Game Of Thrones: What The Mountain Looks Like Under His Helmet

Game of Thrones may be done for the season, but Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson – the actor and strongman who plays Gregor “The Mountain That Rides” Clegane – has one more horror to share. Björnsson revealed a behind-the-scenes photo to Twitter that shows The Mountain’s undead face without his helmet on.

The Mountain removed his helmet in the Game of Thrones Season 6 finale episode, “The Winds of Winter.” This occurred when Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) left Gregor to torture Septa Unella as revenge for how Unella treated Cersei while she was held captive at the Great Sept of Baelor. However, the behind-the-scenes photo provided by Björnsson offers a much clearer look at The Mountain’s monstrous, undead visage.

For those who have forgotten, The Mountain defeated Oberyn “The Red Viper” Martell in one-on-one combat to decide the outcome of the trial of Tyrion Lannister in Season 4 of Game of Thrones. While The Mountain succeeded in crushing Oberyn’s skull, The Red Viper fought with a poison-tipped spear. Gregor eventually succumbed to his poisoned wounds, only to be resurrected by the disgraced and defrocked maester Qyburn. Since then, he has served the crown (more specifically, Cersei Lannister) as a member of the Kingsguard, but remained fully armored at all times up until the Season 6 finale.

Revealing Gregor’s face is a departure from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels. In the books, after the death of Oberyn, The Mountain’s head is supposedly sent to House Martell in Dorne as a peace offering from House Lannister. When The Mountain is resurrected he assumes the name Ser Robert Strong and he wears a helmet that obscures his face entirely, with only darkness peering out through the eyehole, suggesting that The Mountain is now operating without his head. While it is certainly a creepy touch in Martin’s novels, bringing the headless knight to life for Game of Thrones was likely a challenge the HBO’s team didn’t want to take on.

Game of Thrones will return for Season 7 in 2017, though a bit later in the year than usual. Blame the weather.