We owe a lot to the Stark kids’ uncle, Benjen Stark. If not for him, Jon may not have learned humility up on The Wall and Bran would definitely have become a White Walker’s squeaky toy by now. Sure, he seems as noble as anyone, and he has the Stark name behind him, but is it possible this Stark can’t be trusted? Thanks to a Reddit user, a few different events in season 6 have been pointed out that lead us to believe that maybe Benjen’s motives behind helping Bran weren’t as wholehearted as they appeared. Here’s everything a little fishy about ol’ Benjen Stark.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for season 6 of Game of Thrones.
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He Arrived Just in the Nick of Time
It was pretty damn lucky for Bran that his uncle showed up to rescue him right when all hope was lost. It was less lucky and more questionable that the Night’s King wasn’t able to chase them down, when he managed to appear out of the blue in front of Bran after finding out where he was. He obviously can get around, and with that huge army with him, are we really just accepting that a mere man, a young girl and a crippled boy were able to get away just like that?
Also, how about the fact that he showed up at the same time as the White Walkers? Benjen says that the Children of the Forest brought him back to help Bran, but they had died along with the Three-Eyed Raven before that could be confirmed. Furthermore, if that were true, wouldn’t one of them have tried to mention this to Bran before they died? They had a couple of moments and letting him know this would definitely be at the top of their list. Nonetheless, Bran trusted Benjen because he did save his life, and he’s family. This could be exactly what the Night’s King was counting on. He wanted Bran to trust Benjen and for the two of them to reach The Wall.
He Left Out Key Details to Bran
Benjen was also very ominous when he dropped Bran off. He told him that he could not cross The Wall because he himself was dead, so he had to leave Bran there. He vaguely mentions how the magic protects The Wall from allowing the dead to cross over, but he doesn’t mention that if you’ve been touched by a White Walker (as Bran has been), it could be dangerous.
Benjen manipulates Bran into thinking he needs to cross The Wall. Bran has also been marked by the Night’s King. Could Bran being marked and then crossing The Wall break down the magical barrier that keeps the White Walkers at bay?
Is Benjen Just a Pawn for the Night’s King?
Some of these actions can be overlooked. Saying it was too convenient for Benjen to show up when he did as well as their narrow escape isn’t necessarily fair, as there have been many “convenient” things that have occurred in order for the story to progress. Frankly, the same logic could be used for how Jon escaped the Battle of the Bastards without a scratch, despite being in the absolute thick of the battle. However, the fact that Benjen brought Bran to The Wall is not something that can be written off as coincidence, nor can the mark that has been left on Bran. These two things have to be connected, and they probably lead to the destruction of The Wall.
Now the question remaining is, did Benjen bring Bran to The Wall because he somehow believes that the only way to kill the Night’s King is if The Wall is torn down, or is he a warg of the Night’s King? In other words, were his actions for good or for evil? Either way, he’s acting pretty shady and this is probably not the last we’ve heard from Uncle Benjen.
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Game of Thrones returns to HBO in 2017.
(Images courtesy of HBO)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
