Game of Thrones teases season 6 return with dramatic Jon Snow poster

A single picture can often set the internet abuzz, especially if it's an image of the Game of Thrones character central to one of modern TV's most controversial cliffhangers.

NOTE: Spoiler from Game of Thrones season 5 finale below.

Producers of massive TV hit Game of Thrones whet the appetite of its considerable fan base Monday by sharing a simple image of actor Kit Harington – with an apparent smear of blood on his face – and the lone word "April" along with the logo of cable network HBO, which broadcasts the Emmy-winning fantasy saga.

Game of Thrones typically debuts each new season in mid-March or early April. 

Season 5 uproar

In the show's season 5 finale, Harington's character Jon Snow – a key figure in Game of Thrones since its debut – is apparently slaughtered by his comrades in the Night's Watch, a group of defenders he was hastily chosen to lead.

One of modern television's most controversial death scenes, the episode sparked myriad headlines and a tsunami of social media outrage – serving as the current equivalent of Dallas' legendary "Who Shot J.R.?" cliffhanger. 

With some of TV's top-rated shows, however, it isn't a protagonist's death, but rather the ambiguity of a protagonist's death, that has generated the most chatter.

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Readers of George R.R. Martin's novel series, on which the show is based, noted that Snow's demise is depicted in the author's fifth book, A Dance With Dragons. Avid fans, however, have also reiterated Martin's claim (in a 2011 interview) that in his epic world of Westeros, "death is not necessarily permanent."

Meanwhile, some eagle-eyed devotees have reported seeing Harington on-set in Belfast during filming of the upcoming season, which began in the summer.

The sixth season of the hugely popular series is forthcoming. HBO's programming chief noted in July that the show would likely last eight seasons in total.

Online, fans alternately rejoiced and speculated on what the poster could mean.