A new fan theory suggests that King Viserys’ prophecy in House of the Dragon is already setting up the story for the upcoming Jon Snow series. And it actually makes a lot of sense. This could be how George R.R. Martin fixes Game Thrones‘ unsatisfactory ending.
RELATED: Could Viserys Targaryen Be The White Walker With The Ice Spear?
As we move closer to the end of House of the Dragon‘s first season, one thing has been made abundantly clear: this is not the same show that Game of Thrones was in its later seasons. It goes beyond mere thematic and tonal differences – it’s a matter of how one show handled George R.R. Martin’s source material and the pressing significance of prophecy in his stories.
Foreshadowing and the ever-present threat of an apocalyptic event were commonplace during Game of Thrones’ early seasons. We all thought that the White Walkers and the Night King would be the ultimate villains in this particular story. After all, the promise of a Long Winter was something that almost everyone in the North feared – until it was dealt with in a few episodes’ worth of poorly-lit battles.
However, in an unforeseen turn of events, there might still be hope for die-hard A Song of Ice and Fire fans to get the ending they deserve. House of the Dragon holds a crucial prophecy at its core – one that could change the course of the franchise as we know it for the better.
One thing that’s been spinning in the minds of Game of Thrones fans since it was announced is the Jon Snow spinoff show currently in the works at HBO. If there’s one character that was wasted on the last season of the show, that would be the Stark’s “bastard.” Since other characters – like Jaime Lannister – can’t get redeemed in the same way as Jon can, it seems like the show could be the chance for the new showrunners to fix the mistakes of the last few seasons of Game of Thrones.
RELATED: House of the Dragon Fans Call for Paddy Considine Emmy Win
A Prince Without a Kingdom
Remember that time that Jon Snow died and was brought back to life by R’hllor to fulfil an ancient prophecy that could very well be humanity’s last hope? And how all that was for nothing once Arya was the one to deliver the killing blow to the Night King? That’s why the prophecy of The Prince that was Promised is so flimsy in the Game of Thrones series.
The Army of the Dead seemed like the ultimate threat to life itself. Once they breached the wall, only a select few individuals were prophesized as the ones capable of stopping humanity’s end. This is not just a Game of Thrones prophecy, either: House of the Dragon establishes this very same omen multiple times throughout the first season.
King Viserys tells Princess Rhaenyra of the prophecy, which is treated as an ancient Targaryen heritage. In his words, Aegon the Conqueror foresaw the end of humanity and the only way to stop it was for the whole of Westeros to unite against this threat – and for a Targaryen to be sitting on the Iron Throne.
Here’s where things diverge between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. Remember who was sitting on the Iron Throne when the Night King attacked Winterfell? Here’s a hint: it wasn’t a Targaryen (and it wasn’t Jon Snow) – but it should have been.
RELATED: Paddy Considine Reveals The Truth About King Viserys’ Mystery Disease
The True Heir
One of the most shocking revelations in Game of Thrones happens when we learn that Jon Snow is, unbeknownst to him, Aegon Targaryen – the true heir to the Iron Throne and a descendant of King Viserys Targaryen. Aside from placing a huge bullseye on Jon’s head, his heritage also meant that he, and not Robert Baratheon (and therefore Cersei), should have been the king of Westeros since the Mad King’s death.
In this sense, King Viserys’ prophecy almost makes sense. One could argue that, technically, a Targaryen should have been on the Iron Throne at the moment when the Night King broke through the Wall. However, since Jon’s heritage was kept a secret from everyone, there was no way for him to ever claim his birthright.
Jon Snow’s royal status also aligns with the Prince that was Promised prophecy. He was, after all, a prince, and when he defeated death with the blessing of the Lord of Light, he proved that he could have been the Azor Ahai that was foretold by the Red Priestesses.
Unfortunately, most of these claims are mere speculation so far. Though King Viserys’ prophecy seems to be tied to Jon Snow – or should I say, Aegon Targaryen – and his future, Game of Thrones ended on a disappointing note for everyone’s favourite member of the Night’s Watch. Going back to being no one is not what one would expect from someone with such a promising role in the future of Westeros.
RELATED: 9 Ideas Game Of Thrones Stole From The Bible
What Lies Beyond
From a plot progression standpoint, the idea of following House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones with a Jon Snow spinoff series makes perfect sense. There’s a healthy amount of narrative potential in some elements of the Game of Thrones series finale, and it would be a shame to see the TV world of A Song of Ice and Fire go to waste like that.
