Could Catelyn Stark Still Be Alive?

As traumatized fans of Game of Thrones know all too well, Lady Catelyn Stark was shockingly and brutally slain in the penultimate episode of season three. But with the show's final season about to arrive, fans are once again wondering: could she somehow still be alive?

On the surface, it sounds impossible. After all, the infamous "Red Wedding" scene couldn't have been more clear about the deaths of Catelyn, her new daughter-in-law Talisa, and her son Robb Stark, the erstwhile King in the North. After being betrayed by Lord Roose Bolton and Lord Walder Frey who had been secretly conspiring with the villainous House Lannister to destroy the Starks Robb, Talisa, and Catelyn were all stabbed to death in horribly graphic fashion. There's no doubt about it: she was very definitely dead.

But is she going to stay dead?

First, it's important to remember that people come back from the dead in Game of Thrones all the time. Both Jon Snow and Beric Dondarrion have done it thanks to the kiss of life from the fire god known as the Lord of Light. And then on the slightly less happy side of things, the Night King has been resurrecting the dead for eons, forming a zombie army that includes not just giants, but a giant dragon.

So it's theoretically possible that Catelyn could be brought back. But more importantly, it's actually already happened… in the books, that is. Author George R. R. Martin, who wrote the fantasy novels that form the basis for Game of Thrones, resurrected Catelyn not long after the Red Wedding, with Beric Dondarrion surrendering his own immortality in order to return Catelyn to the land of the living as the vengeful Lady Stoneheart.

For her part, actress Michelle Fairley told Entertainment Weekly that Catelyn would not be returning regardless of what happened in the books.

"Yeah, the character's dead. She's dead. You respect the writers' decision. I knew the arc, and that was it. They can't stick to the books 100 percent. It's impossible… they only have 10 hours per season. They have got to keep it dramatic and exciting, and extraneous stuff along the way gets lost in order to maintain the quality of brilliant show."

Still, people associated with Game of Thrones have been known to lie in the past in order to prevent spoilers. Most famously, for example, the folks at HBO swore up and down for a year that Jon Snow was actually, really dead for good after being betrayed at the end of season 5. Naturally, of course, he was back on his feet in season 6.

Plus, even some of the show's stars have publicly hinted that more major characters would be also brought back from the grave on the side of the Night King. In 2017, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jaime Lannister, told Esquire

"The fear is that I would be turned into one of those undead. That would suck. You know some of the main characters are going to get turned. There are going to be some blue-eyed main characters running around. And, god, I hope it's not me."

Some fans, though, think that Catelyn has already re-appeared as Lady Stoneheart in season 7, passing through the background of a scene at Winterfell at the same moment her daughter, Arya, mentioned her.

And others believe the first season 8 teaser, which shows the Stark children gathered in the family crypt, hints at Catelyn's return. Keep watching the video to learn could Catelyn Stark still be alive?

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