Game of Thrones: Every Important Season 6 Detail in 1 Place

Game of Thrones season six will be here on Sunday, and new details have been coming in practically every day over the past few months. The new season (which may not, after all, be the penultimate season) is looking to be one of the most exciting seasons, based on where we are with the book series — or the most devastating. Here are all the major details about the season, including the trailers, new characters, and vital plot points.

— Additional reporting by Maggie Pehanick

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01
The Premiere Date
HBO

The Premiere Date

The season six premiere date was revealed in early January; it's Sunday, April 24.

02
The Pictures
HBO

The Pictures

The season six pictures reveal a lot: an upright Bran, the new Three-Eyed Raven, Dany in peril, and the return of characters like Yara.

03
The Premiere Episode Title and Synopsis
HBO

The Premiere Episode Title and Synopsis

HBO revealed the title of the season six premiere, and it's "The Red Woman." More interesting is the brief episode synopsis: "Jon Snow is dead. Daenerys meets a strong man. Cersei sees her daughter again." Well, at least we know they're sticking to their guns.

Also worth noting is HBO's season six synopsis: "Following the shocking developments at the conclusion of season five, including Jon Snow’s bloody fate at the hands of Castle Black mutineers, Daenerys’ near-demise at the fighting pits of Meereen, and Cersei’s public humiliation in the streets of King’s Landing, survivors from all parts of Westeros and Essos regroup to press forward, inexorably, towards their uncertain individual fates. Familiar faces will forge new alliances to bolster their strategic chances at survival, while new characters will emerge to challenge the balance of power in the east, west, north and south.”

04
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The Trailer

You can see new footage in the latest trailer, along with all the other season six previews.

05
The New Cast Members
Getty | Chelsea Lauren

The New Cast Members

Lots of new characters and cast, like Harry Potter star Freddie Stroma, are joining the cast, as is Ian McShane — see all the new cast members here.

06
The Posters
HBO

The Posters

After the pictures emerged, new posters followed suit, and boy are they cryptic (no, literally: everyone is in a crypt).

07
Jon Snow's Fate Is Way up in the Air
HBO

Jon Snow's Fate Is Way up in the Air

Jon Snow's death has been the least accepted news in our world, but it remains to be seen whether it's so wishy-washy in the Seven Kingdoms. Though many of the show's stars have tried to convince us he's dead, we still have many theories for how he could return. One thing that's for certain is that Kit Harington definitely appears in the new season — albeit, as a corpse — in this recently revealed clip.

08
In Fact, Everyone's Fate Is Really up in the Air
HBO

In Fact, Everyone's Fate Is Really up in the Air

The season five finale has a lot of action in it (Stannis is dead! Sansa and Theon are on the run!), and many of the characters are in new territory. "Grandma ain't around to look after her anymore," Natalie Dormer said, talking about her character at the Comic-Con panel. "All of the characters are in a situation where they don't know how to play their next move. I think she's in trouble." Meanwhile, Carice van Houten commented that last season her character (Melisandre) realized she's wrong about Stannis, and now she's a bit lost.

09
Bran Is Coming Back!
HBO

Bran Is Coming Back!

There wasn't even a glimpse of Bran in the fifth season of Game of Thrones, but Isaac Hempstead Wright confirmed his character would be back for season six last Summer. "It's going to get particularly interesting with Bran," he told the Irish Examiner. "He has some interesting visions." Plus, it looks like he may no longer be paralyzed!

10
It'll Be a "Really, Really Big" Season For Sansa
HBO

It'll Be a "Really, Really Big" Season For Sansa

"This season is a really, really big one for Sansa,” Sophie Turner told Entertainment Weekly. "It’s probably her best season yet. It’s her really coming into her own. She, this season, really commands the respect that she deserves and she grabs hold of it and she runs with it and it’s really good." The actress also teased that fans are "finally getting that storyline that you’ve been craving for the past five seasons." What might she be referring to? "It was amazing because the past five seasons, it feels like it’s been building up and up to that," she said. "You can only suffer so much before she finally gets her, the respect that she deserves."

11
Season 6 Is All About the Female Characters
HBO

Season 6 Is All About the Female Characters

Entertainment Weekly revealed a series of covers highlighting the women of Game of Thrones, for a specifc reason: this is their season to shine. "The women are rocking this season," HBO programming president Michael Lombardo said. "Daenerys always does, but also Brienne, Arya, Sansa, Cersei, Margaery, and other characters too, like Yara. They power this season."

12
Arya Is Definitely Blind
HBO

Arya Is Definitely Blind

Arya's sight has been taken from her, and now she'll need to cope with having an entirely new and difficult challenge. At the show's Comic-Con panel, Maisie Williams commented on how thick and uncomfortable her contacts are, but she'll have to wear them a lot coming up. She also mentioned she would be going through "physicality training" on what it's like to be blind, so expect for a lot about her character to be altered.

13
A New Sorceress Is Coming
HBO

A New Sorceress Is Coming

Melisandre will no longer be the show's only sorceress; British actress Melanie Liburd will play another Red Priestess in season six.

14
Ian McShane Is Bringing Back The Hound
Getty | Juan Naharro Gimenez

Ian McShane Is Bringing Back The Hound

After Deadwood star Ian McShane joined the cast, he revealed a lot about his character. "I can give you one hint: My character is an ex-warrior who's become a peacenik. . . . I bring back a much-loved character everybody thinks is dead," he told a British talk show, then basically clarified that he was talking about The Hound.

15
The Three-Eyed Raven Will Return
Getty | Stefanie Keenan

The Three-Eyed Raven Will Return

Here's another bit for Bran's storyline: the Three-Eyed Raven will return to season six, and Oscar nominee Max von Sydow will play him. Previously, the role was played by Struan Rodger in season four.

16
We'll Be Back in Dorne . . . Plus Other New Places
HBO

We'll Be Back in Dorne . . . Plus Other New Places

Season five's scenes in Dorne were shot in Spain, and we are going to go back there and to more new locations. Variety reported that more locations in Spain were added for the season six production. Those locations include the Bardenas badlands in Navarre, the castles of Santa Florentina and Zafra, Almeria's Alcazaba, Girona, and Peñiscola.

17
This Is the First Time the Show's Story Will Precede the Books
HBO

This Is the First Time the Show's Story Will Precede the Books

Book readers have always been ahead of the game when it came to the story unfolding on screen, but season six will shake that up. With George R. R. Martin still trying to finish the sixth book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, The Winds of Winter (which would roughly correspond to the sixth season), the showrunners don't have the blueprint of the books to follow. During the show's Comic-Con panel, showrunner Carolyn Strauss commented that writers were talking to Martin "as much as they have before," but now, everyone watching season six will be getting the story for the first time together.

Most interesting, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the showrunners claimed that the show won't spoil the books for readers.