Characters That Might Kill Cersei Lannister On Game Of Thrones

The traditional coronation chant on Game of Thrones has always been "long may s/he reign," but it's hardly proven prophetic for the Iron Throne's most recent inhabitants, Kings Joffrey and Tommen in particular. Now that Cersei Lannister has been crowned Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, the clock is already ticking on how long she'll survive as Protector of the Realm (even the actress who portrays her, Lena Headey, said she thinks the character will be but a blip on Westeros' royal radar). The most pressing question, though, is who will ultimately be the one to dethrone the Mad Queen. We've got a few ideas.

Throughout the series, Jaime Lannister (Cersei's brother, lover, and biological father of her now-perished three children), has been her most ardent supporter. His unfailing commitment to their taboo relationship, however, might be tested as the new seasons roll in because even though she's never been a proverbial picnic of a person, she's probably about to get a lot worse. Her kiddos, who had always drawn out that final speck of humanity that remained within her, are all gone. While her last child was still alive, she torched the entire Sept of Baelor and all of its occupants, watching with a grin and a celebratory cup of wine. Just imagine what she'll be capable of now.

Let's not forget that Jaime Lannister earned his notoriety as "Kingslayer" by turning the sword on King Aerys II Targaryen to avoid him carrying out similarly fiery mass killings once upon a time, and the look he gave Cersei at the tail end of season 6 indicates his mind, it is a-changing. Perhaps not coincidentally, the same prophecy Maggy the Frog once gave Cersei about the fate of her children also included the news that she'd be killed by "the valonqar," who "shall wrap his hands around [her] pale white throat and choke the life from [her]." The term, in High Valyrian, literally means "little brother," and while Jaime is her twin, he was born after her, so he still technically fits the profile.

Headey, for one, thinks it might be Cersei's other little brother who'll do the job. In her chat with Entertainment Weekly, she revealed that the reason she's vetting Tyrion for the queen-slaying gig is that "no one would relish her death as much as he would." Indeed, the complexity and bitterness that has defined their sibling rivalry over the course of the show is already storied enough, but now that he's actually serving as her pending rival's Hand to the Queen, their animosity will reach new levels of intrigue in the coming seasons. (Thanks to Tyrion's take-down of Tywin Lannister, too, we already know he's fully capable of killing one of his own kin.)

Season 6 saw the elimination of a major member of Arya Stark's Kill List—specifically, Walder Frey—and now just a few names remain: Melisandre the Red Woman, Beric Dondarrion of the Brotherhood Without Banners, Ser Gregor Clegane a.k.a. the Mountain, Ser Sandor Clegane a.k.a. the Hound (although she probably thinks he's dead since she left him in a bleeding heap in Season 4), Ilyn Payne (who's been M.I.A. from the show since Season 2 due to the actor's health issues), and, yes, Cersei.

While it seems more likely that Arya might run into the Hound and/or Beric before encountering Cersei again, given their current close proximity, she could also very well set off for King's Landing to take her name off the list alongside the Hound, who became a pseudo-father figure to her during the Stark family's darkest hour. (As an added bonus, if that were to happen, the much-hyped CleganeBowl event everyone's been clamoring for could also happen, since the Mountain is still Cersei's chief protector and would need to be taken out first for Arya to access the Queen.)

Another prime suspect for the hypothetical murder of Cersei is the woman who aims to overthrow her, Daenerys Targaryen. The Mother of Dragons is now currently en route to Westeros to stake her claim as the rightful heir to the Seven Kingdoms (as the daughter of King Aerys II Targaryen, whose coup was staged by Cerise's late husband King Robert Baratheon), and no one knows as well as these two women that the most efficient way to claim the Iron Throne is to seize it from the cold, dead corpse of its former inhabitant. Dany might usually do most of her warring with her words, allowing her dragons and soldiers to do all the dirty work, but there's nothing she wouldn't do to get Cersei out of that chair—guaranteed.

If there's anyone who's got a personal vendetta against Cersei right now, it's Olenna Tyrell, whose grandchildren (and last house heirs) Margaery and Loras were just viciously vanquished at Cersei's hand. We've already seen her aligning with the Sand Snakes of Dorne, and her house's crest was spotted among the many sails in Daenerys' fleet of ships. Plus, she literally has nothing left to lose except her shot at revenge at this point, so we can definitely count on her to be a wild card in the game.

It's a stretch, but Maggy the Frog's foretelling could also extend to the Hound, who is the younger brother of Cersei's zombified bodyguard, because the prophecy says that "the valonqar" will end her, not "her valonqar." What better way to get back into Arya's good graces than to check another big name off her list? (Plus, he could exact some long-overdue payback against his brother for burning half of his face off when they were children.)

Another long-shot possibility is Jon Snow, the new King in the North. Sure, he's got his hands full preparing to fight off the Night King's undead army, but as a member of House Stark, he has as much a right to payback as anyone. After all, Cersei and her family are in one way or another responsible for the deaths of Eddard Stark, Catelyn Stark, Robb Stark, and direwolves Lady and Grey Wind. If Jon's ascension to power continues south, the Iron Throne would be the logical next step in his unexpected Westerosian domination...although his aunt Daenerys might take issue with that move.