Game of Thrones‘ ending remains one of the most infamous finales in television history with a lot of debate and controversy about how the eight seasons concluded. The series concluded with the Iron Throne destroyed, the old system of choosing kings and queens eradicated, Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) elected as the new King of Westeros, and Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) ruling the North as an independent kingdom. Meanwhile, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) is exiled beyond the Wall once more with the wildlings, and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) sailed west in search of new horizons.

There were fantasies about royal heirs Jon and Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) ruling side-by-side as a wise and benevolent king and queen, but that wouldn’t quite fit with the description of the finale as “bittersweet.” Instead, almost all the fan-favorite characters made it to the end, albeit some in controversial ways. Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss faced a considerable challenge in wrapping up Game of Thrones‘ story in just six episodes. Despite several years passing since it aired, there’s still debate over what went wrong with the Game of Thrones ending, and which aspects worked well.

Where Key Game Of Thrones Characters Ended Their Stories:

Character
Actor
Ending

Jon Snow
Kit Harrington
Rejoined the Night’s Watch

Daenerys Targaryen
Emilia Clarke
Killed by Jon Snow

Tyrion Lannister
Peter Dinklage
Becomes Hand of the King

Sansa Stark
Sophie Turner
Becomes Queen in the North

Arya Stark
Maisie Williams
Sails west of Westeros

Bran Stark
Isaac Hempstead Wright
Becomes King of Westeros

Jaime Lannister
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Killed in Daenerys attack on King’s Landing

Cersei Lannister
Lena Headey
Killed in Daenerys attack on King’s Landing

Daenerys Dies The Same Way Her Father Did

Daenerys’ Downfall And Jon Snow’s Exile End The Targaryen Line

The Game of Thrones ending tied into the past history of Westeros in some interesting ways. Game of Thrones may have begun 17 years after Robert’s Rebellion, but the show’s story really began with Jaime earning his title of “Kingslayer” by stabbing Aerys II in the back after the Mad King gave orders to burn down the city with wildfire. All the events of the series were set in motion by that act — from Robert Baratheon ascending to the Iron Throne, to Daenerys and Viserys’ exile in Essos, and the Lannisters claiming a position of power in King’s Landing.

Daenerys Targaryen’s death brought this story full circle. Like her father, she was betrayed by her Hand — a Lannister, in both cases. Tywin Lannister led his army into King’s Landing, while Tyrion Lannister smuggled his brother into King’s Landing. Also, like her father, Daenerys’ madness was her downfall: her burning of King’s Landing (which even triggered the wildfire caches Aerys had hidden all those years ago) is what ultimately led to people turning away from her.

Daenerys was killed by one of her most trusted allies, Jon Snow, who used that trust to get close enough to stab her (like Aerys before her). It was a decision that didn’t necessarily sit right with every fan, especially considering Daenerys’ half-baked journey toward becoming the Mad Queen.

Shortly after Daenerys’ death came a symbolic breaking of the wheel, when Drogon unleashed his grief by melting the Iron Throne into a puddle of molten steel. The throne had been built 300 years earlier by Daenerys’ ancestor, Aegon I, who conquered Westeros with the help of his sister-wives and established himself as the first Targaryen king.

It was appropriate that Daenerys’ death in the Game of Thrones ending also heralded the destruction of the Iron Throne, since she and Jon were the last of the Targaryen line. Jon’s punishment for her murder is to join the Night’s Watch again — taking no wife and fathering no children. The reign of the Targaryen family was truly over.

Ned’s Children Rule Westeros (& Beyond)

The Game Of Thrones Ending Saw House Stark Rise Again

Many assumed that if Jon were to kill Daenerys, he would be crowned king at the end of Game of Thrones. Instead, he was taken prisoner by the Unsullied, and it was left to the lords and ladies of the Seven Kingdoms to choose a new ruler, no longer beholden to any rules of bloodline or inheritance.

Tyrion suggested that “Bran the Broken” would be the best choice since his story of being crippled as a child and then going on a great journey north of the Wall to become the Three-Eyed Raven was powerful enough to make people believe in him as a ruler. Moreover, as the Three-Eyed Raven, Bran is the keeper of all of Westeros’ stories and memories.

