Will the White Walkers Resurrect the Fallen Starks in Game of Thrones?

While we don't know much about what's going to happen in Game of Thrones's final season, we do know that we can expect at least one epic battle, which could combine not just Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen’s forces, but also Jaime Lannister’s. We can guess that there will probably be some awkward aunt and nephew talks, and from the newly released trailer we know that we'll see a blood-covered Arya Stark scared out of her boots and running from something.

Since HBO released the first full-length trailer for Game of Thrones season 8 earlier this week, we've been deluged with fan theories. One of the newest—albeit slightly morbid—ones claims that what has Arya so spooked in the trailer is the reanimated corpse of one of her deceased relatives. More specifically: that the White Walkers resurrected one of the dearly departed Starks, possibly Ned, and that that's who is chasing Arya, according to IGN. Given that it would have to take something truly frightening to scare Arya, there is some plausibility here (or maybe just some wishful thinking).

From what we can see, the highly anticipated battle takes place around Winterfell, so it wouldn't be surprising if the White Walkers were able to break into the family crypt and resurrect some old faces. As we’ve seen in the past, one of the White Walkers' most frightening powers is their ability to reanimate the deceased creatures around them. Now some fans believe that they will use that power to bring a Stark or two back to life, which would be a real game-changer—especially if it means that we could see Ned, Catelyn, or Robb Stark as a villainous, zombie-like creature.

In the books, Catelyn Stark does come back as Lady Stoneheart after her body is discovered by the Brotherhood Without Banners. She’s resurrected by Beric Dondarrion, who we do know is still alive from the new trailer.

On the other hand, if it is Ned Stark chasing Arya, he'd likely be headless, which may lessen the plausibility of this theory. Then again, would a little thing like a lack of noggin be of any concern to the White Walkers? For now, that's a question you'll just have to debate with your fellow Game of Thrones obsessives until the final season returns on April 14.