Tyrion Lannister is among only a handful of lucky Game of Thrones characters who have survived from the show's first season to its last. It hasn't been easy—especially for him. He's spent his entire life being abused by his family and the realm—even though he's one of the smartest leaders to have walked the Red Keep. Having been betrayed by his family, and the people he worked to keep safe, he's placed his allegiance with a leader who respects his intellect and counsel.
After seven seasons, Tyrion finds himself in one of the most powerful positions in centuries: The hand to a Dragon Queen. Given that, Tyrion has a very important role to play in the coming episodes. So here are the best Tyrion theories heading into Game of Thrones Season Eight.
He’s a Secret Targaryen
The theory that Tyrion is secretly a Targaryen has been floated for years. The hypothesis goes like this: Tywin wasn’t Tyrion’s father, and he’s actually the child of Joanna Lannister and the Mad King Aerys Targaryen. Before before she died giving birth to Tyrion, Joanna lived at King’s Landing and served as a lady-in-waiting to Aeryrs’ sister/queen, Rhaella.
This theory is plausible on a couple levels. First of all, it would help explain why Tywin hated Tyrion so much despite loving his other children, Jaime and Cersei. Potential clues date back to the first episode, in which Tyrion told Jon that he could empathise with his outsider status by telling him that “all dwarves are bastards in their fathers' eyes.” Now we know that Jon was actually born of the lawful marriage of Rheagar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, so wouldn’t it be ironic if Tyrion were the bastard all along? Also, all the mothers of known Targaryen children died during childbirth like Tyrion's mother.
And if this theory is true, Tywin’s last words would be a pretty major clue. After Tyrion shot him, a dying Tywin choked out a damning sentence: “You’re no son of mine."
This would also fit in the three-headed dragon theory. In the books, Dany has a vision of her brother Rheagar in which he tellers her that “the dragon has three heads.” While that’s also just a description of House Targaryen’s sigil, some fans interpreted the vision as a prophecy meaning that Dany would be joined by two other Targaryens, and that they’d each ride one of her three dragons.
The theory got its biggest boost in Season 6, when Tyrion successfully freed Rhaegal and Viserion to join their mother, seemingly befriending the dragons in and getting close to them without being burnt to a crisp.
The three-headed dragon theory already seems close to coming at least partially true—Jon Snow was revealed to be a Targaryen at the end of Season 6, and he may well ride into battle on one of Dany’s dragons. But it took a hit with the death of Viserion, as it doesn’t seem likely that Jon or Tyrion will be riding the undead dragon into battle anytime soon.
He’s Going to Betray Daenerys
In George R.R. Martin’s novels, while in the House of the Undying, Daenerys receives the prophecy that she will be betrayed three times, once for love, once for gold, and once for blood. This specific scene wasn’t included in the show, but Dany has already suffered multiple treacheries, including the blood-avenging betrayal of the witch Mirri Maz Duur. And she’s also been sold out for profit by characters ranging from Jorah Mormont to Qarth merchant Xaro Xhoan Daxos. That means we’re still expecting someone to betray her for love, and some fans are saying Tyrion’s the guy.
Tyrion could easily have conspired with Cersei when the two reluctantly reunited at King’s Landing last season. The scene ended abruptly after Tyrion realized Cersei is pregnant—we never saw the end of their conversation, and it’s possible that the two came up with a plan to undermine Dany. He has no love for Cersei and almost certainly wouldn't betray Daenerys for her, but he’s loved (most of) his nieces and nephews and may feel protective of the child she’s carrying. And he definitely loves Jaime, and we’ve seen that he’s torn about fighting on the opposite team from his big brother.
He's in Love With Daenerys
This theory really got off the ground during the Season Seven finale, when Tyrion looked on the impending boat sex/incest between Jon and Dany with a mysteriously lingering stare. Was he considering the fact that he’d already sold them out in order to help his family? Was he filled with a primordial intuitive disgust that his half-sister was about to sleep with his nephew? Or, as this particular theory posits, was he seething with envy, secretly in love with Daenerys himself?
This theory got a big boost late last year when fans noticed hints in old Game of Thrones scripts that the show made public. In Season Six, one script described a Tyrion who sounds like he wants to be more than just friends with his queen:
He studies her face. [. . .] Dany is staring into the distance so Tyrion is able to watch her from up close. Goddamn but she is beautiful. [. . .] He watches her for a beat too long and turns away. Lost in her own thoughts, she doesn’t notice that he’s flustered.
This theory could work in tangent with the treason hypothesis—if Tyrion loves her and yet betrays her, perhaps thinking (as when he cautioned against the execution of Tarlys) that he knows better than than his queen, his betrayal could be rooted in love for her.
Tyrion is the Prince that Was Promised
We’re still waiting to find out just who Azor Ahai/The Prince That Was Promised will be and one theory holds that Tyrion’s the guy. The original Azor Ahai was a great warrior who defeated the White Walkers generations ago, bringing the Long Night to an end. Many of the societies in Martin’s books feature tales such a saviour, and some fans posit that Azor Ahai, the Prince That Was Promised, and The Last Hero are all the same White Walker-fighting figure, prophesied to return to battle his blue-eyed nemeses once more.
According to the prophesies, Azor Ahai "shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone,” and they’ll wield Lightbringer, the "Red Sword of Heroes.” Melisandre used to think Stannis was the promised prince, but in Season Seven she declared that both Jon Snow and Daenerys could play a role in the prophecy, which makes sense as Daenerys woke her dragons out of their eggs and Jon Snow’s Valerian Steel sword, Longclaw, is a proven White Walker-killer.
But there might be room for Tyrion in this thing—he was metaphorically reborn amidst the smoke of wildfire and ocean sea salt at the Battle of the Blackwater, and he definitely proved himself to be a deft hand with Dany’s dragons when he successfully freed Viserion and Rhaegal. His case for being the PTWP isn’t as strong as Jon and Dany’s, perhaps, but if Melisandre is suggesting that the promised prince may be multiple people, perhaps Tyrion will join them in being the third. It would definitely fit in with the secret Targaryen theory—maybe the Prince that Was Promised and the Three-Headed Dragon are one and the same, and that together Jon, Dany, and Tyrion will be the return of Azor Ahai.
He’s Going to Start Channelling His Dad
On the other end of the spectrum from the “Tyrion is a secret Targaryen” theory is a hypothesis that finds Tyrion really leaning into his Lannister roots. One fan on the Game of Thrones Reddit noticed that these days Tyrion is dressing a lot like Tywin Lannister used to, favouring the black doublet look and sporting his Hand of the King/Queen pin. That could mean that mean he’s going to follow in his father’s footsteps, perhaps developing into a ruthless power player, or even embracing his Lannister identity and abandoning Daenerys entirely.
