Daenerys Targaryen’s attack on King’s Landing in the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones left fans wondering, “Why did Daenerys go mad?” In “The Bells,” the Dragon Queen single won the Battle of King’s Landing. Riding Drogon, they annihilated Euron Greyjoy’s Iron Fleet, wiped out the Golden Company, and eliminated the city’s anti-dragon defenses. However, after the bells rang signaling Cersei Lannister’s surrender, Daenerys continued her attack and massacred the city with dragonfire. The decision saw the completion of Daenerys’ transformation into the Mad Queen.

Channeling her father Aerys II Targaryen, also known as the Mad King, Daenerys forced the citizens of King’s Landing to relive the nightmare of Aerys II’s reign of terror, finally doing what both her enemies and allies feared most about her. On one hand, this move surprised long-time viewers of the show, who observed Daenerys’ growth from a reluctant Targaryen heir into a conqueror who sought to break the wheel of Westerosi feudal society. On the other hand, Daenerys Targaryen’s seemingly sudden descent into madness wasn’t completely unprecedented.

Why Dany Burns King’s Landing

Daenerys Showed Restraint Until Cersei Took Too Much From Her

Burning King’s Landing to the ground was a goal Daenerys had at the start of her war with Cersei in Game of Thrones, but she was talked out of it by Tyrion. Indeed, at the beginning of Game of Thrones season 7, Daenerys was poised not just to conquer Westeros but also to do it easily and decisively.

When she left Essos, Daenerys looked unbeatable. She had amassed an all-star contingent of loyalists: Tyrion was Hand of the Queen, she had the allegiance of Lady Olenna Tyrell of Highgarden, Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes of Dorne, Theon and Yara Greyjoy’s Iron Fleet, as well as Varys and Missandei.

In addition, Dany had her legions of Unsullied led by the eternally loyal Grey Worm, the Dothraki hordes, and Daenerys’ dragons Rhaegal, Viserion, and Drogon. It was inconceivable that she could lose to Cersei — and yet, thanks to Tyrion’s miscalculations, she lost consistently, except for the Loot Train Battle, which Dany won thanks to her dragons.

However, by the time Daenerys reached Winterfell to fight the Great War against the Night King in Game of Thrones’ maligned season 8, she had lost a significant amount of her military strength, and her allies Ellaria Sand and Olenna Tyrell were dead. Also, her Iron Fleet was gone when Yara was captured by Euron Greyjoy. Worst of all, Viserion was killed and resurrected as the Night King’s ice dragon.

Daenerys lost even more loved ones when she was ambushed returning to Dragonstone…

Beyond the icy reception she received and despite the presence of her lover Jon Snow, it was at Winterfell that Daenerys suffered her most personal loss: Jorah Mormont, Daenerys’ oldest and dearest friend, died defending her at the Battle of Winterfell. After the Great War was won, Daenerys lost even more loved ones when she was ambushed returning to Dragonstone; Euron killed Rhaegal, and then Missandei was captured and beheaded in front of her on Cersei’s orders.

Dany Had Lost Everything

Daenerys Became The Mad Queen Because Her Trauma Overcame Her

Key Allies Daenerys Lost In King’s Landing:

Character
How She Lost Them

Ellaria Sand
Captured by Cersei Lannister and daughters killed

Yara Greyjoy
Captured by Euron Greyjoy and fleet destroyed

Olenna Tyrell
Killed herself when her castle was taken by the Lannisters

Viserion
Killed and resurrected by the Night King

Jorah Mormont
Killed in the Battle of Winterfell

Rhaegal
Killed by Euron Greyjoy

Missandei
Executed on Cersei’s orders

Varys
Betrays her and tries to replace her

Tyrion Lannister
Betrays her and plots to have her killed

Jon Snow
Kills her

In “The Bells,” Daenerys realized that her most loyal confidants and friends from Essos were gone. Other than Grey Worm, who was mourning Missandei as much as Daenerys, everyone else who professed to support her was from Westeros. Worse, they were plotting behind her back because the secret that Jon Snow was Aegon Targaryen, the son of her dead brother Rhaegal, was spreading. Despite Daenerys’ pleas, Jon told his family Arya and Sansa Stark the truth about his heritage, and Sansa wasted little time in informing Tyrion.

