Petyr Baelish (a.k.a. Littlefinger) was, without a doubt, one of the best-written characters in "Game of Thrones." His death scene, however, despite being satisfying to most fans, can only be described as ridiculous at best. It was almost as if the showrunners didn't know what to do with his characters anymore, so they got rid of him in the cheapest way possible. Unless they didn't.
What do I mean?
Well, according to one theory, Littlefinger might just be alive and well waiting for the perfect moment to re-appear. How is this even possible, you ask? Let's dive right in and explore what was really going on with Littlefinger in "Game of Thrones" Season 7.
The unbelievable twist
It's no secret that Littlefinger, otherwise a master manipulator, had a bit of a soft spot for Sansa Stark. However, that still doesn't mean that he would let his guard down so easily in "Game of Thrones" season 7. Unless, of course, that was all a part of his game. But even if he did put all his trust into Sansa, that certainly changed as soon as the Three-eyed Raven, previously known as Bran, arrived in Winterfell.
Remember the scene in which the all-seeing Bran repeated Littlefinger's famous "chaos is a ladder" catchphrase? Well, according to this theory, that's exactly when Littlefinger realized who/what he was up against. And if that wasn't enough trouble for Littlefinger, Arya showed up, along with her unique sword-fighting skills. This Braavos dance was a clear signal to Littlefinger that this girl is dangerous, and that he needed to act fast.
So, we are led to believe that Littlefinger's next move would be to turn sister against sister. One detail from Episode 5, however, may suggest otherwise. The first thirty seconds from the following clip are worth a look.
You see Littlefinger talking to some unknown girl.
And if you enhance the volume, you can clearly hear this girl saying something along the lines of "your time is up." And then he proceeded to give her something resembling a coin.
One theory suggests that this girl was the member of the Faceless Men cult. And as soon as she received what, according to this theory, was the coin from Braavos, she was obligated to wear Littlefinger's face. And before you disagree, yes, a Faceless Man can wear the face of a person who's still alive. Just take a look at this scene from the Season 5 finale when Arya saw a person wearing Jaqen's face despite the fact that Jaqen turned out to be alive and well in the end. Not to mention the fact that she also saw her own face in that scene, right before she went blind.
Where did Littlefinger go?
Even if this theory is true and that Littlefinger is indeed alive, that still doesn't answer the most important question of all: where did he go?
As reported by the Daily Express, one fan on Reddit suggests that Littlefinger is hiding in Braavos. Others wonder what his role would be in "Game of Thrones" Season 8. "Though he was a mastermind and definitely played one of the main roles in orchestrating The War of the Five Kings," one user suggests, "there isn't really a place for him in the next chapter of this story as far as the war against the White Walkers is concerned."
Credit to Neo for coming up with this theory.
My opinion
This theory sounds too far-fetched, even for "Game of Thrones." But that still doesn't make it impossible.
In fact, it would be one hell of a twist if Littlefinger is indeed alive, hiding in Braavos, waiting for the perfect moment to return.
And speaking of the perfect moments, Littlefinger could very well show up in King's Landing at the very end of the Great War when everything is destroyed, just in time to become what he always wanted to become, the king of the ashes.
"He would see this country burn if he could be the king of the ashes," Varys, describing Littlefinger to Lady Olenna in Season 3.
There are a lot of "Game of Thrones" rumors about the Season 8 release date as well. It doesn't end there, though, as a new outline sheds lights on the Night King's motivation.