Though Bran didn’t particularly want to be king, he had already seen that it was his destiny, and the assembled Westeros council election saw Bran Stark become the new ruler of the Six Kingdoms. There are now only six (rather than seven) Kingdoms under Bran’s rule, as Sansa’s condition for giving Bran her vote was that the North would remain independent — as its people had already chosen independence when they selected Robb Stark to be the King in the North and Jon Snow to succeed him.

Game of Thrones ended with Sansa being hailed as the Queen in the North, an event that was foreshadowed when Daenerys’ attack on King’s Landing split the map in the Red Keep down the middle, dividing the North from the Southern kingdoms. As with Daenerys’ death, this ending brought the story full circle.

Having a Stark ruling in both the North and the Six Kingdoms felt like just desserts.

Game of Thrones season 1 was about the fall of the Stark family: Bran being thrown out of a window, Ned being executed, the Stark household in King’s Landing slaughtered, Sansa taken prisoner by a monster, and Arya forced to flee in the guise of a peasant boy called Arry.

The Starks had suffered tragedy after tragedy, losing family members and at one point having their ancestral home razed to the ground. Fans had been waiting a long time to see them finally get back on top, so having a Stark ruling in both the North and the Six Kingdoms felt like just desserts.

Jon Snow Returns To The North As Spring Arrives

Jon Found His Place With The Wildlings

The final book in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series will be titled A Dream of Spring, and viewers saw that dream in the form of the green plant protruding from the snow as Jon heads north with the Wildlings.

Much of Game of Thrones had been building up to the worst and longest winter in a while — the characters had previously been enjoying a seven-year summer, and the seasons tend to balance themselves out. However, it seemed as though the defeat of the Night King and the White Walkers may have given Westeros its shortest winter yet.

Ever since the long-standing “R+L=J” fan theory was confirmed, and Jon was revealed to be the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, it was speculated that he would end up on the Iron Throne — since, after all, he had a stronger claim to it than Daenerys. Some fans argued that the reveal of Jon’s heritage was pointless because it never amounted to anything, and he ended up banished from Westeros to the Night’s Watch after killing Daenerys during the ending of Game of Thrones.

Jon Snow would never become king, and only a handful of people knew the truth about him by the end of the series. However, the discovery that Daenerys had a rival for the throne is ultimately part of what tipped her over into madness, leading to her murder at Jon’s hands. Moreover, Westeros finally rejecting the system of kings and queens inheriting the throne wouldn’t carry as much weight if there wasn’t a “rightful” king who sacrificed his birthright.

Of course, Jon never wanted to become king anyway, and his return to the Night’s Watch also brought his story full circle — and not just because Jon venturing beyond the Wall of Westeros mirrors the very first scene of the show. In Game of Thrones season 1, all Jon wanted to do was take the black and man the Wall with his fellow brothers of the Night’s Watch. During his time with the Night’s Watch, he realized that the Wildlings weren’t the real enemy, and eventually, both the Night’s Watch and the Wall itself crumbled.

However, as Tormund observed, Jon has the North in him, and there’s a definite sense as he heads beyond the Wall that he’s where he’s supposed to be after feeling like an outsider for so long. Despite leaving the remaining Starks behind, Jon Snow finally seemed like he was at peace. Plus, staying behind in Westeros after the ending of Game of Thrones would have reminded him of all the trauma he endured, including his decision to kill Daenerys.

The Last Of The Lannisters Leads A New Small Council

Tyrion Seeks Redemption As Hand Of The King Once Again

The Game of Thrones finale started with Tyrion seeking out his siblings in the ruined Red Keep and finding them dead in each other’s arms; his escape plan for them had failed. This left Tyrion as the last of Tywin Lannister’s children and the Lord of Casterly Rock, and he is once again appointed to serve as Hand of the King.

While Grey Worm objected to this, saying that Tyrion needs to be punished, Bran argued that being Hand of the King is his punishment, as he will have to work to undo the damage inflicted during his previous tenure as Hand of the King (and later, Hand of the Queen).

