Several clues sprinkled throughout The Wheel of Time season 1 foreshadowed the reveal that Rand al’Thor is the Dragon Reborn.  

In both Robert Jordan’s books and Amazon’s small-screen adaptation, Rand eventually stood revealed as the prophesied reincarnation of Lews Therin “Kinslayer” Telamon.  

While the show made the mystery last until the season’s penultimate episode, the big twist didn’t come without a proper setup. 

For those with any familiarity with the books, the identity of the Dragon Reborn wasn’t much of a secret.  

However, The Wheel of Time made enough changes to the source material to plant some seeds of doubt while simultaneously tricking viewers who weren’t fans of Jordan’s novels.  

In the series premiere, Wheel of Time expanded the list of candidates from three to five with a major alternation to the Dragon Reborn prophecy. 

It was explained early on that the Dragon Reborn could be female, thus making it theoretically possible for Nynaeve or Egwene to be the one Moiraine was looking for.  

Nynaeve was an early suspect because of her shocking capabilities with the One Power, and Mat’s odd behavior was a major misdirect.