Every Game of Thrones Character Confirmed For The Battle of Winterfell

Game of Thrones' final showdown will be the Battle of Winterfell where the armies of the living and the dead meet. Here's everybody who's confirmed to be a part of the battle (so far).

As Game of Thrones season 8 rapidly approaches, it’s becoming clearer and clearer the Battle of Winterfell is one of the pivotal events of the entire series. This is where the final battle with the White Walkers seems to take place, deciding the future of Westeros and beyond. The longest ever battle sequence ever shot, it was the subject of Entertainment Weekly’s in-depth season 8 cover story and now the long-awaited Game of Thrones season 8 trailer has shown the heroes preparing for battle.

That a lot of characters were at Winterfell in Game of Thrones season 8 had already been revealed care of HBO production stills, but with it clear that the War To Come is now just over the horizon, we now know a lot more about who's taking part in the Battle of Winterfell and what exactly their role will be. Here's every character to be at the Stark seat would actually take part in the confrontation between the living and the dead.

This Page: Characters Essential To The Battle of Winterfell
Page 2: Characters With Unclear Roles In The Battle of Winterfell
Page 3: Characters Who May Be At The Battle of Winterfell

Jon and Dany

Jo,n Daenerys and Unsullied in Game of Thrones

While both characters were featured in the Entertainment Weekly article detailing the arduous shoot, the Game of Thrones season 8 trailer barely features Jon fighting during the Battle of Winterfell and Dany isn’t seen at all. She and Jon approach Winterfell on horseback, investigate some scorched earth north of the Wall and share a quiet moment in the crypts. After that, the only shot we get of Dany is one at Winterfell during daylight hours. This doesn’t mean she won’t be involved in the Battle of Winterfell, but it is curious that she isn’t shown in the fray. That could be because she’s riding a dragon and doing various exciting things the show didn’t want to spoil just yet, or it could be that she’s on a separate mission of some kind. Thank to EW, though, we know both will have a part to play.

Brienne and Pod

Ever the loyal Stark servant and ever the loyal squire, both Brienne and Pod are seen standing on the front lines near the end of the trailer awaiting the army of the dead. It's also likely the figure fighting on the battlements backlit by fire is Brienne as well, which means she lives through the first part of the confrontation at the very least. Pod, for all his devotion, might not be so lucky. His lack of prowess regarding the mechanics of knighthood were endearing up until now, but with the final season of Game of Thrones promising a high body count, Pod’s survival feels like a pretty big ask.

Missandei and Greyworm

Dany’s most trusted advisor and the commander of the Unsullied both have parts to play in the Battle of Winterfell. They’re shown kissing tenderly presumably before Greyworm makes his way to the front to command his troops. Missandei is no warrior, so it’s likely she might wind up in the crypts with Varys, her fate in others' hands. As for Greyworm, the Unsullied clearly fail at keeping the army of the dead back as we see shots of active combat inside the castle – there’s a chance he’s taken out in the first wave of action.

Jorah Mormont

Jorah Mormont’s taken a long and windy road back to honor during his time on the show. He betrayed his house by engaging in the slave trade and he betrayed his queen by spying on her at Robert Baratheon’s behest. But despite his, at times, slippery relationship with the truth, his devotion to Dany has remained constant since season 1, so it’s no surprise he’s prominently featured at the Battle of Winterfell, one shot from the trailer on horseback in front of a cadre of Dothraki. With Greyworm leading the Unsullied and Jon and Dany presumably on dragons or commanding the entire battalion, it makes sense that Jorah would lead the horselords into the fray. Though, the fact that the battle makes it to Winterfell doesn’t speak highly of the Dothraki and the Unsullied’s success in keeping the dead at bay. It could be that Jorah doesn’t survive any longer than Greyworm.

Davos Seaworth

For someone as bereft of fighting prowess as Davos claims he is, his proximity to power often makes sure he’s in the thick of some of the show’s biggest clashes. His seafaring abilities saw him play an integral, if ultimately losing, role in the Battle of the Blackwater, he stood by Stannis’ side as the late Baratheon who-would-be-king cut down Mance Rayder’s forces after the Battle for Castle Black, and he commanded his own unit in the Battle of the Bastards. That said, it’s not for a love of fighting that Davos is present at Winterfell as seen in the trailer. The former smuggler is loyal to a fault, and per EW he's going to be right there at Jon’s side helping to defeat the Night King in whatever capacity he can offer.

Jaime Lannister

If you had any lingering doubts about the Kingslayer’s eventual arrival at Winterfell, they should be washed away at this point. The Game of Thrones season 8 trailer not only shows Jaime in the middle of the castle as it’s burning, he’s also seen arriving at Winterfell and declaring his intention to fight on the side of the living, just as he promised. It’s not surprising he might have to make his case considering his twin’s duplicity and his own attempted murder of Dany and Bran, but it looks like cooler heads prevail and Jamie Lannister’s allowed to help fight the Night King in whatever way he can. Despite having never met the dead in battle, Jaime’s military prowess would no doubt come to at least some use, and he’s also pretty skilled at handling a lance, as seen in “The Spoils of War.”

