My theories on Game of Thrones' story (SPOILERS up to season 6, speculation after)

I like good story arcs with significant story elements. Game of Thrones has that in spades. When I first saw season 1, I figured it would make total sense from a story technical perspective if Jon was Daenerys' brother. Why? One was a fire godess on one edge of the world, the other was an ice warrior on the exact opposite edge of the world. These two would eventually meet to do something significant, but since bloodlines always seemed a core concept of the series, I figured if my theory was correct, they'd have to be related as well.

Being somewhat right about that made me feel great. Until I discovered I was wrong about so many other things. So I decided to write down my theories so I can have a good laugh about how wrong I was afterwards, or possibly be surprised by being right. I thus intend to look this stuff back up after season 7 and most importantly season 8.

I'm ordering these from most likely to be somewhat correct, to probably wrong but making sense to me.

Daenerys and Jon form the force against the Night King with the help of Bran

As I explained earlier, I think there are two unmistakably significant themes in Game of Thrones (or rather a Song of Ice and Fire). The clash of fire against ice is the easy one. The importance of bloodlines is the other.

I believed that Daenerys and Jon are related and we have seen confirmation of that in the latest season. In my loose interpretation, the clash between fire and ice will be between Jon, Daenerys and Bran against the Night King and his army. Daenerys will supply the army to this fight: her legion of followers and her dragons. Jon will be the warrior on the ground that leads those forces to victory and he will be the only one capable of actually destroying the Night King in combat with the help of Bran who will act as a catalyst of some sort.

The Night King is a Stark

As bloodlines are incredibly important to the story from my interpretation, I believe the reason this trio are the only ones capable of stopping him is because they have blood ties. I believe the Night King has Stark blood. There will be some sort of reason why he can only be killed with someone who shares his blood. It would make sense to me if a sacrifice of some sort was involved. I fully expect Jon to die when the series ends, or perhaps absorbing the Night King's power and then committing suicide before he generates the same thirst for death.

Bran built the Wall

I could be totally wrong about this, but I thought I gathered that Bran was named after Bran the Builder, a Stark who unsurprisingly built a lot of things, including things for the Night's Watch. I believe he was mostly responsible for the Wall and I think that since we have seen that Bran can manipulate things in the past, he is actually the one that built the Wall in a cycle theory. He goes back into time and makes sure the Wall gets built. This would connect with my next two pieces of speculation.

Bran is the old Three-Eyed-Raven

Yeah, here is where it gets into 'this probably isn't it' territory. But it could be that the old man in the tree is actually old Bran. This is the least fun theory as it is pretty rote at this point to have this type of cycle-story. Nevertheless, it is a possibility I have been thinking about. Perhaps the Night King can never truly be defeated. Whether he can only be suppressed for thousand years or a new one will be born; it is consistent with the timespan noted in the series. The White Walkers were sleeping/hiding for a thousand years. The old Three-Eyed-Raven was waiting for Bran for a thousand years.

At the end of the series, Bran could climb into a tree and wait for a thousand years for the next Bran to teach him how to defeat the Night King. After which that Bran will then wait for a thousand years for the next one and so on. While these stories are played out to a certain extent, I feel it could probably still make some sense and work. I kind of hope this isn't what it turns out to be though. Between Mass Effect, BioShock Infinite, The Matrix and whatnot, while I enjoyed each and every one of them, I don't have too much desire to see one of these types of conclusions again.

Bran is the Night King

I wrote this down, I'm not even sure why I thought this was a legitimate possibility. Looking back at it now, this doesn't make too much sense. I believe I connected Bran and the children, the creation of the Night King and the children and then taking the possibility of a cycle-theory and running with it. Contrary to the previous cycle-theory, this one doesn't make too much sense though.

I kind of feel like your just touching on the overall bigger theory that Bran basically has the powers to make, and un-make everything about this entire universe. And at some point he will realize that, and set everything right after everyone dies. At least that is what I believe. Interesting post though. But yeah talking with people I feel like some felt this thing would end id a "non-fantasy" way, but as you see the show/books go more and more deeper into the fact that it's turning back into DnD ass fantasy tropes that for sure some type of big bullshit deus ex machinae style ending event is going to happen to this show. It happens with every interesting show almost it feels like. I don't know if a lot of people will like the ending, but we'll see.

But I do think the evidence is there to show that Bran can do more than just warg, and isn't just a passenger looking through time. He clearly can influence it as the Hodor incident proved, so the ending will likely have something to do with him resetting, or changing something huge and drastic. I wouldn't even be surprised to see them bring characters back from the dead due to such changes. We'll see though.

The real question for me is, because both Jon and Dany are blood related, and Targaryen no less, do they get married? We all know that is a thing that family did to protect the blood line, and since Jon is a bastard...and nobody even knows he's not a Stark yet...(he's half stark anyway tbh).

