I Hope You're Sitting Down, Because This 'GOT' Theory Claims Littlefinger Is Still Alive

The thing that is so exhilarating about this final season of Game of Thrones is that truly anything could happen. I mean, this is a land of dragons, giants, and ice zombies... you really cannot count anything out for its big finale. And that includes a previously dead character possibly coming back to life. In fact, there is one pretty convincing theory floating around the fandom that Petyr Baelish may not actually be dead at all, and he may make a triumphant return in the show's final season. So, is Littlefinger really dead on Game of Thrones? This theory would totally change everything about how fans may have thought the final season would go.

The crux of this Reddit theory comes from the final few episodes of Season 7. In the fourth episode of that season, Littlefinger realizes that Bran Stark has figured out that he was the one who sent an assassin to kill him all the way back in Season 1. It is in this moment that Littlefinger knows he is in grave danger, and sure enough, Bran is the person who seals his fate in the end by revealing he has seen Littlefinger's betrayal Ned Stark himself, leading Sansa to order Arya to execute him. Or, at least, Arya executed someone. What if that was not really Littlefinger in the final court scene? That's what this theory posits.

According to the theory, the last time that we actually saw the real Petry Baelish was shortly after his conversation with Bran. In the following episode, we briefly see Littlefinger speaking to a young girl, and we hear her say to him, "Your time is up." He then hands the girl what could be an iron coin. This exchange may be small, but it could be hugely critical. After all, the iron coin is the currency of the Faceless Men, and that exchange very well could have been Littlefinger buying his ticket to safety.

The theory is: Petyr Baelish has been one of the Faceless Men all along. It may sound like a stretch at first, but it actually makes a ton of sense when you look back on his character. Littlefinger acts very similarly to how Jaqen H'ghar taught Arya to act. He fulfills the role of "no one" by building himself up from nothing but also always constantly staying on the sidelines, and he even created his own sigil so that he would not belong to any of Westeros' houses. Speaking of his sigil, he chose it to be the mockingbird, a bird that can easily mimic others. And that's the Faceless Men's whole thing too, obviously.

To drive it home even more, Littlefinger's great grandfather is from Braavos, the home of the Faceless Men, and he seems to react a little too slyly when Sansa asks him if he has heard of the Faceless Men.

OK, so now let's get back to Littlefinger's death. If he really is one of the Faceless Men, then that exchange with that little girl was likely a deal to switch places with another Faceless Man. That means that Arya killed someone else in that courtroom. The theory also explains why Littlefinger was acting out of character during Sansa's sentencing. The master manipulator has always been cool and collected, and declined to beg for his life even when threatened with death. But the Littlefinger in the courtroom was incredibly emotional and was quick to plead for his life. Hmm...

Fans will just have to wait to see if Littlefinger really is alive or not in Game of Thrones Season 8, which premieres on Sunday, April 14.