Game of Thrones season 8 trailer has resurfaced a huge Bran Stark theory

Rather than release a Game of Thrones trailer featuring actual footage from the forthcoming eighth season, HBO has elected to release videos shot specifically as teasers to future events.

The most recent – which came alongside the show’s official release date – sees Jon Snow (Kit Harrington), Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) walking through the crypts of Winterfell as the voices of deceased Starks echo out.

Fans have pointed out that there is one remaining Stark who notably does not appear in the teaser: Bran.

The simple explanation would be that Bran has entirely become the Three-Eyed Raven, and therefore is seemingly no longer actually a Stark. However, there’s another, more convoluted answer, that could hold the potential key to unnlocking the mysteries of the final few episodes.

First off, let’s cast our minds back to a much-talked-about theory that has been widely discussed within the fandom for many months – that Bran may be the Night King.

The theory goes that Bran – now able to time travel thanks to the powers of the Three-Eyed Raven – will warg into the man who became the White Walker’s leader in a bid to prevent the Children of the Forest (those green elf-like creatures) from creating the army of the undead (which they do in order to defend themselves from the destruction of mankind).

Bran’s transition into the Night King could occur when the Children of the Forest pierce the man’s heart with dragonglass, leaving Bran stuck inside his body – a theory which seems more likely upon revisiting the season six scene showing the White Walkers’ creation. Watch below.

The young Stark watches the events unfold from a distance – no warging here – with his position arguably directly mirroring the Night King’s. Add to this a previous incident that showed how the Night King can touch Bran as he travels through time and this could all prove key to the coming final season.

How does this relate to the trailer? Towards the end of the clip, after the voices speak to the Stark children and they face statues of themselves, a cold mist decends into the crypt. Although it's meant to signal that winter has come, fans believe that this literally means the Night King is present – and that therefore so is Bran Stark.

Yes, it’s convoluted, but it wouldn’t be the first time an overly complicated Game of Thrones fan theory has come true.

The eighth season of Game of Thrones reaches TV screens on the 14 April. Read everything we know about the final episodes here.