Ultimately, Tyrion’s hands weren’t clean despite being the best of the three Lannister siblings. His actions also led to much discord, and he had to make up for that in his own way. With Tyrion at its head, King Bran’s small council was thankfully free of backstabbers like Littlefinger and Pycelle. The plain-talking but reliable Bronn became Master of Coin, Ser Davos was made Master of Ships, Sam Tarly was Grand Maester, and Brienne held the role of Commander of the Kingsguard (a position she rightly deserves after serving with so much loyalty and dignity throughout Game of Thrones).

While these characters certainly had their flaws, this was the best small council assembled so far, even though it was missing a Master of Whisperers, a Master of Laws, and a Master of War. Bran probably didn’t need a Master of Whisperers, and with any luck, he wouldn’t need a Master of War after the violence seen in the Game of Thrones ending either.

King Bran’s Small Council:

Character
Role

Tyrion Lannister
Hand of the King

Bronn
Master of Coin

Ser Davos Seaworth
Master of Ships

Sam Tarly
Grand Maester

Brienne of Tarth
Commander of the Kingsguard

Arya Stark And What’s West Of Westeros

Arya Continues To Embrace Her Life Of Adventure And Rejecting Societal Conventions

When she left Winterfell with Sandor Clegane, Arya said that she had no intention of returning home from King’s Landing. It was not the first time that Arya rejected safety in favor of adventure. When Brienne tried to “rescue” her early on in Game of Thrones, Arya spurned the offer and instead ended up heading to Essos to study with the Faceless Men.

Arya changed more than any of the Stark children except perhaps Bran, and now that she was a lethal, face-changing assassin who killed the Night King, stabbing him with a swift trick of the hand, it was hard to imagine her ever going back to a simple life as a Lady of Winterfell. Gendry even offered her a life as his wife, joining the Stark and Baratheon houses, though she rejected it and claimed she was no lady.

The fact that Arya was last seen sailing into the sunset at the end of Game of Thrones actually had massive implications, since there may be other Starks waiting for her when she hit land. King Brandon the Shipwright, an ancient ancestor of the Stark family who lived thousands of years before the start of Game of Thrones‘ story (according to the books), once sailed west across the Sunset Sea and was never seen again.

While it was possible that his voyage was ill-fated, it was also likely that Arya would reach land and find distant relatives waiting for her there. More than that, her journey, like Jon’s, represented hope for the future.

Grey Worm Fulfills His Promise To Missandei

The Unsullied Head To Naath As Protectors Or To Live In Peace?

One of the strongest armies in Game of Thrones, the Unsullied had come a long way from the enslaved soldiers that Daenerys liberated in Game of Thrones season 2 and remained fiercely loyal to their Queen, but before the Great Battle of Winterfell, Grey Worm and Missandei made plans for a life after war.

After he had helped Daenerys win her throne, Grey Worm wanted to travel the world and asked Missandei if there was anywhere she’d like to go. She replied that she would like to see the beaches of Naath again, the island where she was born, and Grey Worm decided that he would go with her.

Although Missandei was executed by Cersei, Grey Worm ended the series by deciding to fulfill his plans with Missandei, telling the Unsullied that they’ll travel to Naath. It was possible that Grey Worm would continue Daenerys’ legacy and protect Naath from further raids by slavers so that no more little girls would have to live the life that Missandei did. Or perhaps Grey Worm and the Unsullied will finally lay down their spears and live simple lives as freedmen.

The Real Meaning Of Game Of Thrones’ Ending

The Game Of Thrones Finale Fixed The Poisonous Plague Of Westeros’ Traditions

One thing that the Game of Thrones ending cleverly achieved was getting audiences invested in the idea of there being a “rightful” king or queen by birthright while also making it clear that this birthright claim was the source of all of Westeros’ misery.

Ned Stark became fixated on the fact that Cersei’s children were not rightful heirs, and, like Jon Arryn, he was killed to protect this secret. All of Gendry’s siblings were murdered to eradicate their claim to the throne. Viserys was fixated on getting his golden crown, even selling his sister to get it, and yet Viserys’ “golden crown” was what killed him.

Varys once told Tyrion that ” power resides where men believe it resides, no more and no less .”

