Eight possible surprise deaths in Season 5 of Game of Thrones

Brienne of Tarth

Brienne had her moment of glory last season in her vicious duel with the Hound. She emerged victorious in battle, but lost Arya. Without Lady Stoneheart to punish her for her failure, Brienne seems like an unlikely candidate for death in Season 5. However, she also doesn’t seem likely to reconnect with Jaime this season, since he is traveling south. Thus, what better use can the show have for her at this point than a glorious death?

Since she ended up near the Vale, it seems logical to think that she will finally meet Sansa, under the care of Peter Baelish. The new Lord Protector and his protege have no grudge with Brienne, but they may press her into service. The Season 5 trailer has shown the Vale marshaling armies. If Brienne ends up in a major battle, all bets are off. The same is equally true for her much-loved sidekick Podrick Payne, although he may already be dead in the books anyway.

Mance Rayder

The Mance Rayder of the show is a far cry from the easy-going musician of the books, who leads less by force of will than sheer charisma. The writers have given no indication that they care much about his backstory or his musical talents, so I doubt we’ll see him masquerading as a singer in Bolton-controlled Winterfell. Without that storyline, he seems to have no further use in the show, especially given how much more screentime has been given to Tormund Giantsbane. Stannis will likely burn him alive for betraying his vows to the Night’s Watch, instead of Melisandre saving him with her illusion magic.

Hizdahr zo Loraq

His attempted coup appears to be much more direct in the show than in the book, with David and Dan opting for open battle at the Pit of Daznak instead of Hizdahr’s failed poisoning plot. In A Dance with Dragons, Ser Barristan spares Hizdahr’s life until he has all the evidence he needs to prove the queen’s new husband guilty. However, it seems like there will be no doubt of Hizdahr’s guilt on the show.

It’s also possible that Hizdahr will attempt to dance with the dragons in place of Quentyn Martell. Either way, I think we’ll see him dragon-roasted in Season 5.

Jorah Mormont

We’ve seen from photos and the trailer that Jorah will end up as a gladiator in Daznak’s Pit, fighting for the entertainment of the crowd after Dany’s wedding to Hizdahr. I can’t think of a worse day for Ser Friendzone — unless, of course, he dies in the ensuing battle. We don’t know Jorah’s role in the books moving forward, and it’s possible that it may not be critical. Dying for Dany would let Jorah redeem himself after betraying her to Robert Baratheon–a fitting end for the exiled knight.