From Daenerys’ point of view, she was betrayed by her Westerosi advisers, and the people from Essos she trusted most were taken from her while she was trying her best to save the realm.

Once Tyrion shared the info with Varys, the Spider was sending letters across Westeros trying to rally the highborn to support Jon’s claim instead of Daenerys’. The inconvenient truth for Dany was that Jon’s claim to the Iron Throne as the true heir was stronger than her own. While many fans feel Daenerys’ heel turn into the Mad Queen felt abrupt, forced, and unearned, her capacity for ruthlessness was established all throughout Game of Thrones.

There’s an argument that Daenerys’ transformation into the Mad Queen seems to betray seven seasons of character development as she resisted her Targaryen impulses and tried to rule with fairness and mercy. However, from Daenerys’ point of view, she was betrayed by her Westerosi advisers, and the people from Essos she trusted most were taken from her. With Jorah and Missandei gone, the ones who were left, like Tyrion, betrayed her for the good of Westeros, culminating in the death of Daenerys and Bran the Broken on the Iron Throne.

Westeros Burned Daenerys First

Daenerys Destroyed Kings Landing In Retaliation

By the time Daenerys won at King’s Landing, she realized that despite everything she’d lost, Westeros refused to trust her or love its new Targaryen ruler

In Essos, Daenerys was magnetic and received love wherever she went, and all of her achievements are because of her unwavering belief in herself. However, Daenerys learned the hard way that no one really believed in her or loved her in Westeros, whose collective memory of the Targaryens wasn’t exactly pleasant. This is part of why she was only met with mistrust. Tyrion even noted Sansa seemed “determined” not to trust Daenerys and, despite Daenerys’ overtures of friendship, the Lady of Winterfell refused any truce.

By the time Daenerys won at King’s Landing, she realized that despite everything she’d lost, Westeros refused to trust her or love its new Targaryen ruler (the final sign was Jon’s hesitance to kiss her), so her only recourse was to make them fear her. Daenerys is the only person in Game of Thrones actually qualified to rule because she spent years learning how to do it well. She really did come to Westeros to “break the wheel” and build a better world, but the actions of her Westerosi allies showed they only wanted to preserve their broken system.

From the beginning to the ending of Game of Thrones, it was Westeros that failed her, and Daenerys lost everything in her quest for the Iron Throne. So she finally snapped and unleashed all of her frustrations, grief, and pure rage on King’s Landing. It may be true that Daenerys was always the Mad Queen and finally showed her true colors, but it can also be argued that it’s Westeros that made her “Mad,” and she simply gave them what they wanted — and what they deserved.

Why Daenerys Still Isn’t GoT’s Villain

Becoming The Mad Queen Didn’t Make Daenerys An Antagonist

She should really be thought of much like her dragons — a force of nature corrupted to become a destructive typhoon instead of the healing rains that could have washed away Westeros’ bloated hubris.

Despite her torching-the-innocent season 8 heel turn, Daenerys still isn’t even close to being the overall villain in Game of Thrones. Daenerys is simply a product of the cruelty of Westeros — she’s a mirror, metaphorically speaking, and a reminder of the destruction that unfolded during eras like House of the Dragon‘s prequel setting.

She also serves as a thematic glimpse into Westeros’ future if something doesn’t change, and this is a fact Tyrion probably realized all too well when he ensured Bran the Broken was installed on the throne: he believed it’s better to have a ruler with too much knowledge than one with too much firepower.

Many fans forget just how much Daenerys has gone through. Even though Khal Drogo is a fan-favorite character following the end of GoT, he still raped Daenerys. The fact she forgave him and this was more-or-less brushed aside is one of season 1’s chief criticisms, but it’s also a strong example of how cruelty in Essos and Westeros created Daenerys the Mad Queen. She’s a brutal liberator who lost too much to a hostile world and reacted with the same cruelty and brutality she has experienced.

