FACT#51: Sean Bean wants to return to Game of Thrones.
If Game of Thrones decides to make it happen, there could be a return to Westeros in the cards for Sean Bean. But how would that be possible, with Ned Stark's noble head removed at the end of season one?
In a new interview with Vulture, Sean Bean talks about the possibility of coming back to the show to resolve unfinished business with a few of Game of Thrones' main characters.
The discussion contains major spoilers explaining how Bean could appear and why, so viewers who haven't read the books should proceed with caution!
Vulture brings up the possibility of Bean returning to appear in a flashback via the heart tree system. In A Dance with Dragons, Bran further develops his mystical abilities and is able to look into the past by connecting with the heart trees across Westeros. This includes the heart tree in the godswood at Winterfell, which his father often visited.
When connecting with the heart tree, Bran experiences a series of visions, and sees a younger version of Ned Stark praying, with his words hinting that Jon Snow isn't his son.
Since Bran finally met the Three-Eyed Raven at the end of season four, it's possible the show may include this scene.
Bean was enthusiastic about the idea of appearing in Bran's flashback vision to Vulture, saying, "Oh, yeah, yeah! And I'm his father, so that would be great fun! Just to go back to that for a while, it would be such fun to do. It would be great! It would be bizarre, but it would be great! So I guess if they're going to do flashbacks, then yeah!"
He also noted, "And that should happen, shouldn't it? I've definitely got some unfinished business that needs to be resolved there. I'm obviously not Jon Snow's dad. And you need that to be revealed at some point, don't you? So Bran would kind of be the one having the flashback, and he would see Ned praying, right? And revealing those things? You never know what those guys are going to do with that. It's got to be something special. But I'm into that. I certainly would be into that. Print that! Give them a nudge. Hopefully I'll get a call soon."
Ours is the Fury: Your move, Benioff and Weiss. Bean's up for it, and I think most of the ASOIAF readers would love to see Ned appearing in the vision to reveal the long-held secret.