with a Dothraki horde, but it's hard to imagine her fight ending before she's properly reached her goal of returning to Westeros. An attempt to retake the throne must be made before she's written off for good -- if she doesn't succeed in the end.
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In danger: Davos
Like Melisandre, Davos is now a man without a master after the loss of Stannis Baratheon. Who he aligns himself with now probably greatly impacts his odds of survival.
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Safe: Bran Stark
After taking Season 5 off, the warg-iest of the Stark children is expected to return with a vengeance in Season 6, where we'll finally get to see how his training with the Three-Eyed Raven is coming along. They can't kill him off before showing off some of these hard-earned powers.
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In danger: Daario Naharis
Any enemy of Daenerys' will probably have to go through Daario to get to her, which means Daario will probably have to face endless threats on his life.
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Safe: Sansa Stark
She safeguarded herself by playing by the rules of the royal court for several seasons and endured all sorts of physical and emotional abuse as a result, but now that she's finally breaking free on her own -- with the suddenly loyal Theon by her side -- she seems destined to finally show what she's made of.
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In danger: Brienne of Tarth
She may have vanquished Stannis Baratheon, but she's still on a mission to protect the Stark girls. That's a job that's not going to stop being dangerous even if she manages to catch up to Sansa or even Arya.
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Doomed: Podrick Payne
If Brienne faces down danger trying to protect the always-endangered Stark children, her sidekick Pod probably has an even higher probability of dying in the line of duty.
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Safe: Hodor
Hodor hodor hodor, Hodor hodor... Let's be honest, Hodor will probably outlast us all.
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Doomed: Jorah Mormont
Daenerys' devoted but exiled former advisor would gladly die for his queen - though the greyscale on his wrist revealed in the Season 5 finale may kill him before an assassin can.
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Safe: Tommen Baratheon
With both of his siblings now dead as the collateral damage of political intrigue, Tommen may appear next on the target list, but it may be too soon for the big guns to show up and battle it out to become the permanent King or Queen of Westeros at series' end. Tommen's probably safe ... for now.
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In danger: Theon Greyjoy
The reformed former Stark betrayer has become a loyal companion to Sansa, which means he's probably in more danger than ever. At least Ramsay would have kept "Reek" alive, if only to torture him.
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Safe: Varys
Varys, like Littlefinger, will always find a way to survive. He's hitched his wagon to Tyrion for now, but that's likely a weighted bet more than anything, and could easily change depending on what his "little birds" tell him.
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Doomed: Ramsay Bolton
Now that the sadistic Ramsay has been legitimized by his equally evil father and emerged as possibly the show's most hated figure after his abuse of Sansa, it's probably high time for him to pay for his crimes. If so, Ramsay's death will be the most satisfying since Joffrey's.
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Safe: Tyrion Lannister
The most cunning of the Lannisters, Tyrion's exile to Mereen in Season 5 probably saved his life and bought him time to reposition himself. It's hard to imagine the end of "Game of Thrones" without Tyrion still standing, even if it's not on the Iron Throne itself.
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In danger: Margaery Tyrell
The Tyrells have proven themselves shrewd politicians, but endearing herself to her husband Tommen wasn't enough to keep Margaery out of prison. Cersei may be in danger herself this season, but taking out Margaery once and for all is probably on her list of things to get done before she herself gets taken out.
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Already dead (probably safe): Jon Snow
Well, he's already died once, so if and when Jon Snow comes back, he'll probably stick around for a while, likely to the end. Fool us once ...
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As the HBO hit nears its end, the stakes are higher than ever, and nearly all your favorite characters could be in danger

With over 60 characters already dying on "Game of Thrones," we expect the death toll will only rise in Season 6 -- and past shocking deaths have proven that no one is safe in the Seven Kingdoms.

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