Tormund’s perspective gave the final moments of the Game of Thrones finale some real heft. Though the image of the army of the dead finally going south of the Wall is a downer, the worst part is we don’t know what happened to Tormund. So many questions are left unanswered. Will he ever shave? Will he ever take a bath? Most importantly, will he ever get together with Brienne?
Image Courtesy of Mubi
We’ll have to wait until season nine to find out Tormund’s fate. Until then, Vulture sat down with Tormund actor Kristofer Hivju to get his take on the situation. Here’s what Hivju said:
Vulture: It’s not often that I get to talk to someone who I don’t know is actually alive or dead. How’s Tormund doing?
Kristofer Hivju: Well, isn’t that the mystery? I don’t know! [Laughs.] Last time I saw him, I was inside a Wall, hundreds of meters of ice that was falling apart!
Well, what did we expect? Fans should rejoice, though. Worst case scenario would be Hivju saying Tormund is absolutely, 100% dead. An ambiguous dodge is actually a good thing here.
If fans do get to see Tormund again (which, for the record, I think we will), he might not be exactly the same. Here’s what Hivju said regarding what Tormund was thinking while the Wall was coming down:
Vulture: There haven’t been dragons in Westeros in hundreds of years. There’s never been a zombie dragon. How does a guy like Tormund, who has a pretty down-to-earth sensibility, incorporate all these incredible things into his view of the world?
Hivju: I don’t know — he didn’t have much time to contemplate on that. He saw the thing start to take down the Wall, and I think his desperation and hopelessness is the only thing he can think of. It’s definitely an “all is lost” moment.
For a wildling to witness a dragon (let alone an undead one) burn down the last bastion defending the world against the army of the dead is probably scarring. Tormund likely won’t be the same. Though we’re used to seeing him be a bit of a wild card, he’s developed into a steady source of comic relief. Hopefully that continues. Of course, ideally, he’ll still have his charms to use on Brienne.
Hivju’s dodges leaves room to hope that Tormund will not only survive, but thrive. With Brienne. Just to be clear.
Featured Image Courtesy of HBO