It’s fair to say that Game of Thrones isn’t exactly a show in which everyone gathers around a table and calmly works out peaceful solutions to their differences.



The hugely anticipated final season is therefore expected to be something of a bloodbath. Tensions left simmering for years are going to explode. Westeros will be engulfed by the war to end all wars. Characters we’ve come to know and love face being offed with brutal indifference. And, as the embers of battle fizzle out, one of these characters will claim ultimate victory in the Game of Thrones itself. But who will it be?

Daenerys Targaryen

The frontrunner ... Daenerys Targaryen. Photograph: HBO

The frontrunner, at least on paper. Dany has her Dothraki and Unsullied armies, two whopping dragons, plus Jon Snow’s united northmen, after the King in the North pledged fealty last season. But there’s a lot more at play here: Dany committed herself to the war against the White Walkers – who, let’s not forget, now have a dragon of their own. Despite promises to the contrary, Cersei has no intention of sending Lannister forces to help with the small matter of saving the world either. Even if Dany survives, her numbers will be decimated. She is on shakier ground than she may think.

Likelihood of winning: Fair to middling. But she’s managed to conquer everyone else, so why not?

Cersei Lannister

Deliciously shrewd ... Cersei Lannister. Photograph: HBO

Though her allies have grown scant in recent seasons, it’s vital to remember that the last fools to underestimate Queen C are still being wiped off the walls of King’s Landing. Though it cost her a general (Jaime), a brother (Jaime again) and the father to her unborn child (yep, Jaime also), Cersei’s plan to allow the Walkers to thin out Jon and Dany’s armies, while keeping her own Lannister forces close by, is a deliciously shrewd one. All she will have to do is mop up the gory puddles of whatever’s left. Cersei also still has Euron Greyjoy and his ships on side, as well as The Mountain and the Golden Company mercenaries. Not bad going for someone who – and let’s be fair to her – is really not very nice at all.

Likelihood of winning: Strong. She’s the only woman in the world who can make holding a goblet of wine look utterly terrifying.

Jon Snow

Not even death has stopped him ... Jon Snow. Photograph: HBO

If Jon and Dany manage to see off both the White Walkers and Cersei then Jon’s sense of honour would surely see him bend his knee before the Mother of Dragons. The spanner in the works here is Jon’s true parentage: his real name is Aegon Targaryen, and he is – by every measure Dany uses to justify her own claim to power – the rightful heir to that stabbiest of chairs. It’s not inconceivable that the two of them will come to blows once this awkward fact comes to light. Jon is also in with a shot if Dany doesn’t survive the Great War with the Walkers, leaving him to overthrow Cersei alone. He and Dany could also marry, which is gross. But, as we all know, not as uncommon as it should be among Westeros royalty.

Likelihood of winning: Actual death hasn’t been able to stop him, so why should incest?

Gendry

Will he step up? ... Gendry. Photograph: HBO

The most notable of Robert’s illegitimate progeny, in that he’s basically the only one left unslaughtered by Joffrey, blacksmith-turned-handsome badass Gendry is the last known member of the Baratheon bloodline. He pledged himself to House Stark, sure, but what if they all died? What if there were no Targaryens or Lannisters left? And what if no one else wanted the job, or were busy for some reason? Gendry would have to step up. He’d get no say in the matter.

Likelihood of winning: Considering the sheer number of people who would have to die first, not good.

The Night King

Will he trigger an interminable ice age? ... The Night King. Photograph: Helen Sloan/HBO

All this talk about who gets to sit on a silly pointy seat will mean nothing if the Night King simply cuts a frosty swathe across Westeros and murders everyone, triggering an interminable ice age in which the last vestiges of humanity freeze to death in their beds. A grand statement about how, ultimately, politics, money and power are meaningless in the face of an unstoppable environmental catastrophe? Republicans would hate it.

Likelihood of winning: High. A nihilistic ending in which everybody dies just seems very Game of Thrones.

The Hound

Last man standing? ... The Hound. Photograph: Helen Sloan/HBO

If matters are as simple as who’s left standing when the fighting stops, it’s The Hound, isn’t it?

Likelihood of winning: Low – he’ll have to survive Cleganebowl first.

Bronn

Will he stage a coup? ... Bronn. Photograph: HBO

It is, of course, entirely possible to snatch the Iron Throne through conquest, which is how Robert Baratheon came to power. Since Jaime left King’s Landing at the end of last season to join the fight against the Walkers, Bronn is a free agent. He may follow his friend. Or he could rally any Lannister troops still loyal to him and stage a coup in the Red Keep, all while Jon and Dany are busy knackering themselves out up north. Then, he simply follows Cersei’s original plan and wipes them out.

Likelihood of winning: Very low, sadly.

Samwell Tarly

Decency may win the day ... Samwell Tarly. Photograph: HBO

Because sometimes compassion and decency win the day, ok?

Likelihood of winning: Oh, come on. He’s an idiot.