'Game Of Thrones' Spoilers 'The Mountain And The Viper'

Game of Thrones fans will be treated to what show runners tease as the best fight sequence in the show’s history when Game of Thrones returns Sunday, June 1.

‘The Mountain and the Viper’ Spoiler

The epic battle will come courtesy of Prince Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) and The Mountain (Hafthor Julius Bjornsson), as they compete in Tyrion’s trial by combat. In last week’s episode of Game of Thrones, Oberyn announced that he would fight on behalf of Tyrion to get his revenge on The Mountain, who he believes killed his sister and her children.

Oberyn’s motive of revenge coupled with the one-on-one nature of the battle set the showdown apart from other battles previously brought to life in the HBO series. Showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff teased that the resulting battle would be one of the most tension-filled and intimate battles ever depicted on the bloody show.

“It’s one of the best – if not the best – combat scenes we’ve done so far. It’s not just people hacking at each other with spears and swords. It’s the culmination of 20 years of anger and hatred and thirst for vengeance coming to a head in this amazing set piece that [stunt coordinator Paul Herbert and swordmaster CC Smiff] have put together. The fight delivers beyond our expectations,” Weiss told Entertainment Weekly.

In fact, the showrunners recast the role of The Mountain – for a second time – to ensure that the actor would have the physical presence and strength to make the fight as threatening as possible.

Bjornsson, who takes on the role this season, is reportedly the second strongest man in the entire world. He stands at 6 feet and 9 inches and can bench-press 500 pounds and deadlift 925.

Bjornsson was approached by HBO for the role and, in his audition, lifted one of the men there to show his strength.

“During the audition I lifted a guy up (well he asked me to) and they were really impressed. They said they were also impressed by the way I move, because I am very quick and powerful,” Bjornsson revealed during a Reddit AMA.

Game of Thrones’ “The Mountain and the Viper” airs Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.