Is yet another presumed-dead character returning to Game of Thrones this week?

When the official images for Game of Thrones Episode 608, “No One,” were released this week, the internet went to work looking for clues about what was to come. It wasn’t long before the search bore fruit.

Beware: Spoilers Below

Redditor megabreath analyzed the official image at the top of the post, of the Waif standing in an archway. Notice the shadow of the man behind her.

HBO Official image

And here’s how megabreath broke it down:

As you can see, the shadow seems to resemble that of Syrio Forel, former First Sword of Braavos and Arya’s water-dancing teacher from Season 1. Last we saw Syrio, he seemed to sacrifice himself so that Arya could escape Meryn Trant. However, his death happened offscreen, and fans have been wondering if he didn’t escape Trant for years. Could he be returning in “No One?” After all, it’s already happened for Benjen and the Hound.

Going farther down the tinfoil rabbit hole, Redditor skjortekrage found this photo taken behind the scenes during the filming of Season 6. It shows a curly-headed individual standing with the Waif and Arya. Is that the same guy who appears in the official photo?

Miltos Yerolemou, the actor who played Syrio, has also been under the microscope. During a visit to Thronecast, Sky Altantic’s Game of Thrones companion series, he got a little flustered when asked about Syrio’s connection to the House of Black and White.

Interviewer: “Syrio Forel has a strong relationship with the House of Black and White, doesn’t he?”

Yerolemou: “Well, yeah. Well, no. Uh, no. Nah, I don’t know. With Braavos, yes.”

Does it seem like Yerolemou was trying to quickly backtrack there? Because to me, it sure did.

True, Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have stated that Syrio is dead and not coming back. Here’s an excerpt from an interview Maisie Williams (Arya) did with IGN back in April:

I always was like, ‘Oh, no, I feel like he’s still alive.’. I always had my own theory that he and Jaqen were the same person.

But when she brought her theory up to the showrunners, they shot it down unequivocally. “No, he is dead.”

I was like, ‘Oh, OK. So that put that to bed really quickly, but I guess we can all still dream.

However, I’d like to remind everyone that Benioff and Weiss forced the cast members to lie to everyone about Jon Snow’s death for months, so they’re not above lying about the fate of Syrio Forel.

Finally, Miltos Yerolemou is getting in on the fun. Fans have hit him up on Twitter to see if he’d weigh in on all this buzz. He did:

@nonpromqueen ?????

— Miltos Yerolemou (@miltosyerolemou) June 9, 2016

As you can see, a man has a sense of humor. Will Syrio Forel return to Game of Thrones during “No One?” Or has this all been some sort of hilarious internet witch hunt? I guess we’ll have to wait until Sunday night to find out.

• Published on 06/10/2016 at 3:11 PM CDT
• Last updated on 06/10/2016 at 3:18 PM CDT