Games of Thrones spoilers have been much harder to come by for the current season, but starlet Maisie Williams has revealed that Season 6 of the hit HBO show will see the return of a long-lost character. According to Mashable , Williams dropped the spoiler during an interview on BBC Radio 1 with Nick Grimshaw on Thursday morning.
While answering questions from Game of Thrones fans on the radio show, Williams was asked whether or not Rickon Stark would be making a comeback in Season 6. Clearly feeling the pressure, Williams, who plays Arya on the show, tentatively replied “Yes. Maybe.” Following on from this, the Game of Thrones star gave a more definitive answer that will excite fans and add another intriguing plot line to the show.
“Yes, we will indeed… Oh no, I’m literally going to get off the air and someone’s going to email me!”
Maisie Williams says a long-lost character is returning to ‘Game of Thrones’ https://t.co/OkIz4k6YPU pic.twitter.com/2DmD52806U
— Mashable (@mashable) May 5, 2016
Game of Thrones spoilers such as this may not seem as major as previous ones, but it could to be pivotal to how this season plays out. With so much occurring on the show over the past few seasons, Game of Thrones fans would be forgiven for forgetting who exactly Rickon Stark is. However, as a member of fan-favorite house Stark, he is surely likely to be welcomed back with open arms.
Rickon Stark is the youngest of the Stark children, but he has not been seen since Season 3, Episode 9 (the infamous “The Rains of Castamere” episode, better know as “The Red Wedding”). The last we saw of Rickon was after his brother, Bran, sent him, Osha, and Shaggydog to find safety.
“You and Osha and Shaggydog head for the Last Hearth,” says Bran in the scene. “The Umbers are our bannermen. They’ll protect you.”
Art Parkinson (Rickon Stark) has been spotted in Belfast, along with a special guest. http://t.co/yIrtiJxW5T pic.twitter.com/DBA1QMqJGZ
— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) August 24, 2015
Radio Times reports that House Umber are a proud Northern family who fought alongside Robb Stark in the War of the Five Kings. Although they have made a few appearances on Game of Thrones , they have remained largely off-screen, and it is presumed that they have been taking care of Rickon during his absence.
While it is true that Rickon had contributed very little to the Game of Thrones narrative up until his disappearance, he could soon become a central character. As the history of Game of Thrones has shown, the Stark family are perpetual victims but also brave and noble. Since the beheading of Ned Stark in Season 1, the Stark family has scattered throughout Westeros with many meeting a grisly end.
Game of Thrones spoilers like this latest one from Maisie Williams will have many fans overjoyed to hear that another Stark will return to the fold, but some Game of Thrones fans are already theorizing that Rickon’s return will not be a happy one. The Independent reports that Rickon’s return could be as soon as the next episode, “Oathbreaker,” which airs on Monday 8. Game of Thrones fanatics have de-constructed the trailer for the upcoming episode and have concluded that Rickon could be about to encounter the ever horrifying sadist Ramsey Bolton.
In the Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 3 trailer, representatives from House Umber are shown riding to see Ramsey Bolton (this is evident through their chain link banner). Upon meeting Ramsey, one of them claims that they have a gift for him.
As the destination that Rickon was headed for, it is plausible that Rickon, sister to on-the-run Sansa, is the gift that they are referring to. However, Mashable reports that this storyline is drastically different to what occurs in A Dance with Dragons , which is the first novel to be published following the commencement of HBO’s Game of Thrones . In A Dance with Dragons , Davos Seaworth sets off to find Rickon who has been hiding out on the cannibal island of Skagos.
Game of Thrones spoilers have been much harder to come by for the current season, but Maisie Williams’ latest reveal has shone some light on a forgotten character that could well become a central player thanks to his powerful name. While many Game of Thrones fans hope that this spoiler will mean an incoming Stark family reunion, many are theorizing that Rickon could be the next Stark to be tormented by Ramsey.
[Photo by Chris Pizzello/AP Images]