Official Game of Thrones thread (Spoilers)

Ned coming back serves no purpose to the story. If he comes back then I think it's simply a placation to the fans that can't handle a story in which a popular, but minor protagonist gets killed early. Count me as one of the ones that will upset if Ned makes a reintroduction.

There are 2 books to go. There is alot of us that think Ned will appear in some fashion. I myself dont know if he is brought back due to magic, like Catelyn Stark, or if the theories are correct that it was a faceless man or some other deception pulled on the sept of Baelor.

There are a couple interesting plot points in the book, almost seems as if George goes out of his way to plant seeds of doubt in the readers' minds: Sansa Stark seeing the head of "Ned", and remarking that it looks nothing like her father. Catelyn Stark, upon receiving the bones, says that they are not of her husband, and perhaps the most telling fact is that the caravan that was transporting Ned's body to the crypts in Winterfell, never arrived.

I agree it would be difficult for him to return, but not impossible...

I had to bump this thread because I was just talking to a good friend of mine who just received his copy of "A Dance with Dragons", and i want you all to know that

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Eddard Stark is indeed Alive. Ned does certainly come back, but only in the memory of the weirwood, and Bran can never talk to him. I wouldn't call that "reviving" him or coming back as a ghost, but the weirwood can provide some useful information from him that before now we didn't now, like that mention to the two boys growing up like brothers. So Ned is sort of like a spirit, except he is more alive than a ghost would be....

Well, I guess that's cool. Just glad they didn't try to Dondarion him back to life.

Alot of people are saying that George R. R. Martin wrote himself a lot of loopholes in the storyline so that he could make some changes based on fan reactions. I think thats smart. I think he saw that the TV crowd loved Ned Stark/Sean Bean, and thus has made a way for him to return. It is a fantasy series after all, and in the next two books, There could still be magic yet that returns Ned to a full-blooded form.

I just think its cool that he is "alive" and able to communicate, even though it is reserved to only the godswood.

Alot of people are saying that George R. R. Martin wrote himself a lot of loopholes in the storyline so that he could make some changes based on fan reactions.

I hope that that's not true. I'm okay with the notion of writing loopholes, but only to keep your options open if you happen to be struck by inspiration. Leave the pandering to the politicians.