A New ‘Game Of Thrones’ Photo May Reveal The Return Of A Beloved Character [Spoilers]

Since Sunday night’s episode of Game of Thrones, fans have been speculating what will happen to Arya next. After disobeying the orders of Jaqen, Arya used up all her strikes and the Waif was given permission to kill Arya. In the latest episode of Game of Thrones, we saw the Waif surprise Arya, using the face of an old woman, and stab Arya repeatedly in the stomach, giving us all Red Wedding flashbacks.

Although it looked like Arya might be a goner, she was able to kick the Waif and make her escape, but how long can she survive on her own with multiple stab wounds and the Waif on her tail? Probably not too long. Unless she gets help.

Popular Game of Thrones fan site Watchers on the Wall posted new photos from Episode 8 of this season, one of which seems to be a leaked photo. According to Mic, the photo is not on the HBO media site, unlike the other photos the Watchers on the Wall posted. The photo shows the Waif, and in the background is someone standing in the shadows who looks quite a bit like Arya’s long-lost, and presumed dead, teacher, Syrio Forel.

Syrio, who was originally from Braavos, was last seen in Season 1, facing off against Ser Meryn Trant to protect Arya from being taken by the Lannister guards. Arya believes Syrio is dead and that Meryn killed him, but fans have never been quite certain that’s the case. When it comes to Game of Thrones, if you don’t see the character die, it’s best to just believe they’re still alive somewhere. This idea was even hinted at in Season 4 when Arya told the Hound (who also recently returned from the “dead”) that Meryn Trant killed Syrio. The Hound mocked Syrio believing that no one could really lose to Trant, and if Syrio did, that means he was a bad fighter. This, of course, isn’t true as we saw Syrio take out a few Lannister guards with only his training sword.

Last season we saw Arya kill Meryn Trant as an act of vengeance for the presumed death of Syrio, which caused her to get into trouble with Jaqen in the first place. This makes the return of Syrio seem even more likely since it would bring everything back full circle.

Game of Thrones fans have already latched onto the idea that the shadow is in fact the long-lost Syrio. Reddit user b_walker08 started a thread about the image, insinuating that the shadow does in fact look like our favorite Water Dance instructor. One commenter even provided a side-by-side view of the shadow with a picture of Syrio showing the clear similarities, and you have to admit it definitely looks like the same person.

Having Syrio return now after all this time would be surprising, but this season has been full of returns and resurrections. Plus, it only seems fitting that Syrio, the First Sword of Braavos, would be the one to save Arya and get her out of Braavos and back to Westeros safely. As Syrio himself used to always say, when it comes to the god of Death, just tell him, “Not today.”

We’ll have to wait until Sunday night’s newest episode of Game of Thrones to find out if it really is Syrio that has come back to save Arya. Until then, Game of Thrones fans will continue to theorize and make their own predictions about who exactly is the shadow behind the Waif and what that could mean for Arya.

Do you think the shadow is really Syrio? Let us know in the comments section below!

[Photo by HBO]