Game of Thrones is set to outpace the “Song of Fire and Ice” books when the fantasy drama returns this April, but as its premiere draws closer, there’s no time to be disappointed. HBO has just a hefty batch of photos from the new season, and they’re enough to soften the recent blow.
Season 5, of course, ended with a massive cliffhanger when Jon Snow (played by Kit Harington) was stabbed numerous times and appeared to be mortally wounded. There’s been much speculation about whether or not he’s actually dead over the past several months, but unfortunately, the photos don’t give us any clues to his fate. He’s noticeably absent from the set, but whether that’s because he’s dead or because HBO wanted to continue building curiosity is anyone’s guess. (Our money is on the latter.)
While Snow’s fate is uncertain, we do see that poor Myrcella Baratheon (Nell Tiger Free) appears to be definitively dead, which is not a surprise given that she was poisoned at the end of last season. Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) and Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen), however, seem to have survived their wall-jumping ordeal. Meanwhile, Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) was left blind and looks quite shell-shocked in her photo.
Arya’s brother, Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright), also appears in a photo, making his return after a season’s absence. Wright previously revealed that his character’s special abilities would play into the upcoming season, and the new image offers proof. Bran is shown in the midst of a vision sequence, in the company of the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow). He’s also shown (shockingly) standing up, but it appears this may just be his “residual self image” as The Matrix put it.
The rest of the photos feature a handful of other characters, including more members of the Lannister, Stark, and Greyjoy families. The photos ultimately don’t answer many of our burning plot questions, but they’re absolutely worth checking out. April is, after all, still a long ways away.
Game of Thrones season 6 is due to premiere on HBO on April 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Meanwhile, here’s a few other things worth watching.
