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Why Sansa's Fate On 'Game Of Thrones' May Not Be What You Expect

Helen Sloan/HBO

Like it or not, death is coming to Winterfell in one form or another. The Night King and his army are heading South and will soon arrive at the Stark family's doorsteps. Given how big this battle is gearing up to be, odds are not everyone will make it out of this thing alive. But what fate will befall the Lady of Winterfell? Will Sansa die in Game of Thrones Season 8 or could this underdog-turned-fierce-ruler prove to be one of the final few left standing?

The truth is, Sansa has just about as good of a shot as anyone of surviving Game of Thrones. She may have started out as a naive little girl who only cared about material possessions and marrying a prince. But now she's become one of the smartest characters on the show. Let's not forget that she grew up around the likes of both Cersei and Littlefinger, two people who never needed to wield a sword to get people to do what they wanted. Sansa is a better person than either of these people, but they taught her a great deal about the way the world works — something she could definitely use to her advantage in the weeks to come.

Granted, being smart and knowing how to manipulate others doesn't always work out in your favor. (Just look what happened to Littlefinger at the end of Season 7. And if there's any justice in this world, Cersei will get her comeuppance as well.)

However, the Night King and his Army of the Dead aren't like regular people, particularly due to the whole "being dead" thing. So reasoning or manipulating won't work with them. Killing them is probably the best course of action and it's not as though Sansa's ever been good at swordplay. (It's quite possible she's never even held a sword before.)

So in that respect, the odds of her survival could seem slim, especially if you also take into account the Season 8 teaser that found Jon, Sansa, and Arya in the Stark family crypt.

The promo found each of these characters coming face-to-face with their own statues in the crypt, which could indicate that none of them will make it out of this season in tact. (Starks are only given statues after they have died.) But that could just be a red herring thrown out there to confuse us.

Tyrion Lannister put it best in the Season 8 premiere during his chat with Sansa at Winterfell: "Many underestimated you. Most of them are dead now.” Could this be meant to foreshadow her fate at the end of the series, with Sansa once again outlasting so many others who may have seemed to have stronger survival odds? She's made it this far the game, so who's to say she won't be able to last until the very end as well.

The Night King (hopefully) won't be able to kill everyone on this show, so don't rule out Sansa Stark just yet. She may surprise you.