But to paraphrase The Royal Tenenbaums, everyone knows that Ned Stark died in season one of Game of Thrones. What this article presupposes is… Maybe he didn’t?

Firstly, it has to be recognised that there’s nothing Game of Thrones loves more than a double bluff. Remember when Jon Snow died at the end of season five? And remember how distinctly not dead he actually was when it came down to it? (See also: The Hound and, um, zombie Catelyn Stark.)

Sure, there have been lots of devastating (and devastatingly final) deaths on Game of Thrones, from everyone at the Red Wedding to Oberyn Martell. But if there’s one thing we know about Game of Thrones, it’s that literally anything is possible.

The fan theory that Ned Stark might still be alive is one that is closely related to the characters of Varys and Arya. Varys has long been Westeros’ puppet master extraordinaire, pulling the strings to make everyone dance to his own tune. For instance, there are some theories that suggest that, if Samwell Tarly is a secret Targaryen (and, maybe Azor Ahai) that it was Varys who placed him in the care of the Tarlys in the first place.

Is Ned Stark still alive in Game of Thrones?