Tormund from 'Game Of Thrones' Looks Completely Different Without His Beard | 22 Words

Game of Thrones is back. It's back for one final season of dragons, swords, and family feuds for the ultimate battle between ice and fire. Alongside the usual witty lines, moving monologues, and heart-stopping show-downs, there's another thing that we can always rely on GoT to bring. Beards.

From Jon Snow to Jamie Lannister, Tyrion to the wildlings, it seems like on GoT, everyone has a beard. They've become so common and so well-loved that it can be quite shocking to see cast members without their beards.

But that's exactly what we are going to do right now. Whether it's Khal Drogo, the Dothraki warlord, or Ned Stark, Warden of the North, these actors are almost unrecognizable without their beards. Wait until you see Tormund Giantsbane. You won't believe it's him.

Warning: if you're still catching up, and are halfway through Game of Thrones, beware of spoilers.

Kit Harrington has started showing off his no-beard look.

Look at it. It's a great beard! Why would he ever get rid of it?

We are used to seeing Kit Harrington with a certain look.

Kit Harrington plays our beloved Jon Snow. Snow is supposed to be the epitome of a good northern man, or, if you're from anywhere outside of the UK, a good Englishman. He is hard-working, loyal, and honest, and he doesn't care about his appearance. But of course, that's Jon Snow. Kit Harrington is a little different.

This seems like the end of Jon Snow as we know him.

via: Getty

 Turns out, Kit Harrington shaved his beard especially for his appearance on SNL. "I had to play Michael Jackson and Winston Churchill," Harrington said. "That’s a sentence I’ll never say again… It’s the first time I’ve had a reason to shave in a long time."

People could not believe what they were seeing.

It's just not the same! We were mourning Harrington's beard just as much as we'll mourn the end of the show!

Some people may have taken it a little too far, though.

As always, some people seem to care a little more than they should have. If they feel that way about Kit Harrington, whose beard isn't necessarily a major part of who Jon Snow is, imagine what they must think of Tormund without a beard. If you haven't seen it yet then don't worry, we've got some images below so you can see too. But first, let's take a look at some of our other favorite Game of Thrones characters, with and without their beards.

First up, Tyrion Lannister.

A wonderful character with an even-more-wonderful beard.

The beard is a slightly newer addition to Tyrion's character.

Tyrion wasn't always this way. At the start of the show, he was actually much more kempt, with styled blond hair and a clean-shaven face. As the show has progressed, and his character has become more loved, he has grown an increasingly large beard. Is this to distance himself from the Lannisters, or just to keep up with the GoT fashion?

Tyrion isn't the only Lannister to grow a beard.

While Jamie used to be seen as just another incestuous, evil Lannister, when he was kidnapped, we started to change our minds about him. It seemed that spending time with Brienne of Tarth made him open up about his life and he started to show that he cares about others. He began to seem like a conflicted character, and with the emotions came the beard.

The King Slayer traded a hand for a beard.

Usually, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jamie Lannister, sports a more clean-shaven look in the show. Jamie usually represents the well-kept, rich, and untrustworthy southerners of the show. But recently, he's started to show that there's more to him than meets the eye. As he finally starts to stand-up to his sister, will we be seeing the return of the beard?

Where do we stand on Theon Greyjoy?

The conflicting emotions we might have about Jamie are nothing compared to the complex character that Theon Greyjoy has become. Over the course of the show, he has gone from honorary Stark, to Iron-born traitor, to tortured wretch, to supporting his sister in leading the Iron-born, to deserting his sister, to trying to save her again. Phew. It's certainly been an emotional rollercoaster with this one.

Theon hasn't always been so beardy either.

via: Getty

 Theon Greyjoy is played by Alfie Allen, who is the younger brother of British pop star, Lily Allen. Lily even wrote a song about him called "Alfie." This was back in the days before GoT and before facial hair became a staple. It was probably before he could even grow a beard! Lily Allen was actually approached to play Yara Greyjoy in GoT and was reportedly keen to be involved until she heard about the incestuous scenes. That was probably a good call.

Ser Davos Seaworthy has a lot more hair on his chin than his head.

Davos is the ultimate loyal supporter of a would-be-ruler (Jorah takes it too far). He is loyal, but he is also fair and frankly spoken. Not only is he a good fighter, but he often provides some light relief. Who can forget the moment he and Jon met Daenerys Targaryen? After being given her full title - Daenerys Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains etc. - he introduces Jon Snow as… Jon Snow.

Is a beard a sign of being trustworthy?

Liam Cunningham embodies the role of Davos so thoroughly that there aren't many pictures of him without the beard. And who can blame him for keeping it? Without the beard, he loses a lot of his ruggedness, which is somehow integral to how trustworthy he seems on screen. But if you think that he looks odd without a beard, wait until you see what Tormund looks like.

