Hodor Himself Ran The Game Of Thrones Panel At Comic-Con 2017

It's not uncommon for the cheers and screams during San Diego Comic-Con's Hall H panels to border on deafening, and that's never more true than during the annual Game of Thrones panel. But the noise hit an unusual crescendo when Kristian Nairn, who played Hodor on the absurdly popular HBO show, sidled up to the podium today in Hall H and uttered a single word. You can probably guess what word it was.

The Game of Thrones panel this year came at an odd time for the show, as the Season 7 premiere aired last weekend. As such, the cast didn't bring much in the way of teasers, and Nairn pronounced right off the bat that his moderating style will be more casual than that of the average Comic-Con panel moderator. Alfie Allen, who plays Theon, followed up on this promise almost immediately by walking onstage with an actual puppy held like a baby in his arms.

"This is a very important question: Do you miss me?" Nairn asked Isaac Hempstead-Wright, who portrays Bran.

"It's been so empty without you on set this season," Hempstead-Wright replied, adding, "He's making me say this. Help!"

Nairn did get to some actually pertinent questions as well, though--questions such as: Is Sansa still being manipulated by Littlefinger, or has she finally gained the upper hand?

"Initially there was definite manipulation on Littlefinger's part, but as Sansa has grown and been a prisoner by all of these master manipulators--especially Littlefinger--she's been silently absorbing and learning and adapting," said Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark. "In my opinion, she's just as good at playing the game as he is at this point."

"Thanks, guys," she added, in response to the enormous crowd's raucous applause.

Nairn turned back to Hempstead-Wright, asking him about the significance of being the new Three-Eyed Raven.

"What exactly his purpose is I don't think has been revealed yet," the actor replied. "But clearly it's something important."

We've seen in trailers and teasers that Melisandre will soon arrive at Dragonstone to commune with Dany, but Nairn asked Liam Cunningham, who plays Davos Seaworth, how Jon Snow might react should he meet the red priestess again after banishing her from the North in Season 6.

"I don't think he's the vindictive type," Cunningham teased.

The topic also turned inevitably to love, given how many of the show's long-running relationships are being tested.

"Maybe there might be a happy ending for [Missandei and Grey Worm]," said Nathalie Emmanuel, who play Missandei.

What about Sansa? Does she still believe in romance like she did in earlier seasons? "She's always on the search for happiness, but she doesn't see the world through rose-tinted glasses anymore. I think she sees the world in a different light [now]," said Turner. "She's woke now, guys. She's real woke."

"I actually have a theory that Brienne and Hodor would make a good couple," Nairn joked. The crowd seemed split on whether Brienne should end up with Tormund Giantsbane or Jaime Lannister--or no one at all.

In the brief Season 7 teaser that was released today, and which played just as today's panel ended, Littlefinger notes that "Every possible series of events is happening all at once." Watching Season 7 and seeing the teasers for what's coming, that's never been more true. The clash between the Lannisters and the Starks is bound to come to a head, and the arrival of the Dragon Queen in Westeros can only complicate things further. Arya Stark is an agent of pure, vengeful chaos let loose on the land. Winter is here, the White Walkers are coming, and the dead are rising on both sides.

As viewers and fans, all we can do is strap in and enjoy the dragons.