Devout viewers of HBO’s Game of Thrones have in its nearly six full seasons come to accept the fact that no matter their level of affection for a character, he or she may meet a grizzly demise regardless of how beloved or how seemingly central to the series’ increasingly involved plot they may be. The fate of all remains constantly uncertain, and our sources close to the hit fantasy show have given us indication that audiences may need to begin to prepare themselves for the departure of a long cherished member of the cast, or – more specifically – a portion of a member of the cast.
At the time that Season 2’s “The Battle of Blackwater” was being shot, it was reported that the responsibilities of the stunt performers doubling for Peter Dinklage consisted primarily of running and being struck to the ground in the attack sequence, which resulted in Tyrion’s current facial scar. As many viewers familiar with George R.R. Martin’s novels noted at the time, the damage to Tyrion’s face during the battle was not nearly so severe as what happened in the novel A Song of Ice and Fire, in which the character’s nose is properly severed, resulting in his having the ‘face of a swine’ following the incursion.
Preferring not to add insult to literal injury, the producers chose for Tyrion to instead suffer a scar running the length of the character’s face, rather than sully Peter Dinklage’ handsome visage with gross deformity; a preference, it can be assumed, of the actor, the adoring audience and HBO’s marketing department. These same stunt performers, however, are now being given the strong impression that – though chronologically displaced – this fate may befall Dinklage’s character in what is also believed to be the penultimate season of the series.
According to our sources, the stuntment have been instructed to begin intense combat training in preparation for season 7 and to consult with production designers in order to have full casts made of their heads when previously, use of armour and a wig sufficed. It’s still a matter of speculation at this point, but the fact that doubles are being prepared to be shot from the front in combination with combat training for a character that has with one exception avoided physical confrontation, suggests that Tyrion and his hitherto preserved face may be due to encounter some manner of ungainly violence. As such, those adorning their walls with posters of Game of Thrones‘ diminutive Adonis may need to brace themselves for outrage.