Yahoo News Did Game of Thrones hint at its ending in the very first episode?
Note: Contains major spoilers for Game of Thrones' final episode 'The Iron Throne'.
Don't read on if you haven't watched season 8, episode 6 yet!
Game of Thrones viewers finally found out no-one would sit on the Iron Throne during Sunday night's finale (May 19), as it was burnt to the ground - but Westeros was still left with a ruler.
After backing from Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) emerged as the unlikely ruler of the Six Kingdoms, and the North was independently ruled by his sister Sansa (Sophie Turner) as its queen.
While not all of the prophecies and predictions paid off as Game of Thrones finally wrapped up after eight seasons and 73 episodes, it seems that Bran the Broken may have indeed been destined for the Iron Throne since the very first episode.
Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss dropped multiple hints left, right and centre about a number of the fantasy saga's intended big reveals – one of which Game of Thrones Facts has potentially identified.
The brain behind the Twitter page has cast their astute eye over the series to give fans an in-depth analysis of the show, and there was one moment right at the very beginning of Thrones (we're talking the first episode) which potentially gave a cheeky wink to Bran becoming King of the Six Kingdoms.
In the #GameofThrones Pilot, the camera cuts to Bran, not Jon, when Ned Stark says 'King of the Andals and the First Men' pic.twitter.com/3WxaTKKJwv
- Game of Thrones Facts (@thronesfacts) May 20, 2019
In the opening episode, Ned Stark beheads Will, a member of the Night's Watch who failed to return to Castle Black and warn his fellow men about what he had seen – the White Walkers and dismembered wildling corpses.
Before he carried out the beheading, the leader of the Stark clan proceeded to recite the oath of execution, as is tradition.
"In the name of Robert of the House Baratheon," Ned said. "First of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm, I, Eddard of the House Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, sentence you to die."
Robb, Jon and Bran are all present to witness the execution, as is customary, but it was initially believed by fans that when the camera panned to both Bran and Jon, it was a nod to Jon's heritage and the fact that he is Aegon Targaryen, the true heir to the Iron Throne.
However, now we know that Jon is back in the North and Bran is king, could it be that that moment was actually acknowledging what lay ahead for Bran?
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In the pilot episode, the camera cuts to Bran and Jon just before Ned says the words 'King of the Andals and the First Men' - which, with hindsight, could be viewed as some seriously impressive foreshadowing of Bran's destiny.
It's hard to know if Benioff and Weiss knew back in 2011 exactly where they would take the show and who would end up wielding power.
Perhaps they assumed that George RR Martin would have finished his books by the time they ran out of story and would simply stick to his narrative.
Either way, this might be the end of Thrones, but the theories and heated debates are certainly set to continue.
Game of Thrones season 8 airs on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK. Tune in to Digital Spy's Game of Thrones livestreams on Monday evenings, straight after each episode, on Instagram and Facebook.
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