Crackpot alert: Could the hood man in Winterfell be?

[houseHB]

Roose Bolton himself? In A Dance with Dragons Roose tells Theon that with Ramsay alive Roose's heirs would not survive because he knows Ramsay would kill them? Roose is capable enough to kill a child I don't think the top candidates such as Howland, Davos would kill a child even though that child is a Frey. Also, in Dance Roose when the Northern lords were questioning Theon about the murders Roose was the first to discount Theon as the killer. Roose would also laugh at Theon's misery that he is going through with Ramsay. So what does this mean Roose is basically destroying House Bolton by himself I think Roose will kill Ramsay in Winds then the Northern Lords will rebel and kill Roose and Walda and since Jon is out of the picture for now will crown Rickon as King in the North. So I think Roose is a candidate for the pink letter as well because he got wind of the Grand Northern Conspiracy and tried to get Jon out of the picture before the Northern Lords rebeled so out of desperation Roose wrote the letter to Jon stating Stannis is dead.

[MotherMerciless]

Paragraphs!

*tries to read again*

[thedudex]

Anything is possible I suppose. If Roose wanted Ramsay dead, he could just have him killed. He wouldnt have to be the Hooded Man to make that happen. He is certainly capable of killing a child, but I don't recall any evidence in the text that would suggest Roose is the Hooded Man in Winterfell.

[MotherMerciless]

Yeah, could be. I'd have to give it a re-read to be sure if it makes sense and there aren't any contradictions.

Ramsay and Roose's relationship is just about the oddest father-son relationship I have seen in the books. I put it im my top 3 or top 2 weirdest father-son relationship list.

Creepy f$%&3$.

[Victarion Chainbreaker]

Whatever Roose tells Theon is meant for Ramsay's ears, that much is made clear. I don't believe for one second that Roose is content to let Ramsay murder off all his legitimate heirs so that a psychopath bastard can inherit the Dreadfort.

I would agree that Roose is absolutely planning Ramsay's downfall, but I'm not convinced that Roose is the Hooded Man. Roose strikes me as the kind of guy who doesn't get his hands dirty. Has he hired a killer to remove Ramsay's entourage? Sounds probable. Is he throwing on a hooded cape to murder people personally? I would say no.

[MotherMerciless]

Whatever Roose tells Theon is meant for Ramsay's ears, that much is made clear. I don't believe for one second that Roose is content to let Ramsay murder off all his legitimate heirs so that a psychopath bastard can inherit the Dreadfort.

I would agree that Roose is absolutely planning Ramsay's downfall, but I'm not convinced that Roose is the Hooded Man. Roose strikes me as the kind of guy who doesn't get his hands dirty. Has he hired a killer to remove Ramsay's entourage? Sounds probable. Is he throwing on a hooded cape to murder people personally? I would say no.

I love your avatar btw. :)

[Usrnmhsnomning]

Theon can see the "hooded man"s face. The mans hood is not up; Theon notes that it is down and flowing in the wind. Theon does not recognize the "hooded man" despite having a conversation with him. The "hooded man" is just a random northerner

[Dr. Pepper]

Roose is inside dining and directing the music when Theon stumbles across the hooded man. So apart from the obvious issues that make this theory implausible, timeline definitely doesn't add up.

[MotherMerciless]

Could it be another case of a FM doing the killings?

[kiasyd]

Theon can see the "hooded man"s face. The mans hood is not up; Theon notes that it is down and flowing in the wind. Theon does not recognize the "hooded man" despite having a conversation with him. The "hooded man" is just a random northerner

It's not clear wether Theon recognizes him or not.

[StarkofWinterfell]

The hooded man could possibly be Howland Reed?

[James Arryn]

I have always felt that Ramsay is way over the top...close to shark jumping, really...and that Roose being annoyed but not actively seeking alternatives was hard to swallow. Roose is a realistic character. Ramsay is a cartoon. I hope Roose stays realistic and erases the cartoon. Not for the Starks or Jeyne or Theon...but for us readers.

[The Mother of The Others]

Are we to assume that Ramsay has succeeded at out-Roosing Roose? Creeping the old man out so he's frozen into inaction? Making the man nervous and filled with doubt about how to procede? It's like their relationship is Roose's Waterloo, his big personal Sedoku puzzle fit for a Bolton's nasty mind to work away at. Ramsay is building momentum and power in a way that'd normally make Roose proud, if Ramsay was his real legit heir. Only, it's sooooo crass, the way Rams is going about it! So likely to incite the North at some point! So Roose is torn. Does he rid himself of Rams, or throw his full support behind the bastard? Roose would start to doubt which path to take. Is Ramsay playing the game better than him???, he'd ask. And how should Roose take that?---as evidence in favor of letting Ramsay be the future, or as evidence that Ramsay needs to be put down now, because it's a very unstable future Ramsay is likely to lead the Dreadfort into, even if Ramsay is momentarily ascendant. Letting him take the reins might result in the end of the Bolton line when the entire North finds him unacceptable in the worst way. But is his bastard son grown nastier than him? Might he fear to actually move against Ramsay at this point, because the outcome is in doubt?

So, if Roose has let himself tarry this long without making a decision, he's probably waiting for a sign to tip things one way or another, to help him make the decision. He's waiting for an opportunity to make something out of Ramsay's death, so he can put it in the Win column instead of having to list it as a Setback. He's letting Ramsay hang himself with this Winterfell business, perhaps. Tie Ramsay's fate to that new seat of power and let the boy run things his way, to whatever end that brings. (With Ruin being the forecast). I want to believe Roose has a trap in mind here, and is using Ramsay as the lure, the bait, letting Ramsay enrage the land and the lords and now the Wall, all for a purpose. So that they all "Come and get it!" I think this apparent "Win" that Manderly has in the works is going to "succeed" right up until the real Bolton pulls the rug the fuck out from under everyone's hopes and dreams, including ours. And when he does, the Ramsay problem will be over, as well as the Stannis problem, and the Wall's new Free People troops will discover their new problem--they left the Wall undefended exactly when they shouldn't have. So they'll be out of position with no bolthole to hide in from the free-ranging wights (Winterfell totally wiped out by then) and Bolton safely ensconced in the Dreadfort from atop the walls of which he can negotiate a new night king crown or something.

[Mithras]

No