The Prince that was Promised has always been a pivotal character in many myths in Westeros, and Jon Snow seems more than likely to be the one chosen by the prophecy (especially in King Viserys’ last words). If that’s true, then we might have more mysteries on the horizon for a show that’s based on Jon after the events of Game of Thrones.
For starters, it seems highly unlikely that an ancient threat that could end humanity and life itself would be defeated just by killing a single unit. This particular strand of the White Walkers might be gone, but who’s to say that what we saw was the last of the Army of the Dead?
It goes without saying, but Game of Thrones was never a show that focused on delivering exactly what fans wanted – let alone what they expected. That said, there’s tons of room for improvement in the last season, and seeing the showrunners of House of the Dragon reintroduce King Viserys’ prophecy, just before a spinoff centred on the last remaining Targaryen (Jon Snow) arrives, seems more than just coincidental.
There’s still no word on when the Jon Snow series will release. The only info we have is that the show is “in development” over at HBO, so it might be a while before we see Kit Harington in character once again.
If there’s one thing that House of the Dragon has proved, however, is that, despite the outrage caused by Game of Thrones‘s final season, there will always be a demand for stories set in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. The only thing that fans need is consistency in the plot and characters, and an ending that’s worthy of the myths and legends that reside at the centre of the fantastical – and brutally realistic – the land of Westeros.
We really want to see King Viserys’ prophecy fulfilled and Jon Snow on the Iron Throne defeating the White Walkers once and for all.
RELATED: What The House Of The Dragon Characters Looks Like In The Books
reminder there is no gender to the word “prince”/princess in high valyrian
rip missandei
I would love to see to the spiders big as dogs that was referenced a couple times in GOT
I can’t wait to see Jon snow spin off, I just feel he could do more in game of thrones and he now as a targeryan can go in a different way, and I believe bran is the true villain in game of thrones, he played every one to be king , I hope Jon finds that and also the Dragon can help him, and the dagger belongs to Jon not Arya, alot of stuff can happen, even Dani can brought back to life by red priests. I think the prophecy might be more complicated than we think
The show explicitly showed that the Night King was the first White Walker, made by the tree people using the knife thrust into the man’s chest until his eyes turned blue.
Therefore, when he died they all died, because he was the one who made them all, as the show depicted. There are no more White Walkers left.
That was a simple explanation and we never thought twice about it so idk why the article is acting like it came out of nowhere. When Jon and the team went beyond the wall to find a walker and bring it to Cersi that theory was proven so it made sense. Now the episodes after The Long Night was when it all started falling apart. Even in The Long Night when Arya defeated the night king a lot of people were happy but confused because of this prophecy being drilled into our heads which I studied online as if I was getting college credit lol. Just sending Jon back to the Nights Watch was the main thing that left us wondering WHAT WAS THE REASON! Lol I still love the show though so I’m excited to see what’s next
Jon is not the prince that was promised which you would know if you read the books and paid attention to the show. House of the Dragon played DAENERYS’ theme every time the prophecy was mentioned. You’re discussing something you know absolutely nothing about.
I think that’s Targaryen theme, not dany personal theme
Jon returns to find Danarys wearing Daisy Duke shorts and mixing drinks while dancing on the bar at Cayote Ugly
In books, Night King came after White Walkers already existed, so even with inherited WW vulnerability from the show, earlier/other WWs (outside Night King’s family tree) exist.
You do know flat worlds can be made round so when one sails west one turns up in the east.
Hahahahhahahahahah yes!! Yes!!
You… you win the internet today.
Yes indeed.
I’ve never read an article that said so much and yet pinned down so little….Not a single prediction or bit of speculation. Just “maybe it’ll be better than GOT”. I was hoping for a theory to sink my teeth into ?
You’re right, a lot of rambling with no real point.
The prophecy was fulfilled as Jon Snow is the one who orchestrated the killing of the night king and it’s army, he may not have been the one to give the final blow but he is the one who persuade everyone into that battle and was the leader for everyone who go up against the night kings in that battle.
Correct! Jon snow is the one who united them all except cersei to fight the army of dead
I’m getting my PhD in Westerology to be able to answer all these questions. Coming back soon.
