Here's why that major Game of Thrones character probably isn't dead

This article contains spoilers for Game of Thrones, season seven, episode four: Spoils of War.

Tyrion was right. Jaime Lannister *is* a fucking idiot. Given the option of fleeing the biggest battle in Game of Thrones history, Jaime instead went into Hero Mode at the end of Spoils of War, riding a lance into battle in an ill fated attempt to slay Daenerys and end the war.

But while Jaime has previous successful killing fire loving Targaryen kings, this time he came up short. If not for Bronn’s timely intervention, Jaime would have been burnt to a crisp by the Drogon. Instead Jamie has the much sunnier option of… falling into a river… while being weighed down by his metal hand and his heavy armour. In an age where (we imagine) swimming isn’t a common skill.

At time of writing Jaime Lannister isn’t in any trailers for the next episodes Game of Thrones, and actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau hasn’t been seen much (outside of that football game that is). Given Game of Thrones’ penchant for shocking deaths, all signs point to Jaimi Lannister being dead.

However, as we know Game of Thrones loves messing with its audience, so here’s probably not.

Ladies, gentleman and everyone in between, it’s time to talk about plot armour.

Plot armour is a concept where a character is so important to a story that they become immune to the plot’s biggest dangers. Jon Snow got brought back to life at the start of season six because he was too important to the continued narrative of Game of Thrones.

Where Jaime Lannister was previously a kingslaying, kinslaying (try saying that a few times) arrogant baddie, he has slowly become one of the most important (and best written) players in the show. So much so that a certain prophecy *should* means he gets out of this bind.

Cast your mind back to the start of season five when we were first treated to flashbacks in Game of Thrones. In episode … Cersei visited a psychic Maggy the Frog who informed her of her future, saying “You'll never wed the prince, you'll wed the king. You'll be queen, for a time. Then comes another, younger, more beautiful, to cast you down and take all you hold dear. The king will have 20 children and you will have three. Gold will be their crowns . . . gold their shrouds."

All of Maggy’s prophecies have come true to date, but it’s a fourth prophecy, exclusive to the George R.R. Martin’s books that have fans theorising for years.

"And when your tears have drowned you, the Valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you."

In high Valyrian, "Valonqar" means "little brother"  —  leading many to believe that either Tyrion or Jaime would be the one to finally end the Mad Queen.

Season seven has spent much of its run time teasing an eventual rift between Jaime and Cersei, as the latter becomes more and more unhinged in her efforts to maintain power. With Tyrion currently unlikely to meet Cersei again and Jaime being repeatedly warned about his closeness to Cersei, many believe Jaime will deliver on this prophecy and kill Queen Cersei.

Unless Jaime is the Prince that was Promised that is.

Depending on how you look at it, the ending of Spoils of War could see Jamie tick off a prerequisites for the Prince That Was Promised prophecy. As mentioned in previous episode Stormborn, the Prince (or Princess) That Was Promised (sometimes referred to as Azor Ahai) is a mythical figure in Game of Thrones lore who was responsible for vanquishing the Night’s King and ending the Long Night.

The Prince is to return again to defeat the Night’s King. and as Ser Davos explains in the third Song of Fire and Ice book, A Storm Of Swords, “When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone.”

The current smart money is on Jon Snow being the Prince, given his literal rebirth and, in being the child of a Stark and a Targaryen he is “a song of fire and ice”, although Daenerys also has a strong claim to be the hero considering she was reborn of salt and smoke after walking through Khal Drogo’s funeral pyre at the end of season one, where she gave birth to her dragons.

In the books, Daenerys also has the boost of that funeral/rebirth occurring on the same night a red comet was spotted in the sky.

So how does Jamie qualify? It requires a little more wiggle room, but Jamie facing off with a fire breathing dragon certainly ticks off the “smoke and salt” requirement. IF JAMIE survives.

In a further twist, it is said that Azor Ahai forged his legendary weapon, a sword of fire called Lightbringer, by plunging it into the heart of his wife,  Nissa Nissa. So, *theoretically* Jaime could fulfil two prophecies, depending on how (if) he kills Cersei. OR, as Reddit theorist byrd82 reckons Lightbringer, isn’t a sword but in Jaime’s case, his hand, Lightbringer is his hand. “This is purposeful deception,” they write. “Lightbringer will not be a sword itself, but the return of Jaime’s sword hand ablaze…

It’s a curveball, but it would be thoroughly in keeping with Game of Thrones to completely flip the script on who what we think makes for a true hero.

So, two theories are currently in play involving Jaime Lannister. One likely, one… interesting. Jaime Lannister was wearing a lot of armour when he went for a swim at the end of Spoils of War, but there’s nothing quite like plot armour.

(We hope. It’s till Game of Thrones after all.)