You might think it's not much of a "Game of Thrones" spoiler to say whether or not the Hound dies in season 5. As we left him in the "Game of Thrones" season 4 finale, he's at the very edge of death, and knows it, when Arya coldly abandons him. However, the actual answer to the question can be a little... complicated. After the break, we'll take a look at what the deal is with The Hound, whether he simply dies, whether we'll ever see him again, and so much more.
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On the face of it, the Hound is dead and gone. He came out much the worse for wear in his fight with Brienne, although it's worth mentioning that he accomplished what he set out to accomplish: protecting Arya from someone he earnestly believed, not without reason, was in the service of the Lannisters. It just apparently will cost him his life. And, in fact, it might.
Unlike most "Game of Thrones" season 5 spoilers, there isn't actually a clear answer on whether Sandor Clegane lives or dies. That's not just because the show is changing so much from the books-it's because it's very ambiguous in the books themselves. In the fourth book, "A Feast for Crows," Brienne and Podrick stumble across a place called the Quiet Isle not far from where they are now. The Quiet Isle is essentially a monastery for the Faith, specifically for those who wish to atone for their sins.
The Elder Brother at the monastery talks to Brienne, and they get to discussing the Hound, since they see his lost horse in the stables. The elder claims that the Hound died in his arms and he buried the man himself (essentially, there was a maester behind that rock after all). And he talks extensively about the Hound and how he lived, and how he let hatred motivate him. He speaks like a man who knew Sandor by more than reputation. What's more, the gravedigger at the Quiet Isle-who, like all novices there, keeps his face covered and has taken a vow of silence-more than superficially resembles Sandor. He is even larger than Brienne, and he has a very severe limp possibly consistent with Sandor's wounds.
As the theory goes, the elder is not lying when he says the Hound died... but he isn't exactly telling the truth either. The Hound, in this sense, is just an aspect of Sandor Clegane, the evil and violent part, the part that ran down the butcher's boy and not the part that saved Sansa and protected Arya for so long. It's that evil side who has died, and Sandor is living out his days in silent atonement. Then again, the elder does say he "buried [The Hound] himself," so it's by no means a certainty.
I know what I like to think. I like to think that Sandor survived and is trying to make amends and come to peace with himself. But that's not a "Game of Thrones" season 5 spoiler. It's a hope. The truth of whether Sandor lives or dies remains unknown.