However, she’s not at the level of dehumanizing sadism that possesses Ramsay Bolton or Joffrey Baratheon. Daenerys is far too well-grounded with backstory and pure of purpose to be the true villain, and she should really be thought of much like her dragons — a force of nature corrupted to become a destructive typhoon instead of the healing rains that could have washed away Westeros’ bloated hubris.

House Of The Dragon Gives Daenerys’ Madness More Context

The Game Of Thrones Prequel Explains Why Dany Being A Targaryen Matters

When it comes to the Dragon Queen, Game of Thrones‘ final story arc for the character is further contextualized by her ancestors in House of the Dragon,some of whom possess their fair share of the infamous Targaryen madness. Though it’s never explicitly stated, the Targaryen madness is a result of not just centuries of incest, but also the blood magic that runs in the veins of the Valyrian family. In many ways, it is this madness that indirectly resulted in the horrific events of the Dance of the Dragons, when House Targaryen nearly fought itself to extinction.

As House of the Dragon shows, the madness can manifest as prophetic insight or dragon dreaming — as is the case with Helaena or Aegon — or just impulsive bloodlust, like in Daemon or Aerys II. Indeed, the Mad Queen twist in Game of Thrones is not unprecedented at all, especially to those familiar with the Targaryen bloodline.

Westeros will always remember Daenerys as the Targaryen who burned King’s Landing and lived up to her father’s reputation as The Mad King, but none of those opposed to her were surprised by her actions — it was only those in her thrall, and the audience, who were shocked. With House of the Dragon showing more of the Targaryen lineage, Daenerys becoming the Dragon Queen feels a lot less surprising and almost inevitable.

Daenerys’ Decision Made Sense Even If It Was Controversial

A Rushed Ending Ruined The Genuine Character Development Of The Mad Queen

Daenerys’ turn into the Mad Queen was one of the most hated aspects of the final season of Game of Thrones. However, it does seem as though it was the execution of the idea that was flawed rather than the idea itself. There is a sense among fans that Daenerys becoming cruel and sadistic came out of nowhere, and while it was certainly a rushed ending for her that added to the abrupt feel, the show has proven she was capable of cruelty long before she burned King’s Landing.

This was seen as far back as season 1 when Daenerys watched emotionlessly as Khal Drogo brutally killed her brother Viserys with molten gold. In response to Robert Baratheon sending an assassin after her, Drogo then goes on to make a speech about sailing to Westeros, tearing down their castles, slaughtering their people, and raping their women, to which Daenerys looks on proudly. It is a sign that, while she is usually against such cruelty, things change when she wants revenge.

Part of the problem comes from the fact that Daenerys was inflicting her cruelty on detestable characters for so long, including slavers, that she got used to being cheered on.

Part of the problem comes from the fact that Daenerys was inflicting her cruelty on detestable characters for so long, including slavers, that she got used to being cheered on. While the audience liked to see her burn slavers rather than allow them to surrender, the people of Essos also praised her as a hero. When she came to Westeros, she saw herself as continuing her journey as a liberator and perhaps thought the burning of King’s Landing would have been celebrated as well.

George R. R. Martin’s books have also hinted at this darkness inside Daenerys and it seems possible that she will end up in the same place as she did on the show. However, it’s likely that Martin had another path in mind for Daenerys’ descent into “madness.” The author has always liked to play around with the idea of myths and stories about Westerosi history being wrong. Therefore, it is likely the books won’t simply allow Daenerys to turn mad because she is a Targaryen but will instead explore the “Targaryen Madness” as a more complex idea than people assumed.

The complaints against Daenerys’ ending in Game of Thrones are not at all unwarranted. The series may have had this ending in mind for the character from the beginning, but they did not allow it time to develop organically, either out of a rushed schedule or wanting to provide some shock value to the twist. However, it is an ending that makes sense for the character and could have been fascinating to see done properly.