Beloved "Game of Thrones" character Ned Stark, played by Sean Bean, was beheaded by Ser Ilyn Payne back in the first season of the show. However, fan theories suggest that Ned Stark might still be alive.
Some "Game of Thrones" theories may seem crazy and far-fetched, but it is good to pay attention to them because some theories prove to be true – like the popular R+L=J theory. If this theory proves that Ned Stark is alive, it wouldn’t be the first that someone has come back from the dead. The Mountain, Beric Dondarrion, and Jon Snow have all come back to life in different ways on the show.
Ned Stark was never really beheaded
One theory is from the YouTube channel Fire and Blood, the theory is closely linked to the books. In the books, Ned Stark’s beheading was told from his daughter, Arya's point of view. The theory goes that it was actually Jaqen H’ghar wearing Ned’s face that was beheaded.
Jaqen H’ghar is a member of the Faceless Men of Braavos. The Faceless Men have the ability to change their appearance at will with the use of a mask made from the faces of the dead – which was proven differently in Season 5 when Arya pulls of Jaqen’s mask and sees herself before going blind.
The theory suggests that Varys paid Jaqen H’ghar to get arrested and save Ned Stark. Jaqen created a face that looks like Ned and used it to replace the real Ned Stark to be beheaded.
Meanwhile, Syrio Forel was not killed by Ser Meryn Trant but rather, escapes Trant and his men and, made his way to the Red Keep. Syrio then wears Jaqen's face and helps Ned escape.
This would also prove the popular theory that Jaqen H’ghar is Syrio Forel - the master swordfighter from Braavos Ned Stark hired to train Arya after learning she has a sword.
This theory is very convincing as Jaqen keeps telling Arya that “There is only one God, and a girl knows his name” which is eerily similar to what Syrio told Arya “There is only one god, and his name is Death”. There were also hints in the books that indicates how Ned looks different when he was executed. Both Arya and Sansa mentions that Ned looks different, while Catelyn Stark, upon receiving Ned’s bones, notes that the bones look smaller as if they were someone else's.
Ned Stark is a warg
Another theory suggests that Ned is a warg like Bran. When Ser Ilyn Payne was about to cut Ned’s head off, Ned started muttering something to himself and his eyes changed in that same way Bran does when he is warging. It is possible that warging has been genetically passed down from Ned to Bran. When Ned lowers his head and closes his eyes, he wargs into one of the flying birds that Arya sees when she was protected from witnessing the beheading of her father.
These are pretty good theories, but it also opens a lot of questions like – where has Ned been the past seasons? Why hasn’t he done anything when his family suffered and were killed? Some say that Ned has been hiding away from Westeros and is working to help pay off the debt that he and Varys owe to the Faceless Men. Could Ned really be alive and meet Jon Snow again to tell him about his mother, Lyanna Stark?
The season premiere of "Game of Thrones" Season 7 will be on July 16 on HBO.
