Only one season is left in the epic saga that is HBO's Game of Thrones, and details about what's to come are few and far between. Keeping a tight lid on spoilers is undoubtedly a high priority for HBO with its smash-hit series. Unfortunately for the folks at HBO, one actor may have accidentally dropped a huge spoiler on social media. Wilf Scolding, who played Rhaegar Targaryen in Season 7, posted a photo on his Instagram that places him in the very same area that Game of Thrones films. Take a look!
Game of Thrones films in and around the area of Belfast, Ireland, and the Europa Hotel tagged in Wilf Scolding photo is located in Belfast. Given that Game of Thrones is currently in production on the final season and Scolding deleted his Instagram post, all signs point toward Rhaegar Targaryen turning up on Game of Thrones at least once more before the end. Luckily for fans who have been dying for spoilers, one person on Twitter managed to grab a picture of Scolding's photo before it was deleted, and the evidence is there for all to see. Can we say for certain that Rhaegar will be back? No. But Wilf Scolding was/is in Belfast, and it's very likely that Rhaegar will turn up again.
Since Rhaegar is very, very dead on Game of Thrones, we have to assume that he'll appear once more via Bran's visions as the Three-Eyed Raven. A flashback isn't out of the question, but there aren't many people left who actually knew Rhaegar. Another character could theoretically have a vision, as the precedent was set during Dany's trip into the House of the Undying back in Season 2 (and her devastating vision of King's Landing may be coming true in Season 8).
If Wilf Scolding is back as Rhaegar, I'm guessing Aisling Franciosi will reprise her role as Lyanna Stark as well. The two appeared together in Bran's vision in the Season 7 finale, which showed the wedding between Lyanna and Rhaegar that meant Jon is a legitimate Targaryen and therefore technically ahead of Dany in the Targaryen line of succession. As if their relationship wasn't already complicated enough with all the White Walkers, dragons, and incest!
A big question is of what kind of scene Game of Thrones would need Rhaegar for in the final season of the show. The wedding scene was enough to legitimize Jon as a Targaryen, and Rhaegar is very dead. Book readers know that there are a number scenes from the novels that could be relevant to the ongoing story. One possibility is the scene at Harrenhal back before Robert's Rebellion, when Rhaegar passed by his wife, Elia Martell, to give a crown of roses to Lyanna. Given that Rhaegar and Lyanna would later run away together (and inadvertently cause Robert's Rebellion and a whole lot of deaths), the tourney at Harrenhal could be relevant to Season 8.
Another possibility for Rhaegar to return is for the scene of his death during the Battle of the Trident courtesy of Robert Baratheon. Gendry could hypothetically find himself in trouble courtesy of Dany if she discovers that his father killed her brother, and we do know that Gendry may have a larger role in Season 8. Then again, who knows? Maybe Game of Thrones will bring back Rhaegar for a scene with no basis in any of the currently-available books. More information about Rhaegar and the other Targaryens is still forthcoming in the books; maybe the show will give a sneak peek.
We'll have to wait and see, and we'll probably be waiting a while. Check out our breakdown of what we know so far about Game of Thrones Season 8, and don't forget to take a look at our summer TV premiere guide for what you can watch while we wait.