Furthermore, it was Daenerys’ belief in her claim to the throne of Westeros and her destiny to “liberate” its people that took her away from Essos, where she had a claim to leadership that was earned rather than inherited. Though Tyrion called out Daenerys’ slaughter of “evil men” as warning signs on the path to her becoming the Mad Queen, Daenerys was beloved by the people of Slaver’s Bay, and it was only upon arriving in Westeros and finding it cold and hostile that she really began her spiral into madness.

Strangely, even Drogon seemed to realize this, aiming his fire at the Iron Throne rather than Jon as though he recognized the corrupting influence of its power. While held prisoner by Daenerys, Tyrion lamented that Varys had been right, which goes further than Varys’ realization that Daenerys would be a dangerous queen. Varys once told Tyrion that “power resides where men believe it resides, no more and no less.”

The Iron Throne was ultimately just an uncomfortable metal chair, and Targaryen and Baratheon blood is just blood. These things only had power because people believed that they did. When the assembled lords and ladies of Westeros were uncertain of who should be king, Tyrion pointed out that they were now the most powerful people in Westeros, and therefore, they could “choose” one. Power resided where they decided it would during the end of the Game of Thrones story.

Game Of Thrones’ Ending Makes A Statement On How We See History

The Lie That Started Robert’s Rebellion Plants The Seeds For The Theme Of History’s Omissions

The Game of Thrones ending also made an interesting point about history and those who wrote it, which again returned to something that Varys once said to Tyrion. After Tyrion’s quick thinking and strategizing saved King’s Landing during the Battle of the Blackwater, and he was badly injured for his efforts, Varys explicitly told him that, “The history books will not write about you.”

Sure enough, when Sam presented the finished tome, A Song of Ice and Fire, and Tyrion eagerly asked how he was presented in the account of the wars following Robert Baratheon’s reign, Sam admitted that Tyrion wasn’t even mentioned.

Aside from being amusing (and fitting, given how Tyrion has spent his whole life being unappreciated), this also crystallized a theme that had been presented throughout the past eight seasons of Game of Thrones: that history was more about telling stories than the truth. After all, many fans had argued that Arya’s story was far more interesting than Bran’s, but she was likely to be forgotten by the history books while he reigned as “Bran the Broken.”

Jaime lamented that he was given the black mark of “Kingslayer” and considered a coward and a traitor who stabbed his own king in the back, yet the history books didn’t record the fact that he killed Aerys to stop King’s Landing from being burned. Then again, perhaps the history books will remember that fact now that Brienne has a hand in writing them.

How The Game Of Thrones Prequel Is Affecting The Ending

Characters Like Daenerys Targaryen And Jon Snow Are Given More

The prequel to Game of Thrones, titled House of the Dragon, launched on HBO Max in August of 2022 — and season 1 affected the framing of the GoT ending significantly. House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and follows the reign of the Targaryen family.

The TV show chronicles George R.R. Martin’s 2018 book Fire & Blood. The beginning of the end for House Targaryen, Fire and Blood tells the story of the Targaryen civil war — or “Dance of the Dragons,” as it’s known in-universe. While the new Game of Thrones spinoff was an exciting prospect, the plot definitively adds layers to Game of Thrones‘ ending.

The House of the Dragon prequel series changes the Game of Thrones ending in three key ways. Firstly, Daenerys’ death will become even more tragic. It wasn’t until the final season that her abilities as a leader came into question, but she essentially started from nothing, beginning as the bride to Dothraki leader Khal Drogo and working her way up through society. Daenerys was able to sway a formidable army of peoples and tribes to her side.

All of that changed when she made the quick descent into the “Mad Queen.” If her arc wasn’t upsetting enough, she died at the hands of her lover, Jon Snow. Though the story of House of the Dragon happens 200 years before the events of GoT, it highlights and underpins the “flip-of-a-coin” nature of Targaryen instability, echoed in characters like Daemon Targaryen, which drove Daenaerys’ sudden bloodshed and the end of their regal bloodline.

House of the Dragon frames Jon Snow’s banishment against the power he’s losing. Aegon Targaryen chooses to live with the wildlings instead of being beheaded for assassinating his lover. It’s unknown if he would ever procreate to continue the Targaryen line, but it’s unlikely — he’s back where he started.

