The Untold Truth Of The Night King

One of Game of Thrones' longest-running bad guys remained a mystery to readers and viewers

until the HBO series' eighth and final season: the Night King, the ancient creature who created

and led the formidable Army of the Dead.

We still don't know much about the White Walker king, but from behind-the-scenes tidbits to

fan theories, here's the untold truth of this menacing bad guy.

Slovakian actor Vladimir Furdík might be the most recognizable face of the Night King

at this point, but the truth is, he only started playing the character in the show's sixth

season, prior to that, the role was played by Richard Brake, best known for films like

Batman Begins or Kingsman: The Secret Service.

Brake and Furdík actually overlapped: while Brake was playing the Night King, Furdík

played the high-ranking White Walker that Jon Snow shatters to pieces with his Valyrian

steel sword.

The transition between the two actors was so seamless that many may not have noticed,

though some fans found Brake's appearance even more frightening.

Furdík was an indispensable part of the Thrones team long before he stepped into the Night

King's frozen shoes.

He worked on everything from the fight scene at the Tower of Joy as well as performing

and working on everything from high falls to intense sword fights.

When it came time to recast the Night King, there was no better choice than Furdík, who

knew the show's action set pieces inside and out.

Though the Night King's human name is never revealed and audiences still don't have a

firm handle on his personal history, the show did confirm during season 6 that he was once

a human.

He was a member of the group known as the First Men, and he was used as a pawn by the

Children of the Forest.

The Children of the Forest made a home in Westeros long before humans existed, and were

settled happily in the Seven Kingdoms until they were forced to deal with the First Men.

After the First Men crossed from Essos into what is now Dorne, they came into conflict

with the Children.

In the end, the Children were responsible for creating the Night King when they took

one of the First Men hostage and plunged dragonglass into his heart.

In doing so, they inadvertently created ultimate evil by making the first ever White Walker

as a means of defending themselves against men.

"It was you.

You made the White Walkers."

"We were at war.

We were being slaughtered."