Tommen Lannister is a sweet young man. He’s kind, gentle, and a loving son and husband. In a different time and place, he’d have the potential to be a wonderful king. But in a war-torn Westeros, nice guys finish either dead last or just dead, which means “Game of Thrones” fans are just waiting for the axe to fall on the black sheep of House Lannister.
Last week’s episode provided fuel for the theories that Tyrion may actually be a Targaryen and that Hodor is a horse warg gone insane. Now one “GoT” fan on Reddit has a theory that Tommen’s death will be unwittingly brought about by his dear mother Cersei, and that it all tethers to a prophecy foretelling Cersei’s hard fall from power.
Last season, we met the newest member of Cersei’s Kingsguard, Ser Robert Strong. He is believed to be the reanimated form of Gregor Clegane, who was brought back from certain death by the evil sorcery of Qyburn after being wounded by poisoned spears. Strong has shown an almost robotic obedience to Cersei, smashing in the head of anyone who dare insult or defy the former Queen Regent.
Redditor Matt_Something believes that this slavish devotion to Cersei will come back to bite her in the worst way possible. Right now, Tommen deeply loves his mom, asking her for guidance on how to be a great king. That might change when he discovers that Cersei was behind the imprisonment of his wife, Margaery. If Tommen realizes that his mom betrayed him to advance her vendetta against the Tyrells, he might start chewing her out; and if he does, Ser Robert Strong might be there to crush the king’s skull while Cersei can only protest helplessly.
As with any good “Game of Thrones” theory, this one has the most important narrative element going for it: poetic irony. Cersei has spent the entire series plotting for power and vengeance, even as she loses her children one by one. Now she might lose her last and sweetest child to a gory fate of her own unintended design. If Strong is indeed Gregor Clegane brought back as an enormous slave, than she would have been the one who created the monster who killed her child and started the treacherous events that led to his demise.
It also fits the prophecy that declared all of Cersei’s children would die “with gold on their heads” and that she would lose everything to a queen far fairer than her. It had been believed that this queen would be Daenerys Targaryen riding in with dragons in tow to barbecue those who killed her family. Instead, the prophecy could end up referring to Margaery Tyrell, who would take over the throne with all of Cersei’s children dead. Is she fairer than Cersei? She’s played by Natalie Dormer, for Others’ sake.
It’s going to be tough to see Tommen go no matter how his death is carried out, but fans might find it an easier pill to swallow if it makes Cersei eat her words about playing the game of thrones in the most painful way possible.