Finally, House of the Dragon improves the Game of Thrones ending by showing the transition of power from House Targaryen to House Stark (via House Baratheon), mirroring its predecessor. It positions Bran’s crowning as the repetition of history but with democratic lessons learned. The advent of the Targaryen-civil-war-focused prequel series made things even bleaker for the Targaryens, showing the full glory of a dynasty that viewers know ends in the massacre of innocents with the greens and the blacks.

The Game Of Thrones Ending Didn’t Do The Series Justice

Can George R.R. Martin’s Remaining Books And GOT Spinoffs Redeem The Ending?

The Game of Thrones ending is widely hated, favoring surprise over character motivation, as the entire series was set up to see Daenerys Targaryen take the throne – and then, in a left turn, it was given to Bran Stark at the very end. Daenerys’ downward spiral was rushed and mishandled, and the quick changeover to Bran was much messier than the climaxes of other seasons. Game of Thrones season 8 paints a completely different picture of the show than the seasons before it, as the quick changes betrayed the deliberate pacing and sumptuous dialogue of earlier seasons.

Hopefully, George R.R. Martin’s book series goes in a different direction so that the source material can receive the ending it deserves — and House of the Dragon at least provides extra depth and nuance to the disappointing conclusion. Fans will undoubtedly be dissecting what the Game of Thrones ending means for many years to come, and there are still Martin’s books to add extra context and story to the final stage of the journey (assuming they ever get published).

For many of the characters that fans came to know and love over the years, that is just as much a new beginning as it is an ending. House of the Dragon has been granted the power to change and improve Game of Thrones’ finale, so the property might find its way into the hearts of viewers yet again — and those are only one of five Game of Thrones spinoffs currently in development.

Will Any Spinoffs Take Place After The Game Of Thrones Ending?

Jon Snow Is Just One Character Fans Want To See In A Post-Finale Story

The popularity of the Game of Thrones television series, and the fact that George R.R. Martin has plenty more story in his source material, means that spinoffs were an inevitability for the series. There were talks of potential spinoffs before the end of Game of Thrones even aired. House of the Dragon is just the first, but that series is a prequel, set long before the events of the show. There are several spinoffs planned for Game of Thrones, and all of them are set to take place prior to the events of the original series.

10,000 Ships, the story of Princess Nymeria, for example, is set to take place thousands of years before the end of Game of Thrones. The Sea Snake, a potential spinoff in discussions, is set around the same time as House of the Dragon. The only spinoff that was set to take place after the ending of Game of Thrones was the series centered on Jon Snow.

While that show would have given some context to what Westeros was like under the rule of King Bran and how Jon was dealing with life Beyond the Wall, the spinoff was canceled, leaving the aftermath of Game of Thrones a mystery.

George R.R. Martin Likely Had A Different Ending Planned

The Books Are Taking A Different Path To Arrive At The Ending

Despite the disappointment over the Game of Thrones ending, there are still a lot of fans who are eagerly waiting to read the rest of George R. R. Martin’s books in the series. This is due to the fact that, given how different Martin’s story was at the end of his fifth book, A Dance with Dragons, it seems clear that he will deliver a much different ending to the story than what was seen in the show.

Martin may also end his story with Bran as king and Jon killing Daenerys, but he will have a lot more time to develop those storylines.

It is true that Martin revealed his story path to Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss in order to let them know what direction to take the story in once they ran out of book material. However, Martin likely revealed the big story points with the journey of how the characters are going to get there will surely be much different. Martin may also end his story with Bran as king and Jon killing Daenerys, but he will have a lot more time to develop those storylines.

Martin also has different interests in his stories than have been explored on the show. He enjoys exploring the prophecies of Westeros, something that was not discussed in the show. The popular “valonqar” is the alleged prophecy that Cersei will be killed by her younger brother, making her fear Tyrion, but many think this refers to Jaime instead. The prophecy of “The Prince Who Was Promised” is also a big part of the book, suggesting that Martin will not let Jon Snow play such a passive role in the ending.

The current story in Martin’s books also suggests some big differences in what comes next in this story. The North is plotting a brutal act of vengeance on House Frey and House Bolton, Dorne has strategized a plot to get back at the Lannisters, and Euron Greyjoy may have a way of controlling dragons. While the ending of the books may hit similar points, it will provide a whole new experience for disappointed Game of Thrones fans.