Lots of characters have come and gone over the years that HBO's Game of Thrones has been on the air, but since the show is rife with dragons, White Walkers, and all sorts of magical mayhem, it means the dead don't necessarily have to stay that way. For those of you who are all caught up on the happenings of Season 5, we've already seen the fallen citizens of Hardhome rise up from the dead to battle their former kinsmen. We've also seen Thoros of Myr resurrect Beric Dondarrion and, presumably, the Frankenstein-type machinations on the part of Qyburn to reanimate Ser Gregor Clegane, aka The Mountain. If new comments from Ian McShane are anything to go by, Season 6 may bring another instance of reanimation magic to the screen. Spoilers follow.

McShane joined HBO's latest season of the adaptation of George R.R. Martin's bestselling book series just this past August, but his role remains a mystery, at least officially. But when a news outlet chatted up McShane in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for his promotion of The Hollow Point, he was a little less cagey. Here's everything McShane had to say about his Game of Thrones character in an interview with Pop Goes the News:

“I’ll give you one hint: I am responsible for bringing somebody back that you think you’re never going to see again. I’ll leave it at that. [It’s] a one-off episode. That’s why I did it. But I can’t reveal anything, otherwise I will never work again.”


Image via Paramount Pictures[/caption]

He might think he's not saying much at all, but that's a huge amount of information for legions of Game of Thrones fans to chew on. Before we get to just who McShane's character might be resurrecting (or at least bringing back into the main storyline), let's dig into who the character might be a little bit first. Watchers on the Wall have reported McShane is “not Randyll Tarly or Aeron Greyjoy" and that he'll have a minimal amount of screentime alongside a band of outlaws, but that his role will be of key importance. That latter part was supported by EW as well. Vulture deduces that McShane is likely playing Season 6's new priestly character who is a mash-up of the book's Septon Meribald and the Elder Brother, which would mean we'd likely get a chance to hear the veteran actor growling out some approximation of this fantastic monologue.

Now, as for who McShane could be bringing back, someone we thought we'd never see again, well this requires more speculation. Obviously the first name that comes to mind is Jon Snow; poor Kit Harington has been watched like a hawk since his final scene in the previous season for signs of any continued work on the show. Since the Stark Clan has been pretty much wiped out of all but its youngest members, perhaps there's a chance for some of them to make a return as well: Lady Catelyn Stark, Robb Stark, and even Eddard Stark could conceivably make a comeback. (Personally I've love to see the whole Stark Clan resurrected and allied with the new armies in the North, but that's just me.) There's also a good chance we'll see Sandor Clegane "The Hound" back in fighting shape, especially since his monstrous brother is apparently still walking the earth and they have unfinished business to settle. Then again, there are plenty of corpses strewn all across the Seven Kingdoms so it could really be anybody at this point.


Who do you think it is? Who do you want it to be? We'll find out for sure once Game of Thrones returns April 2016.

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