Beards seem to be a key feature of the Stark men.

Back in the first season, it could sometimes be difficult to tell Robb, Jon and Theon apparat. In fact, a lot of the characters seemed pretty similar, especially given the number of characters that there have been over the course of the series. Robb Stark quickly became a favorite, as Starks tend to, but there aren't many that can forgive his decision to marry Talisa Maegyr instead of the Frey daughter that he was betrothed to.

Richard Madden cuts a smarter look without his beard.

For most people involved, GoT will be the height of their career. But Richard Madden may have already beaten it with his performance last year in the BBC drama Bodyguard. He won a Golden Globe in the USA and a National Television Award in the UK. He certainly looks a bit sharper in a suit and without his beard. Wait until you see what Khal Drogo and Tormund look like.

It makes sense that the head of the Stark family had the greatest Stark beard.

Ned Stark was the Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North, the King's hand, and all-round nice guy. He was so nice that he was pretty naïve, and other characters have started referencing him as someone that they are smarter than. He taught his children the importance of taking responsibility for their actions and being honest in every situation. He was also the first one to say the all-so-important phrase: "Winter is coming."

Everyone is pretty used to seeing Sean Bean with a beard.

The role of Ned Stark wasn't the first role that demanded that Sean Bean dresses in medieval clothing and dons a beard and a sword. He infamously represented mankind in the fellowship of the ring in Lord of the Rings. It would seem that he is a man of many beards, and many catch-phrases.

It's hard to recognize Sean Bean when he's not in medieval clothes with a sword.

Sean Bean is another actor who has found great success outside of GoT. He even won a BAFTA last year, for his lead role in BBC drama, Broken. In a far more refined get-up, it's somewhat difficult to recognize Sean Bean. He looks so smart, and so normal. But that's nothing compared to the actor we've got lined up next.

Khal Drogo was the ultimate chief.

Back in season one, when we were first introduced to the Dothraki, we (those of us who hadn't read the books) had no idea that it was the start of Daenerys' quest for the throne. It was the gift of three fossilized dragon eggs for her wedding that set-up her up to be the mother of dragons. Khal Drogo is the owner of what is undoubtedly one of the most impressive beards in the whole of GoT. In fact, there is only one person left who may have a better beard than him...

From Dothraki warlord to DC superhero.

Most of the characters shed their beard when they leave the show, or at the very least they tend to give their beard a thorough trim. But Jason Momoa isn't every man. After his time in GoT was over, he went on to play Aquaman. It looks like hair and make-up hardly had to bother with him, he already had the image. But he hasn’t always looked like that. Take a look below.

Can you believe that this is the same man?

So it seems that Jason Momoa hasn't always had his God-like mane. He did once resemble a regular person, albeit an incredibly handsome one.

Tormund is the King of the beards.

Tormund is a leader of the freefolk, and was first introduced to us when he was roaming north of the wall under Mance Rayder. Originally, he seemed to just be another big wildling, but over the course of the show he has developed a much stronger bond with Jon, as well as others from Westeros.

He is so beardy that he's been compared to Chewbacca

Kristofer Hivju is the actor that plays Tormund, and it's hard to argue with the comparison that's been drawn between him and Chewbacca. Much like Jason Momoa, his beard wasn't grown just for the show. Kristofer Hivju has kept his beard throughout his different roles.

In fact, Tormund's beard is somewhat renowned.

People are fans of Tormund's beard. He kept it even when he was in other roles, such as The Thing, and Force Majeure. He even kept his beard during his role in After Earth, with Jaden and Will Smith.

This video shows how important the beard really is.

It seems that Kristofer Hivju is a fan of the beard himself, as there are very few people in the world that he trusts sufficiently to tackle his beard. But it seems that there was once a time when he didn't have a beard.

Did you ever imagine Tormund to look like this?

Seriously. He is a different person. Without the beard, and with his long locks flowing, Tormund looks decidedly less threatening. In fact, rather than a true wildling at heart, he looks more like a folk singer.

Some people think they know who beard-less Tormund really is.

The difference between the two photos is astonishing. It barely looks like the same man. The years have certainly lent him a wilder exterior. But this Twitter-user seems to be right, there is something about him that looks like a character from Beauty and the Beast, and it's not the one you might first think.

Don't believe us?

It's uncanny! Tormund without the beard really does look like Prince Adam from Beauty and the Beast.

How important is the beard?

Some people are more accepting than others of this version of Tormund. It's true that he's a great character on the show; he's strong and unyielding, but he manages to provide lots of comical lines in and amongst all the fights and battles. Fans will certainly be rooting for him in this last season.

What’s going to happen next?

Could Kristopher Hivju be hinting at a cross-over storyline within GoT in this post? It seems unlikely, but you never know! So what do you think? Will Tormund survive the show? And should he keep his beard, or should he return to the clean-shaven look?