Page 2 of 3: Game of Thrones Characters With Unclear Roles In The Battle of Winterfell

Arya Stark

It looks like after all her wishing, hoping and training, Arya will finally get her chance to be a knight (or as close to one as she can get). EW confirmed her presence on the Battle of Winterfell set and the trailer opened with her, bruised and terrified, running through the castle halls. In another scene, she’s much more collected speaking about meeting yet another face of death and toying with a dragonglass dagger.

Given Arya’s only gotten a few real chances to show off her fighting skills (her final duel with the Waif and sparring with Brienne), seeing her use everything she's learned is long overdue. That said, while she’s had extensive training, it was in spycraft and one-on-one combat from the Faceless Men, not a massive battle. It should be interesting to see how her skills translate and what role she’ll play.

Tyrion Lannister

Tyrion Lannister is another unlikely hero who’s seen more action than one would’ve expected from a dwarf. He lead the hill tribes to victory at the Battle of the Whispering Wood during season 1 (until he’s almost immediately knocked out) and he presided over much of the Crown’s upset victory over Stannis Baratheon during the Battle of the Blackwater (despite his father taking all of the credit).

After a few years sitting out live combat (narrowly missing the “opportunity” to fight for his life in Meereenese slave pits), Tyrion might find himself back in the thick of it as the Night King makes his way south. The Entertainment Weekly feature names Peter Dinklage as one of the actors present for the Battle of Winterfell’s endless shoot. Curiously, though, the only shot of Tyrion in the Game of Thrones season 8 trailer appears to be from either before or after the battle as he’s shown in daylight and the battle appears to take place at night. What aid Tyrion can or will be allowed to offer his queen remains to be seen – especially given the arrival of his brother...

Samwell Tarly, Gilly & Little Sam

Game of Thrones season 6 - Sam and Gilly

Sam arrived at Winterfell with Gilly and Little Sam at the end of Game of Thrones season 7, just in time to help Bran unpack the fact that Jon was the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, and the true heir to the Iron Throne. As committed as Sam is to Jon and helping defeat the Night King, there’s literally nothing that could convince he’s not a huge part of the Battle of Winterfell, both in strategy and combat. If that’s not enough, Jon Bradley’s featured in the Entertainment Weekly feature receiving combat direction from director Miguel Sapochnik. Gilly and Little Sam, meanwhile, are seen in the background of the trailer in the Winterfell crypts...

Varys

Varys is seen huddling in the Winterfell crypts with Gilly, Sam and others who presumably could contribute very little to a battle. This shouldn't be too surprising; all of the Spider's expertise lies in Westerosi politics, not ice demons, so unless there’s some kind of political element added to the White Walker conflict (or a raven from Cersei to review), it’s probable that while Varys will certainly be present for the Battle of Winterfell, we won’t see that much of him.

Sansa and Bran Stark (Maybe)

Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark and Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark in Game of Thrones

While there hasn’t been any footage released of Bran and Sansa actually in battle, it's hard to imagine the Three-Eyed Raven and the Lady of Winterfell anywhere but the castle when the Night King’s army arrives. Sansa was confirmed to play a part by the EW cover story, although it's unclear what degree of action it will entail. Bran is more of an unknown, but his contributions will probably come before the confrontation as his ability to see the Night King’s movements will no doubt help the forces at Winterfell prepare for what’s to come.

Page 3 of 3: Game of Thrones Characters Who May Be At The Battle of Winterfell

Gendry (Maybe)

The Game of Thrones season 8 trailer doesn't show Gendry in combat, but it looks like his smithy skills have been put to good use creating dragonglass weapons. A brief clip shows him in a forge that can only be located in Winterfell or very close by. Given his loyalty to Jon and commitment to helping defeat the Night King, it’s highly unlikely he’s going to sit this fight out the way he did the confrontation in “Beyond the Wall.”

Sandor Clegane (Maybe)

The Hound’s scarred visage can be seen briefly in the Game of Thrones season 8 trailer, with Sandor Clegane surrounded by flames. Some portion of the battle appears to feature Winterfell burning from fire (emanating from Viserion or just part of the castle’s own defenses gone awry), which this may just be. It would definitely be fitting considering the last time he found himself in a firefight, The Hound didn’t stick around to see who won; but unlike the Battle of Blackwater Bay, there’s no safe place for him to run should his fears get the better of him this time. He might be motivated to work through just so he can survive long enough to kill his brother.

Tormund, Beric and Dolorous Edd

When last we saw Tormund and Beric, they were at Eastwatch By-The Sea narrowly escaping death when Viserion blew through the Wall with the greatest of ease. There had been minor speculation as to whether or not one or both had survived, but thankfully the trailer proved any doubters wrong when it clearly showed the duo walking through a passageway with Dolorous Edd. The question is, where are they? It makes sense that they’d end up at Castle Black in an effort to alert the Lord Commander to what happened (unless they managed to snag a raven before Viserion blew apart the rookery), or even go there at Jon’s behest to recruit the Night’s Watch to the Battle of Winterfell. Or it could be that all three men are at Winterfell when we see them in the trailer, doing something relevant to the battle.