Top 10 Ways Game of Thrones Could End
#10: Tyrion Lannister Wins
Top 10 Best Tyrion Lannister Moments
While he seems way too smart to actually WANT the Iron Throne, it could still happen. Fans have theorized that Tyrion isn’t a Lannister at all, but a Targaryen. Tyrion’s father Tywin was Hand of the King to the King Aerys II, who in the books lusted after Tywin’s wife Joanna. Tywin even quips that Tyrion bears the Lannister name because Tywin “cannot prove” that he isn’t a Lannister. Tyrion has already shown that he can touch a dragon without getting his hand bitten off . . . could he also ride one? And could his bloodline give him the throne? He’d certainly be the smartest king Westeros has had in a long time.
#9: The Iron Throne (& Monarchy Rule) Is Thrown Out
Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 4 Preview Trailer Breakdown
As the noble houses play their Game of Thrones, we hear very little from the people they’re supposed to be lording over: the small folk. After years of neglectful rulers, petty squabbles between houses, and civil wars, it’s about time the small folks say enough is enough! We’ve already seen this unrest gradually spreading through King’s Landing. Those who survive the Night King’s invasion might just decide that they’ve had it with kings and queens altogether. Heck, maybe some of the noble houses will even support the motion, after all the bloodshed of the War of the Five Kings.
#8: Miracle Baby Targaryen Wins
It’s been made clear that Daenerys can’t have children, after what happened with Mirri Maz Duur at the end of season one. However, by the end of season seven, there was a lot of chatter about children and lineage, leading some fans to believe that maybe with Jon, Daenerys might get a sort of miracle baby. And yes, we know, they’re related - ew - but it wouldn’t be the first child in the show born of family relations. Depending on how things end up, it could take at least a generation for Westeros to get back on its feet, and maybe this little wolf-dragon will be destined to carry on the torch.
#7: Sansa Is Queen in the North
Sansa finally made it back home, wiser and stronger than before. We think that she’ll continue to support Jon when he learns that he’s the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. After all the hell that she went through though, we can understand why she might never want to head south again to King’s Landing - and after all “a Stark must always be in Winterfell”. Surely, she’ll become Warden in the North, but if Westeros is broken up again during the upcoming conflicts, maybe she’ll just go ahead and declare her sovereignty!
#6: Daenerys Goes Mad
Top 10 Badass Daenerys Targaryen Moments
For the Targaryens, madness runs in the family. In the books, it’s said that when a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin, with insanity on one side, and greatness on the other. Given her quick rise to power, Daenerys’ greatness is arguably a given; but her approach to politics often wavers between diplomacy and tyranny. She tends to be kind to small folk and those who are loyal, but can deal brutally with those who challenge her. Could losing one of her dragons flip the coin the other side up? How will she react when she learns that Cersei is plotting against her? Will she, like her father, decide to “burn them all’? Only time will tell.
#5: Cersei Wins
Speaking of Mad Queens . . . The show has been bleak, and heroes aren’t always victors. In his outcome, Cersei becomes the new ruler of Westeros, after Jon and Daenerys have defeated the Night King. Then again, given her pragmatic and manipulative nature, maybe she’ll ally WITH the Night King, and become the Night Queen. The survivors of the war would have to leave Westeros across the Narrow Sea, or risk becoming wights. Just as “the Doom” saw Valyria consumed by fire, maybe the Doom of Westeros will see it covered in ice.
#4: It Was All Bran
Top 10 Game of Thrones Fan Theories That Were Wrong
Brandon is a common name in the Stark family. In fact, when Bran was young, Old Nan used to forget which Bran she was talking to. Inspired by this fact, the All Bran theory states that all the Brandons throughout history are in fact the same person: time-travelling Bran Stark. A similar theory speculates that Bran might actually be the Night King, having travelled back in time and warged into the man whom the Children of the Forest made into the first White Walker. It’s a wild theory, but it would be a heck of a twist.
#3: The Night King Wins
Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 5 Preview Trailer Breakdown
It’s the bleakest ending possible - but is it totally out of the question? This is Game of Thrones after all. With a huge ice zombie horde at his back, and the ability to create more wights in coming battles, the Night King might reach King’s Landing with an army too big to stop. Plus, he also has an ice dragon! It would be thematically in line with the larger idea that Game of Thrones has had in play all along - that titles, land, and wealth mean nothing in the face of tragedy. In this theory, any survivors would have to leave Westeros. It would be unsatisfying, for sure . . . buuut leave lots of room for spin-offs!
#2: Jaime Kills Cersei ... & Vice Versa
Many characters point to Jaime Lannister’s “Kingslayer” moniker as a mark of dishonor. But when you consider the fact that he killed the Mad King to save thousands of innocents from a fiery death, it puts the deed into a whole new light. As the years have progressed, the Lannister twins have drifted to opposite ends of the morality spectrum. It seems very possible that Jaime will kill Cersei, for much the same reason he killed the Mad King - making him not only a Kingslayer, but also a Kin-slayer, AND a Queenslayer. Knowing Cersei, she wouldn’t go down without a fight. In a poetic twist then, just as Jaime and Cersei were born together . . . so too could they die together. Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions: Arya Dies in a Heroic Sacrifice A Cliffhanger, with No Real Winners #1: Hot Pie Assumes Power, Establishes a Democratic Government Get ready for some hot and flaky democracy! Just kidding.
#1: Jon or Daenerys Dies
Top 3 Things You Missed in Season 8 Episode 6 of Game of Thrones
Both Jon and Daenerys would die for their cause, and there’s no shortage of characters willing to help them do so. They’ll need steady hands and hearts to make it through . . . but what if learning of Jon’s true parentage sends the lovebirds off the deep end? Or the family madness causes Dany to make a fatal mistake at a crucial moment? Then again, even without those distractions, Jon may well do something heroic but fatal on the battlefield, especially with the lives of family or his new love at risk. With either death, we can pretty much guarantee one last knowing look between them as part of a bittersweet ending that leaves the other poised to sit on the Iron Throne.
