Let's engage in wild speculation over these brand-new 'Game of Thrones' photos from the final season

HBO released a brand-new batch of promotional photos for the final season of their flagship show, fantasy drama “Game of Thrones.”

And as faithful throne-watchers, it’s our solemn duty to engage in wild speculation about what every possible detail in every photo might portend!

**WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD THROUGH SEASON 7 OF “GAME OF THRONES”**

The first thing that stands out? Nearly everyone is wearing black.

From Queen Cersei Lannister’s outfit, which can only be described as “looking like a total boss,” to Samwell Tarly still stuck in the same padded leather tunic he’s been rocking for the past couple seasons, the color palette in all the costumes has been toned way down for the final season.

Seriously, though, just look at the close-up photo of Cersei’s outfit: the way the waves in her chestpiece are echoed in the metal shoulder pads, the intricate detail in just about every facet of the costume… “Game of Thrones” costume designers have always operated at a high level, but there always seems to be a little extra effort put into Cersei’s costumes, the better to emphasize her lifelong obsession with vanity and power.

The queen’s brother, Jaime Lannister, is shown having grown back some of season-three beard. In addition, his armor looks a little worse for the wear since we last saw him leaving King’s Landing to head north at the end of season seven. Perhaps he meets a bit of resistance on his way to Winterfell.

Everyone looks very serious, as they should, considering the Night King, the White Walkers, the Army of the Dead and a zombie ice dragon are headed their way. The lone exception is a shot of Daenarys Targaryen with the barest smile on her face.

In that same photo, she is also wearing an outfit that appears to have some House Stark appointments added to the shoulders and chest.

We can only speculate what that might mean about how the rest of the Stark family feels about Jon, uh, well, let’s just be honest: about Jon bringing home his aunt and introducing her as his new girlfriend.

As a matter of fact, the look on everyone’s face, in all of these photos, could be described that way: “Above, (this person) just found out that Jon Snow is actually a Targaryen, which means he’s dating his auntie.”

As one would expect, the photos give almost nothing away when it comes to guessing at what the final season will hold. Will Jon Snow embrace his Targaryen lineage and make a play for the Iron Throne? Will Queen Cersei go full-on evil and try to squad up with the Night King and his White Walker posse? Will Bran forgive Jaime Lannister for pushing him out the window and taking away his ability to walk the last time those two saw each other, literally seven seasons ago? (“It’s cool, bro. I ended up with a third eye and psychic powers, so, you know, fair trade.”)

We’ll have to wait to find out.

The eighth and final season of “Game of Thrones” premieres April 14 on HBO. It will run for six episodes, all of which are purportedly longer than the traditional hourlong length.

For the latest news, see HBO’s “Game of Thrones” website.

Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick at 724-850-2862, pvarine@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MurrysvilleStar.