There are a lot of scary things in Westeros. Dragons, White Walkers, big beardy guys with axes and so on. But above all them, there’s one thing you simply do not screw with: the Iron Bank of Braavos.
This is the financial heft behind the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones, with even Cersei Lannister making sure to pay off her debts to it as soon as she can. Its main representative on screen for three seasons has been Tycho Nestoris, memorably played by Mark Gatiss. But will he be returning for the final hurrah?
Sadly for Gatiss fans, it’s looking like the answer is no. In an interview with Shortlist, he was asked about the final season, which has finished its shoot and is currently going through post-production, and here’s what he said:
“I’m not in it, so I guess I survive. Although they might just mention offhand that I’ve had my head bitten off by a dragon off-screen or something.”
Boo. Oh well, I’m sure there’s going to be enough bloody carnage going on that I can forgive them for not shoving in a banking subplot. His absence probably means that the Iron Bank is also unlikely to play much of a role in the final season – I guess whatever debts are incurred during these battles will have to be settled off-screen.
I’ve always liked that the Game of Thrones characters have to not only fight, but fund their wars, too. Westeros is a cut above most other fantasy settings and touches like the bank being important and nobles being in debt to it goes a long way to having the show stand apart from other fantasy epics.
I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about the final season of Game of Thrones as the year goes on, too, as it’ll probably be the biggest television event HBO’s ever screened, so expect a marketing blitz the likes of which we’ve never seen before.
