This is why the Night King wants Bran Stark dead on 'Game of Thrones'

The Night King's goal is the annihilation of humanity - and by extension, all that is good in the Seven Kingdoms. If he gets his way, Westeros will be plunged into an eternal winter and be inhabited solely by the dead.

However, the Night King also has a more specific goal, which, until now, had remained somewhat of a mystery.

In the video below, actor Isaac Hempstead-Wright explains why Bran's creepy stare is so convincing: 

At first, fans speculated that it was to capture Daenerys and turn her into the Night Queen - with some even speculating that she'd betray Jon to do so.

However, the Night King's true target has now been revealed in the latest episode, 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'.

And it's the Three-Eyed Raven AKA Bran.

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Bran explains that he's the target as Winterfell prepares to face the army of the dead, saying, "He'll come for me."

This revelation is made after Jon despairs at the sheer size of the army of the dead, remarking that their "best chance" for survival is to to get close to the Night King and destroy their leader.

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As explained, the Night King's goal is an "endless night" and to achieve that, humanity must be no more.

"He wants to erase this world," Bran says. "And I am its memory."

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This revelation shouldn't come as a surprise to eagle-eyed (you get it?) fans of the show. Bran's Three-Eyed Raven predecessor, played by Max von Sydow, was also killed by the Night King.

This is the teaser trailer for the next episode of Game of Thrones:

Samwell Tarly, on realizing the importance of the Three-Eyed Raven to the Night King, says: "Your memories don't come from books, your stories aren't just stories. If I wanted to erase the world of men, I'd start with you."

Therefore, if the living are to stand a chance against the dead, they need to protect Bran at all costs.

This is already going to be difficult given that Bran was marked by the Night King in season six and therefore became easier to find, which is why the allies at Winterfell want to use Bran as bait to get access to the Night King.

But this could be an inherently flawed plan because it's not known how to kill White Walkers.

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While the strategy is to use Daenerys' dragons to slay them, the effectiveness of dragon fire is unknown, with Bran admitting that "no-one's ever tried" to use it against the dead.

But given that Dragonglass and Beric Dondarrion's flaming sword have been effective before, it seems likely. However, this is Game of Thrones, and we know its conclusion is never going to be simple.