Game of Thrones is in its final season and fans everywhere are dying to know what the fate of their favorite characters will be as the ending rolls around. There is no shortage of fan theories being shared on the internet. Most notably, a recent theory that has been gaining traction in the fandom concerns the Dragon Queen herself — Daenerys Targaryen.
Some viewers believe that she could lose the Iron Throne and join the White Walkers as the Night Queen. But does the theory hold up? If so, how would it work? Here’s what we know.
How might Daenerys Targaryen become the Night Queen?
Fans who support this theory point to the part in season 2 when Daenerys had a vision of herself leaving Khal Drogo and their son to go to her dragons. The meaning of this scene is simply that Daenerys would be willing to choose her dragon children over her own human family. So, in the event that all of her dragon children are dead, Daenerys might be willing to become a White Walker just to continue being with them, even if it means ditching her current lover Jon Snow and their rumored child.
Recently, Daenerys also discovered that Jon Snow is the son of her oldest brother Rhaegar Targaryen, and has a more legitimate claim to the throne than she does. Being the power-hungry person that she is, Daenerys could find herself going to the Night King, the leader of the White Walkers, in order to get access to a place where she could rule as queen.
What would the process be like for Daenerys to become the Night Queen?
Many fans believe that a likely way for Daenerys to become a Night Queen would be for Jon to kill her with his sword.
This theory is based on the parallelism between Daenerys and Jon’s relationship and Azor Ahai and Nissa Nissa’s relationship. According to Game of Thrones legends, Azor Ahai had to plunge his sword, the Lightbringer, into his wife Nissa Nissa’s heart in order to unleash its power and defeat the White Walkers. Nissa Nissa died and fans believe that she was turned into the Night Queen. (Either that or she became the Night Queen long before and Azor Ahai killed her with his sword.)
Since a lot of people believe that Jon is the reincarnation of Azor Ahai, it’s quite possible that Daenerys’ fate will be similar to that of Nissa Nissa’s.
Emilia Clarke and ‘Game of Thrones’ writers seem to have hinted at this fate for Daenerys
Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys, has revealed how she feels about her character’s fate in the finale and it did not sound good. “It f*cked me up,” she said. “Knowing that is going to be a lasting flavor in someone’s mouth of what Daenerys is ….”
Meanwhile, George R. R. Martin, who wrote the series of books that Game of Thrones is based on, said that the show most likely will not have a fully happy ending. “I think you need to have some hope… we all yearn for happy endings in a sense,” he said. “Myself, I’m attracted to the bittersweet ending. People ask me how Game of Thrones is gonna end, and I’m not gonna tell them… but I always say to expect something bittersweet in the end. You can’t just fulfill a quest and then pretend life is perfect.”
All of these comments make a lot of sense if the ending involves Daenerys turning to the dark side. However, it will be a while before we truly know the answer.
To keep up with Game of Thrones‘ characters, be sure to catch the show every Sunday on HBO.
