'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Theory Says Ned Stark Might Be Able to Return

Game of Thrones' final season is getting closer and closer to debuting, with fans eager to see exactly how the final batch of episodes unfold. If a new theory is any indication, it sounds like things could take a pretty macabre turn.

A new theory posited by GameSpot breaks down one of the most talked-about moments from the Season 8 trailer, where Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) can be seen running through the crypts of Winterfell and appearing to be chased by somebody. As the theory suggests, there's a chance that the mysterious figure chasing Arya is none other than a reanimated version of her father, Ned Stark (Sean Bean). Seeing as the Night King, who will clearly be returning with a vengeance in the final season, has the ability to briefly bring the dead back to life, the idea is that whoever was buried in the crypts would come back to life.

Of course, whether or not Ned would be involved in this hypothetical scene comes down to one thing -- where exactly his bones ended up being. In the books, Tyrion Lannister eventually sends Ned's bones to Catelyn Stark at Riverrun, and she later sends Hallis Mollen and a group of Silent Sisters to make sure Ned is buried in Winterfell. The jury is still out as to whether or not those bones canonically made their way there, or were lost in all of the different uprisings and invasions that happened to Winterfell.

Since there really is no clear precedent for what happened to Ned Stark's bones, it certainly doesn't seem impossible that the show could find some way for Ned's bones to have canonically gotten back to Winterfell. And hey, Arya being chased by her reanimated and headless father would be a pretty dramatic moment.

Even if Ned Stark doesn't end up being the one chasing Arya in the crypt, it certainly sounds like the fan-favorite Stark will have an interesting storyline in the final batch of episodes.

"I ended on the perfect scene," Williams shared last year. "I was alone –- shocker! Arya's always bloody alone. But I was alone and I had watched a lot of other people wrap. I knew the drill, I had seen the tears and heard the speeches."

"I got to the end and I didn't want more," Williams continued. "I had exhausted every possible piece of Arya. And this season was quite big for me. I had a lot more to do. Mainly because there's just less characters now, so everyone's got more to do."

The final season of Game of Thrones will debut on April 14th on HBO.