HBO released a new trailer for Game of Thrones’ seventh season yesterday and, while there’s quite a bit to take away from it, one of the best scenes features Bran Stark.
[Warning: The following may contain spoilers for Game of Thrones.]
When we were first introduced to Bran, he was one of the more rambunctious Stark children. He loved to climb towers and, as fans will remember, was often being scolded by his mother, Catelyn Stark, for hurling himself up large towers. When the Lannisters come to visit, accompanying Robert Baratheon to visit Ned Stark, Bran catches a moment of incest between Cersei and Jamie Lannister. The following scene, which had Jamie toss Bran from the top of the tower, paralyzing one of the youngest Starks and setting up the Lannisters as Game of Thrones’ number one enemy, came to define much of the series.
For seven seasons, Bran has either sat in bed, on the back of his family’s loyal helper, Hodor, or on a makeshift sled. In the new trailer, however, Bran finally gets a wheelchair, giving him a little more independence than he’s had in previous seasons. This is important for a number of reasons — the most obvious being that it seems to symbolize Bran has returned to Winterfell and his siblings. Fans took a second to stop theorizing about what it could all mean and appreciate just how perfect seeing Bran get his independence was.
someone finally built a wheelchair for bran pic.twitter.com/yEL5bXRE0B
— Nick Summers (@nisummers) June 21, 2017
Wrote about the new Game of Thrones trailer. Mostly I'm just happy someone got my dude Bran a new wheelchair. https://t.co/um2W4iod1W pic.twitter.com/p5R0zOp8bJ
— Brian Grubb (@briancgrubb) June 21, 2017
I'm just happy someone got poor Bran a wheelchair #WinterIsHere
— . (@sabdullahh_) June 22, 2017
The only thing I learned from the new @GameOfThrones trailer: Bran finally gets a fucking wheelchair this season pic.twitter.com/BDoNgNxLHr
— Allison Eyres (@allisoneyres) June 22, 2017
There is more to Bran’s wheelchair though. In the trailer, it’s made painstakingly obvious that Bran is committed to the Three-Eyed Raven’s mission. He’s seen being dragged to the gate that separates the land Beyond the Wall and Westeros. Bran is clearly headed back to the Seven Kingdoms and, based on the trailer, it won’t be long until he’s reunited with his family.
Of course, there's the elephant in the room: the vision Bran had of the Tower of Joy. How long will it be until Bran tells his brother Jon Snow about what he saw and the crucial information that comes along with it?
All of this will hopefully be answered in the coming weeks. Game of Thrones returns to HBO on July 16 at 9 p.m. ET.