These Theories About Cersei's Death On "Game Of Thrones" Make A Lot Of Sense

She's definitely going to die before this is over, right?

Now that the Night King has been killed, Cersei Lannister is the last remaining Big Bad of Game of Thrones (unless you count Euron, who is wholly underwhelming.)

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With three episodes left, it seems like the plot is going to focus on how Dany, the Starks and their allies deal with Cersei – and there are a lot of theories about how she'll meet her demise.

Before we get into those, we need to talk about the valonqar prophecy, which is at the centre of so many theories about Cersei's death.

Remember back in Season 5, when there was a flashback to a young Cersei visiting Maggy the Frog, who prophesied that Cersei would marry the king and have three children, all of whom would die?

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She also said Cersei would be queen "for a time", until "there comes another, younger and more beautiful, to cast you down and take all that you hold dear".

In the books, there's even more to the prophecy. Maggy the Frog says "the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you." Valonqar is High Valyrian for "little brother". With that in mind, let's dive into the theories...

1. Tyrion will kill Cersei

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This is the most straightforward interpretation of the prophecy – and it's certainly the one that Cersei has always believed. While she has her other reasons for hating Tyrion, the belief that he would one day kill her has coloured all of her interactions with him. Even without the explicit presence of the prophecy within the show, Cersei's belief that Tyrion seeks to destroy her and her family is clear throughout the series.

At this point, it feels unlikely it will come true though. Tyrion may be allied with Dany, but he clearly has very mixed feelings about his family, and especially about killing his own father. If Tyrion hasn't killed Cersei before now, I can't see anything happening in the next three episodes that would make it meaningful for him to do so. On top of that, a lot of people think it will be Dany Tyrion betrays.

2. Jaime will kill Cersei

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This has been the most popular theory about Cersei's death for a long time. They're twins, but Jaime was born after Cersei, making him her "little brother". Given their fraught and intense history, and the fact that they're now enemies – with Cersei even ordering Bronn to kill Jaime – the idea that Jaime will kill Cersei seems more likely than ever. He's talked about wanting to die in her arms in the past. I could see them mutually destroying each other and leaving the world as they came into it – together.

3. Arya will kill Cersei

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Even before Arya killed the Night King, a lot of people thought she'd be the one to end Cersei. Cersei has been on her list for a long time, and Arya was on her way to kill her before deciding to head home to Winterfell after she learned Jon was there.

To tie in with the valonqar prophecy, some fans think Arya will take Jaime's face and kill Cersei while wearing it. But that would probably require Arya killing Jaime too, which I don't think will happen at this point. He seems pretty firmly embedded in Team Stark after the Battle of Winterfell – although who knows, maybe Bran will spill his tea and the Starks will turn on Jaime again.

Still, giving Arya BOTH major kills of the season doesn't seem like something the showrunners would do.

4. Sansa will kill Cersei

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Out of all the characters except the actual Lannisters, Sansa has the most personal beef with Cersei. She held her captive for years, and Sansa knows what she's capable of better than anyone. As Jon pointed out in Season 7, Sansa almost has a weird sense of admiration towards Cersei. For better or worse, she learned a lot from her. It'd be interesting to see them come face to face again after all these seasons – but I don't think Sansa will deliver the final blow.

5. Daenerys will kill Cersei

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Daenerys could be the "younger and more beautiful" queen who will cast Cersei down once and for all. This is Dany's war against Cersei now, after all. But beyond the fight for the Iron Throne, there are no personal stakes at play, and it would ultimately be pretty boring if Dany was the one to take down Cersei. I'm marking this down as unlikely.

6. Cersei will die in childbirth

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Cersei may or may not be pregnant at this point. If she is, one things seems certain: she and the baby won't both survive. The "little brother" of the prophecy could be her children's little brother, and she could die as a result of pregnancy-related complications. It wouldn't be the first woman Game of Thrones has killed off in this way.

7. Cersei will take herself – and everyone else – out, full Mad Queen-style

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We've seen Cersei deploy wildfire against her enemies and act in other ways that are reminiscent of the Mad King. You know, the guy who planned to blow up King's Landing with wildfire. It would totally make sense if Cersei felt backed into a corner after having lost everything (including her baby) and decided to just follow suit and go out in a blaze of green fury.

8. Cersei won't die

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A lot of fans love quoting Ramsay Bolton's "if you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention" to point out that Game of Thrones is going to end miserably. But George R. R. Martin has always maintained that the series will end in a "bittersweet" way – which implies the heroes have to triumph in some way, even if they are irreparably damaged in the process.

In my mind, there's no way Cersei is getting out of this alive. Not after everything she's done. Then again, this season has already delivered a huge plot twist that spits in the face of years of prophecy-based fan theories, so it could happen again.

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