Game of Thrones - How Can the Night King Be Defeated?

The final season of Game of Thrones is just over a month away. The wait has been long and excruciating, but fans of the show would be hoping that it was worth it. The official trailer was released a few days ago, and that has taken the excitement to a whole new level. This is perhaps going to be the most anticipated season in Television history.

With fan theories and speculations floating around as to how the story would end, let us explore some of the ways in which the show’s most menacing villain could be defeated. The Night King has been an intimidating presence with his ‘ice-cold’ stare and his ability to raise people from the dead in the skip of a heartbeat. There is no clear evidence as to what his weakness is, but there are a few people who could play a key role in bringing him down. This article takes a look at these characters to see if there is still any ray of hope left in Westeros. I’ll only be considering the characters and events presented in the show, as the books are a different entity altogether.

Note: The article contains spoilers for Seasons 1-7 of Game of Thrones. So if you are not caught up with the show, read no further!!

The character who started as a nobody has gone on to become the heir to the Iron Throne in the space of seven seasons. A potential candidate for ‘The Prince who was Promised / Azor Ahai’ theory, Jon has already had two epic staredowns with the Night King. Hence, it would be a huge let-down if we don’t get to see a one-on-one combat between the two of them. Jon has the most knowledge about White Walkers and their weaknesses, and also learned last season that killing the Night King could end the war in an instant. That is easier said than done though. We don’t know for sure if Valyrian Steel could destroy the Night King in a similar manner to the White Walkers, but if you’d put your bet on anyone to finish him off, the most probable candidate would be Jon Snow.

Another candidate for the Azor Ahai theory, the Dragon Queen is definitely the most powerful person in Westeros at the moment. Her ability to inspire fear and awe at the same time has brought her thousands of followers. Add two dragons to the mix, and she becomes a formidable foe for anyone who crosses her path. Whether she ends up on the Iron Throne or not, Dany and her dragons will play a huge part in this Great War. She might not be able to directly hurt the Night King as he seems to be immune to dragon fire, but her dragons can play a huge role in destroying his most powerful weapon: the Undead Viserion. And killing the Wight Dragon is of utmost importance if Jon or anyone else needs to have even a chance at finishing off the Night King. So it could eventually come down to Daenerys having to put down one of her own children.

By the end of season 7, Bran Stark fully embraced his identity as the 3-eyed raven. In fact, he completely seems to have lost his human identity. The true extend of his powers are still unknown, but we do know that he has the ability to see all past and current events, and even alter past events (Hodor ☹☹☹). Who knows what else has changed in the past as a result of Bran’s interference!

Even though Bran won’t be able to challenge the Night King in a physical combat, we can surely expect some kind of a psychic battle between the two of them. And the outcome of that battle could go a long way in determining if our heroes win the Great War.

The evolution of Arya into a badass assassin over the course of the show has been truly phenomenal. She is one person that I would expect to remain unfazed at the sight of White Walkers, though the start of the recently released Season 8 trailer does worry me a bit! She has some amazing combat moves at her disposal, and is now equipped with a Valyrian steel dagger as well. So I wouldn’t put it past her to go one-on-one with the Night King, and give him a tough time while at it. It would be really interesting to see how that fight pans out if it does happen. And hey, if we get to see a Jon-Arya combo battle against the Night King, that would be one of the best moments for fans of the show!

There couldn’t be a more complex character in Game of Thrones than Jaime Lannister. Starting out as one of the most hated characters in the show and ending Season 7 as a strong fan-favourite, his story definitely had the most ups and downs, fluctuating between his blind love for his sister / lover and his desire to do the right thing. However, having left Cersei in the Season 7 finale, Jaime seems to be on the final path to his redemption arc. He is also one of the characters whose name is being mentioned in the Azor Ahai fan theories, though his claim is not that strong when compared to Jon or Dany. Still, having already killed a crazy king in the past, it wouldn’t be beyond Jaime to kill the King of White Walkers. And how cool would it be if the people who ridiculed him as the ‘Kingslayer’ end up calling him that very same name with respect and fondness!

Though these are my top picks to face the Night King, there are several other awesome characters like Brienne, Jorah and the Hound who could very well take their chances with him. And who knows, the showrunners might even decide to put in a surprise twist and have Cersei be the final saviour of the realm!!

With Game of Thrones, anything is possible.