Game of Thrones' final Season 8 isn’t that far off, and with each passing week comes another exciting update. This week, Entertainment Weekly dropped a slew of custom magazine covers highlighting its coverage of the last batch of episodes, and each character fans know and love got their own spotlight cover to shine. This included the The Mountain and The Hound who are seen crossing swords, which has us wondering if CleganeBowl is actually happening.
Judging from that caption, this picture was orchestrated more by the EW staff than it was something the Game of Thrones crew requested be shot. In short, the picture is by no means a confirmation these two brothers will throw down, although perhaps it wouldn't have been thrown together if there wasn't already evidence it may. Are these two really going to let a little thing like the potential end of mankind get in the way of their glorious blood feud?
Hardly, and if Cersei still has plans to flip sides on Dany and Jon in Season 8 like she teased, then there's reason to believe The Hound and The Mountain's next encounter won't be as tame as it was in Season 7. These two still hate each other very much, so once these two find themselves on opposite ends of a battlefield, expect them to make a beeline right for each other to settle this score once and for all.
As far as who will come out on top, that's a real tough call. The Hound hasn't been as focused on one-on-one duels, but his swordsmanship remains solid from what little we saw him swing a sword in the previous season. The Mountain has had a fair share of battles, but he's looking far worse for wear these days as a result of them. He did manage to crush the Bud Knight rather easily though, so don't count him out.
While this magazine cover isn't proof positive CleganeBowl is 100% happening, there have been other clues that support it might. Mountain actor Hafthór Björnsson teased one of his favorite moments of Game of Thrones happened whilst filming Season 8, but wouldn't tease much more than that. Obviously, no one on the Game of Thrones cast is allowed to dole out secrets, but how many relevant scenes could The Mountain realistically have with such limited time left?
Not many, especially when considering how much Game of Thrones has to resolve in the final episodes to give fans all the things they've been hoping for. Events like CleganeBowl could fall by the wayside in order to grant more screentime to bigger characters and make sure fans are largely satisfied with the series as a whole. After all, every event fans have been hoping for can't happen, right? Someone almost has to be disappointed at the end of this.
Game of Thrones' premiere is set to arrive on HBO on Sunday, April 17, and one of television's biggest seasons of the decade will finally be underway. Head on over to our midseason premiere guide to see some other anticipated television shows on the horizon, and get amped for what's ahead.
