Who is the king of the Game Of Thrones night and what is his purpose? Episode 3, update of season 8

The last episode of Game of Thrones Season 8, "The Long Night," left us cold – you can read our impressions in our episode 3 account. The king of the night played a role Major in the episode, while his forces (including his dragon, Viserion) invaded Winterfell in an attempt to reach Bran. And although his goal within the confines of this single episode is simple enough, what did we learn from him and his motivations on the course, the series and the books (where things with the White Walkers are not quite the same). Below, we explore everything we know about the character and some of the frequently asked questions, such as whether Bran is the king of the night.

If you want to go further, take a look at . to Jon's Dragon what happened to Ghost and to our new theories based on episode 3 . You can also refresh the list of people who died this season including at the Battle of Winterfell, and explore all the Easter Eggs and References that you may have missed this week.

If you take into account the events of the last seasons of Game of Thrones, ask the following question: "Who is the king of the night?" It seemed easy to answer. It was an icy demon who was leading his forces south to annihilate the inhabitants of Westeros with icy magic, rotting zombies, and even an undead dragon. And now that he's dead (killed by Arya), the zombie army is destroyed and, by all appearances, the show is eager to move on to the final battle with Cersei Lannister for the Iron Throne.

Some fans are disappointed – and rightly so. so. Game of Thrones is a series that has often skilfully avoided the overused tropes of most fantasy fiction – tropes like a devilish Dark Lord whose only purpose is to destroy mankind, and if you kill him, all his army falls dead and the problem is solved. in one heroic act. At one point, the Game of Thrones series finally counted, and legions of longtime fans simply refused. "The Long Night" was a painful waking slap in the face.

However, Game of Thrones season 8 revealed information about the king of the night that we did not know before. So who was the king of the night, really – and what did he want? Why was he walking south? And was the king of the night really mean? We learned something new about the villain and his motivations in Season 8, Episode 2, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms". Crucially, Bran revealed that the king's purpose of the nights was to kill him.

"He will come for me, he has already tried many times, with many three-eyed crows," says Bran. So it's not just the two three-eyed crows we know, this conflict has already taken place, according to Bran.

And what does the king of the night want? "A night without end," said TER. "He wants to erase this world and I am his memory."

That does not really answer the question of why – why did the king of the night want to erase this world? Earlier in season 8, it seemed that there was still room for the series to explore this issue in an upcoming episode, but it turns out that's all. But there are still books to wait – fingers crossed – so let's move on to other Night King theories while waiting for the rest of season 8.

The King of the Night is not Bran

this: The king of the night is not, as a popular theory says, Bran. Bran is not the king of the night and the king of the night is not the sound. It's a stupid theory, and I'd like to finish it off.

The purpose of the three-eyed crow, which Bran has become, is to arrest the king of the night. If Bran was the king of the night, why would the original TER have put so much effort into attracting Bran to his cave and teaching him? If Bran is the king of the night, his whole arc of the last seven seasons has no meaning and is empty.

That does not mean that Bran is a hero in this story, as we have been led to believe. Bran could end up being on the wrong side of this ultimate conflict, with his detached nature and dubious origins of the three-eyed crow (the series made no effort to explore the background of the figure, we have no idea who he really is). But that does not mean that it will go back in time, turn into ice magic, do nothing for thousands of years and become a completely different person.

And just in case you are not convinced, Bran actor Isaac Hempstead-Wright shot him personally, explaining to Radio Times that the theory is too "obvious", "corny" and lack of dramatic weight. So here is. Please stop with this.

Is it good or bad?

Even when we accept that the King of the night is not Bran, we still do not know anything about the character. It is clear that he is a thinking and sensitive being, and whites around him have a society and a hierarchy of their own. They make armor and weapons, and they have their own culture and, presumably, their language (we have never heard of it).

What is the true purpose of the king of the night? The stories told by humanity suggest that White Walkers are a force of evil that comes with the Long Night to murder anyone they can. But why? What are their goals? Why are they so inclined to travel south?