One of the most talked-about moments from Game of Thrones season seven was when Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) murdered Petyr Baelish, a.k.a Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen), in front of literally everyone. It was a long time coming for fans, who had been waiting to see Littlefinger pay for all the scheming he’s done in Winterfell. I mean, right before Arya slit his throat, Sansa casually reminded him that he betrayed both her and her mother. He was a bad apple, simply put, and fans weren’t sad to see him go.
But what if Littlefinger isn’t actually dead? That’s what a YouTuber who goes by Neo suggests in this recently-unearthed fan theory. Neo posits Littlefinger paid one of the Faceless Men of Braavos to die in his place so he could GTFO. Of course, Game of Thrones fans know the Faceless Men have the shape-shifting abilities to easily pull this off—and Neo has evidence to back his theory.
Think back to the fifth episode of season seven, for instance, when Littlefinger is talking in hushed tones to an unfamiliar woman. Neo believes this woman told Littlefinger his “time is up,” effectively tipping him off that Winterfell wanted him dead. We then see Littlefinger drop a coin in her hand—the same coin, Neo suggests, that Arya used to pay a Braavos in an earlier season. Ultimately, Neo concludes this woman was a Faceless Man sent to kill Arya—but Littlefinger intervened with the coin and instructed said Faceless Man to die in his place. Make sense? Watch Neo’s video here to learn more.
For what it’s worth, many fans seem to think Littlefinger is alive too:
Obviously, Neo’s theory has its problems. For one, we’ve never seen a Faceless Man use their abilities to die in someone’s place. Also, bringing back such an abhorrent character might anger the fandom. Game of Thrones has pulled more shocking stunts, though. At the very least, this is interesting fodder to keep us occupied until the show returns April 14 on HBO.