After over a year of waiting, Game of Thrones' seventh season has come and go in the blink of an eye. Season 7 amped up the pacing of the series to a ten, with a bevy of exciting battles, new character pairings, and long awaited reunions. One of those reunions occurred in the finale, as Sandor and Gregor Clegane met face to face in the dragonpit for a brief interaction. For a moment it seemed like The Mountain was still in there somewhere, as The Hound taunted him before walking away. And a new fan theory points toward the long awaited Cleganebowl happening next season, especially considering how The Hound was able to see a vision in the flames earlier this season.
The theory primarily stems from a scene that The Hound had earlier in Season 7. While traveling with the Brotherhood Without Banners, Beric Dondarrion encouraged The Hound to get over his fear of fire, and look into the flames. And when he did, he saw a vision of the arrowhead mountain that Jon's group would eventually encounter in their journey beyond the wall.
This is significant, considering how few characters have actually seen visions in the flames. Only Melisandre has been able to do so in the series, mostly because of her connection to the Lord of Light and his magic. And even when she attempts to read the flames, it usually takes quite a while before Melisandre can make out the images. But Sandor Clegane saw one almost immediately.
Now this is when things get crazy. We've been told the tale how The Hound was burned a few times in Game of Thrones. Both times, the story was that Sandor stole one of Gregor's toys as a kid, and as revenge The Mountain burned his brother's face in a nearby fire. The newest theory supporting Cleganebowl claims that the background given for The Hound's childhood trauma wasn't the whole story. Instead, that a young Sandor saw Gregor's death in the flames as a kid and told him, resulting in The Mountain becoming infuriated and burning his brother out of fear.
This theory might seem a bit of a stretch, but Gregor and Sandor's interaction in the dragonpit seems to support it. The Hound speaks to his zombie brother quite cryptically, claiming that he already knows who is coming for him. Could this be The Hound himself, and therefore the truth death? Check out the scene in question below.
Pretty interesting, right?
Regardless of whether or not The Hound foresaw his brother's death as a child, it certainly seems like the long awaited Cleganebowl may become a reality in Season 8. Their interaction was too short for it to be their last, and we all know that The Mountain needs to die before the show is over.
It's currently unclear when Game of Thrones will return for Season 8. While we wait, be sure to check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