Mary Sue does Mary Sue things, Dragons Vs Zombies; the end.

I haven't watched since season 4 but I'm hoping that it ends in an epic battle with the Wight walkers with the hero's of the day being Dany riding the largest dragon, Tyrion on one of the others (fulfilling his childhood dream) and Jon on the other (after learning of his heritage). Also Bran as Hodor having an almighty epic duel with a Big Bad walker.

@frodobaggins: You should probably watch season 5 and onward (actually, season 5 and 6 might be the best seasons so far). You're missing some info.

@zevvion: oh I plan to, I'm just waiting for them all to be out so I can binge lol. Those three on dragons was my hope from the first time I read the books.

I hope, not but I don't have a lot of faith in a good ending anymore.

I am kinda hoping for Jon and Dany to hook up, eventually ending up in another mad king, eventualy ruining the peace they will achieve at the end of this.

Than again if Dany end up on the throne I am sure the Kingdoms will be fuckedi n short order regardless.

@frodobaggins: You and essentially everyone else who read them. At the very least, that image "John, Dany and Tyrion on dragons burning ice elves to death for victory!" was the ending climatic "Woho!" scene most people wanted. Its the most logical if basic conclusion to the books.

Given we are in spoiler territory. We already have reasons why all 3 could ride dragons. I have no doubt that HBO will include that scene as fan service, even if it was never suppose to happen in the books.

@cheappoison: Good as in 'competent and sound' or good as in 'happy ending'?

Danny and Jon are gonna fuck and its gonna be weird.

I also think Jaime kills Cersei

I'm just hoping the dragons aren't the McGuffin that magically solves everything. As it seems right now, 3 dragons = nothing at all can stand in your way. Burn all the humans, burn all the zombies and make more dragonglass to kill all the walkers. Doesn't seem like quite enough to fill another season and a half. I'm holding out for a badass scene where one of the dragons eats it and comes back as a zombie dragon for some dragon on dragon combat.

The Identity of the three eyed crow is not a mystery in the books. I have no idea if the show is going a different direction or not. I would suggest reading the books, as they are awesome, but I don't have confidence that GRRM will ever finish at this point. Don't torture yourself.

Jon is not a bastard technically. My guess is his father legitimized him right before he rode off to his doom at the Battle of the Trident ( Rhaegar Targaryen his father). He told Lyanna that Jon is the prophecy of Fire and Ice aka the promised one.

If I'm wrong Jon is a bastard and his name should be Jon Sand. Ha

If I'm not mistaken, in the house of the Undying Dany saw a vision of Rhaegar telling Elia Martell that their baby Aegon was the promised one, not him saying it to Lyanna. Could be wrong.

I want a fairly morally ambiguous and possibly unhappy ending. Not sure how they arrive there. Maybe something Matrix/Mass Effect-like in that they find a way to coexist with the others, I mean white walkers and the cycle begins anew, if maybe changed in course a bit. I was kind of hoping you would find out something about the others, I mean white walkers that gave them more depth. Like they have their own society and code, or there was some way in which they weren't entirely this blindly evil force. That the children created them is something, I suppose, but it's a bit on the nose.

@giantlizardking: Brandon Sanderson exists for a reason!

Whatever they do, I really hope that it doesn't involve a bunch of magical time-travel hand-waving from Bran. Honestly, that whole plot was the point I started to check out of the show last season. It's really hard to end those kinds of plots successfully in a way that isn't completely stupid.

To be clear, I'd be fine with them ending the story with the events being another version of a repeating cycle where Dany/John/Tyrion/some combination is the newest version of Azor Ahai or whatnot. But once it trends into Dany/John/Tyrion/some combination was always Azor Ahai because time-travel, I'm out.

But I'm very worried that's where they're headed.

@zevvion: As in competent. I'd actually be disappointed in a completely 'good' ending. Kind of goes against the established tone. This isn't a fairtale like some other fantasy stories. I feel they grounded this in a more real sense. The whole thing bas been grey (admittedly with quite a few black and white characters thrown in there, borderline on cartoon characters in the last few seasons), so I am hoping for a grey ending.

That is why I like the idea of the reastablishment of the Targayean dynasty, but out of a union of incest like previous generation of inbreeding so it openes the door for another mad king. Or something else like Little finger actually getting there.

From my personal stance I also don't thnk Dany will be a good ruler. She has shown to be completely incapable and only manages cause she has some good people around her. There were way more capable rulers that have already passed on in the series. Dany might be more just, but that might not be what it takes to govern a kingdom. Just like Fable 3, although there is was super heady handed. There has been other fiction that plays with those ideas that were interesting.

And fuck if they go timetravel on this! Bran's journey had been thoroughly uninteresting to me for the last couple of seasons and if he turns out to be able to magic away all the problems this might be close to a lost, none ending.