'Game of Thrones': What's Up With That Crossbow? Cersei's Revenge Plot Explained

The final season premiere of Game of Thrones brought more of what fans expect, especially when it [...]

The final season premiere of Game of Thrones brought more of what fans expect, especially when it comes to awkward family reunions and misguided attempted murder. And when it comes to House Lannister, few families in Westeros can compare. So fans shouldn't be surprised at Cersei, the reigning queen, and her actions against Jaime and Tyrion Lannister, the brothers who she thinks betrayed her.

In case you missed it, Cersei — through her new Hand and Maester named Qyburn — prompted the sell sword-turned-knight Ser Bronn of the Blackwater to betray his friends and murder them for a surprising sum of gold. But it's the weapon Qyburn gave Bronn that should raise a few eyebrows for most fans.

The Queen's advisor finds Bronn with a trio of prostitutes, interrupting the meeting with hopes of convincing Bronn to kill the two Lannisters who helped him become a somewhat prominent knight in Westeros. He seems open to the prospect, depending on the money, then sees that Cersei is requesting they be killed by a crossbow of major significance.

Bronn could only sigh and say what's become a catchphrase by this point: "That f**kin' family."

The crossbow originally appeared in the third season of Game of Thrones, an item specifically made for King Joffrey Baratheon. The young king used it sadistically, first showing it off to his betrothed Maergery Tyrell before using it to torture and murder Littlefinger's favorite brothel worker Ros, after Tyrion attempted to subdue the young king by buying him a few prostitutes.

After Joffrey's assassination by poison, Cersei immediately assumed Tyrion killed her son, and their father Tywin Lannister didn't do much to dispel those notions. Instead, as the Hand of King Tommen Baratheon, he acted as one of the judges and helped stack the odds against Tyrion.

After being found guilty and sentenced to death, Tyrion escaped prison (with the help of Jaime) and immediately went to murder his father — with the same crossbow that used to belong to Joffrey.

Cersei has had a raging bloodthirst for Tyrion ever since, and now that Jaime has also left her to help fight against the White Walkers, that has boiled over. As Qyburn says in the episode, the queen has a sense of poetic justice.

We'll find out if Bronn spills more Lannister blood with that significant weapon as the final season of Game of Thrones continues on HBO TV this Sunday.

-----

Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com, yet? Check it out by clicking here or listen below.

In this latest episode, we break down the trailers for Dark Phoenix and Child's Play, talk Halo casting, and so much more! Make sure to subscribe now and never miss an episode!

0comments