How Game of Thrones Should Have Ended (Spoilers)

Fans worldwide were angered at the ending of Game of Thrones in early 2019. By deciding to end with Jon Snow killing Daenerys Targaryen after she turns into the Mad Queen, then having Bran Stark sit on the Iron Throne, Game of Thrones writers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff ostracized a large part of their dedicated fanbase.

But how should it all have ended?

In the first edition of this series, we will revisit the endings of once-beloved shows that had divisive endings. Bones, How I Met Your Mother, and Black Mirror will follow in coming weeks. Be sure to comment if you have another show you would like consideration for this series.

Where Did We Leave All the Major Characters?

Cersei and Jamie Lannister die in each others arms after a rock collapse. The Mountain and The Hound are killed after The Hound pushes the two off the king’s castle. Daenerys takes King’s Landing, then is killed by her love, Jon Snow. Snow is then banished to the Night’s Watch, where he reunites with Tormund and Ghost. It is unclear what they are watching for, considering the fact that the Night King has been killed by Arya Stark. Speaking of the youngest female Stark, she decides to travel “west of Westeros.” Sansa Stark, her older sister, becomes the Queen in the North. Bran Stark is voted the new King of the Seven Kingdoms after an impassioned – albeit questionable – speech by Tyrion Lannister, who then becomes the Hand of the King once again. Bronn, Davos, and Brienne of Tarth are present on his Council. Grey Worm travels back to Naath with the Unsullied.

How Did the Fans React?

Not well. “The Iron Throne,” the final episode of Game of Thrones has an abysmal 4.2/10 rating on IMDb. Fans felt cheated by the ending, as well as a few unfortunate editing mishaps. It is usual for some fans to be upset at the ending of a show, particularly one as beloved as Game of Thrones. One would be hard-pressed to find someone who enjoyed the finale, though – this is the difference. Nearly no one was left satisfied.

How Should it Have Ended?

Well, with a show as involved as GoT, an ending could have come from many different directions. Dany could have been defeated by Cersei, Jon could have realized that she was becoming the Mad Queen before the end, Arya could have played more of a role. Heck, the Night King could have won and no one would have batted an eye. What is certain, however, is that it shouldn’t have ended the way it did. Bran did nothing to deserve to be King – he hadn’t even showcased so much as an inkling of desire to become King. There had not been enough build-up of Dany’s potential “Mad Queen” status; the writers simply went back to the fact that her father was the Mad King. The love story between Dany and Jon moved far too fast. The final two seasons failed to care about the meticulous details; the time it takes to travel across Westeros.

So let’s make our own ending.

First, the final two seasons are not condensed from ten episodes to 6/7. There is time built into the episodes for travel time and character development.

Second, the Night King is not defeated in “The Long Night.” Rather, he captures Winterfell by rising the dead, including Ned Stark and a few other notable characters from the past. Ned, however, is not seen by any of the protagonists. Jon Snow and Dany are at odds for what to do as they, along with Bran, the Hound, Tyrion, Sansa, Arya, Sam, and Lord Varys are forced to retreat. Jamie and Brienne are killed in battle after Brienne sees Jamie in trouble and attempts to save him. Also killed in battle are Theon, Grey Worm, Jorah, Lyanna Mormont, Beric, Gendry (despite Arya’s best efforts), and Tormund, who sacrifices himself to save Jon. The Red Woman does not show up yet. Dany’s dragons fly off. They have gone rogue.

Dany wishes to stay and fight, as is her nature. Jon, listening to his sisters and council and realizing that hope in defending Winterfell is lost, says they should travel to King’s Landing to beg for Cersei’s help in defeating the dead.

Eventually, they decide to go to King’s Landing, but Dany is upset. The Night King is shown at Winterfell, appearing to smirk. He wants them to all gather at King’s Landing.

A few episodes detail their travel to King’s Landing. There are a few close calls and a lot of talking, but no one dies. Tension is very, very high. The Night King is shown moving behind the Winterfell crew. He’s toying with them. Cersei is shown a few times – she is starting to lose patience.

Finally, the Winterfell folk – Jon Snow, Dany, Bran, the Hound, Tyrion, Sansa, Arya, Sam, and Lord Varys arrive at King’s Landing. The Hound and the Mountain have their Clegane Bowl. Just as in the actual ending, both die.

Cersei refuses to listen to them (well, she only allows Tyrion to actually talk to her in close proximity). Instead, she is convinced that they killed Jamie themselves. Dany loses patience and threatens to attack Cersei. Jon manages to convince her not to just yet, but Dany appears ready to blow. Sansa and Arya try to get Jon to distance himself from the Targaryen. Sam, Bran, Tyrion, and Lord Varys council together, separate from the more volatile group. They come to the conclusion that Cersei will have to listen to them in time. They wish to allow the Night King to enter; Cersei will have to listen then. Bran attempts to see the future, but says there are only two possibilities: life and death. Without Cersei, he says, they will certainly die. With her, he cannot tell. The existence of the Night King appears to be necessary for The Three-Eyed Raven.

The group is forced to set up camp outside of King’s Landing, hoping that Cersei doesn’t plan to attack. The Night King is close – they can feel him. Melisandre arrives out of nowhere. Close behind her are the two dragons. She warns them of the impending danger. “Many will die,” she says. “And many will return from the dead.”

At the end of the penultimate episode, Arya is seen sneaking off. She slithers into King’s Landing, kills a guard, takes his face, waltzes into the castle, enters Cersei’s room, and slits her throat.

The beginning of the finale shows Cersei calling for her troops. She commands them to prepare for battle. She then calls for Tyrion, telling him she plans to help. Tyrion doesn’t believe her.

The Night King arrives early – Jon and the Winterfell crew are forced to react quickly. Melisandre is nowhere to be found, nor is Arya. Dany loads the crew up on her two remaining dragons and carries them inside the Red Keep. She and Jon take off on the dragons. Sansa realizes that Arya is missing. She looks at Bran, who returns the gaze knowingly. Cersei has still not revealed herself to the Winterfell gang.

The Night King quickly takes control of King’s Landing by raising the dead and defeating Cersei’s soldiers from both sides. They had heard rumors of the raising from the dead, but didn’t know to expect it. Cersei’s reluctance to believe her fellow humans proves to be destructive in their quest to, well, remaining alive. The dragons burn some of the wights, but they simply cannot keep up. The Night King himself is on the outskirts until they take King’s Landing. Given the intense snow that has suddenly shown up, Jon and Dany are unable to find him. Out of nowhere, a spear flies through the air, wounding Drogon. Dany is left falling to her death with her beloved dragon.

The Red Woman – Melisandre – shows up when all hope is nearly lost. Mysteriously, she whispers to Bran, who simply nods as Sam stands by his side, supposedly to protect him. Melisandre then takes off her necklace and fades away. Tyrion, Sansa, and Varys are shown entering the castle. They find Cersei, who removes her face to reveal herself as Arya. Tyrion quietly mourns the loss of his sister. Varys worries that Arya’s rash move could mean that all hope is lost – Bran’s vision appeared to say so. Sansa hugs her sister.

The Night King enters the Red Keep. There is no one left to fight him. Women and children are huddled in their homes. He walks right by the houses – he isn’t worried about them. Walking beside the Night King is Ned Stark.

Bran tells Sam they must go to Arya. Sam is confused, but Bran directs him. Soon, all of the remaining protagonists, save Jon, are in one room.

Jon lands the dragon and runs into the Red Keep, searching for Dany. He finds her lifeless body next to Drogon. Without time to mourn, he feels the Night King approaching. Yelling, he turns and begins to swing his sword. Mid-swing, he sees Ned. The shock on his face is clear. Quickly, he tries to continue his swing, but the Night King stabs him first. Ned Stark’s presence dooms Jon, who is left bleeding on the ground right next to Dany.

The Night King continues to travel into the castle with Ned Stark by his side. He sends Ned in the room alone.

Sansa gasps. Tyrion and Varys just stare. Bran nods knowingly. Sam stands in front of Bran. Arya is stonefaced.

Quickly, Ned attacks Bran. Sam isn’t prepared, and Ned rips at him. Grabbing at his sword, Sam takes some shots and screams. Arya comes from behind and stabs her undead father in the back. Sam is badly injured.

Finally, the Night King enters. None of his wights appear to be with him.

Arya begins to attack. Suddenly, she freezes. “It’s my time.” Bran says.

The Night King nods at him.

The two’s eyes go behind their heads. They are clearly in a battle of the minds. We see the past – the beginning of the Night King and the beginning of the Three-Eyed Raven. We see possible futures. We see everything that has happened and everything that will happen.

Arya, Sansa, Tyrion, Varys, and a dying Sam are left to watch, unable to move, as the Night King and the Three-Eyed Raven battle. They see Bran moving in his chair erratically; they watch as the Night King sways back and forth.

Suddenly, Bran comes out of his trance. “Now, Arya!” He yells, louder than he had yelled since before he became the Three-Eyed Raven. “Now!”

Arya finds herself able to move once again and lunges at the Night King. She stabs him, leaving the dragonglass in his chest for good measure. The Night King shatters.

The remaining protagonists gape at Bran. “How’d you do that? What happened?”

“I reminded him of times long ago.” The Three-Eyed Raven smiles. “Of times when he did not exist.”

The Three-Eyed Raven begins to disintegrate. “I reminded him of times that I didn’t exist.”

Sansa runs to the pile of ash that was once her brother.

“He has been gone for years.” Arya says sadly. “That was the Three-Eyed Raven.”

The camera pans to the remaining protagonists: Tyrion, Arya, Sansa, Varys, and a near-dead Sam. There’s a shout from outside the room. It sounds like Jon.

The final shot is of the vacant Iron Throne.