Lmao when GOT was on I would find myself going deep online and my ex always asked me if I was getting college credit because I was obsessed!! Lol
Was it not Jon Snow who united the realm of men to fight against the dead? What else do you want?
Do you want a Disney movie type ending?
I understand that seasons 7 and 8 were very rushed and that there could have been better scripts and character development, but as far as the prophecy is concerned, of course it was fulfilled.
By the way, to think that Danarys is still alive and will get her revenge would be as ridiculous as the hundreds of Halloween sequels where Michael Myers just doesn’t die.
As you say, the Prince who was promised was to unite the realms- that was the prophecy. The idea that he also had to be on the throne and stab the night king himself is childish and something from a Disney franchise.
No it’s not ridiculous. That’s how most of the fans looked at it. That’s how it should have played out. Why not satisfy us fans. Isn’t that why they make movies? To satisfy us fans. Mostly all fans were hoping to see him on the throne and was hoping to see him put the dagger in the night King.
That would be great I like the idea
The potential Jon Snow series must bring back Daenerys. After her death, she’s delivered to Kinvara who called her the “one” and she’s brought back to life as Jon was.
GoT screwed over “Team Dany” and this is a chance to fix it
My take: dany lives and have jon’s son, he is the prince that was promised..
Jon Snow develops superpowers and is able to fly and transform into the octopus.
Lmao, I love it ????
Jon Snow did fulfill the prophecy when he killed Daneryis who was at that moment the biggest threat to life. He should be a king but he did stop the worst to come by stopping the Mother of Dragons.
This would be nice: Danarys lives and seeks revenge against jon snow, his family and westeros. She once again enlists her armies from essos and goes to war. She becomes the new threat and Jon snow must defeat her. That could work.
Of course it was John who defeated the White Walkers and avoided the Long Night. He was the one who brought everyone together, he was the fabric of the army of the living. It doesn’t matter if Arya delivered the killing blow, the whole resistance wouldn’t exist without John. The prophecy was clearly fulfilled.
The way the Night King was presented in GoT, it was never going to be Jon who delivered the killing blow. Jon and the Night King faced each other twice in the Long Night. The first time, the Night King called the fog. The second time, he raised the dead. He could only be killed by someone who sneak up on him – and that person was never going to be Jon. But Arya returned to Winterfell when Jon had been named King in the North and beaten the Boltons, just as everyone else who was there, was there because Jon Snow brought them there.
And to be honest, I hope Jon DOESN’T end up as King of Westeros. Because he doesn’t want to be King. I was actually pleased with Jon’s ending, where he disappeared to the North to become one of the Free Folk.
Regardless of what happens in the new series, I would love to see an ending where Sansa and Arya help Jon fake his death so he can return to the Free Folk, where no one cares he’s Aegon Targaryen, because they accept him as Jon Snow.
While it all makes good sense. I don’t agree that King Viserys’ last words will be what leads us into the Jon Snow spin off because in an interview, Paddy Constantine tells that the last words he spoke were improv. They weren’t written into the show. It was only enough for us the viewers know that Alicent was mistaken and he was speaking to Rhanerya and not of his son Aegon.
Is it possible that Uncle Benjen is still alive… technically we didnt see his death.
So is stannis baratheon?
Stannis the manus is still alive in the books.
Calling it now:
The Jon Snow series will see Jon (Aegon) in search of answers about his real heritage. He wants to learn more about the house of the dragons. Arya (who we saw sailing away in the finale) returns broken because in her voyage, they were attacked by “something” but Arya manages to escape and head back. She meets with Jon and they try to figure out where Arya was exactly when she was attacked and they realize that she was sailing in the region of old Valyria. Jon, desperate to learn more about the Targaryens, decides that he wants to go there. Arya accompanies him. Upon reaching the region, they see a lot pf wreckage around then something attacks there ship. Jon and Arya manages to swim to shore and they find themselves in a ruined island. Suddenly they hear a loud screech. They follow the sound and they find that it was coming from a wounded Drogon, unable to fly. They realized that Drogon carried Daenerys’ body home to Valyria but was attacked by something bigger. After a while, they hear another screech, but this time it’s louder and fuller. They look in the distance and they see a massive black dragon: The Cannibal.
Love the theory, but everybody already knows where Old Valeria is, and it’s not to the West where Arya Sailed, it’s to the East. When Tyrion gets captured By Jorah Mormont, they take their small boat through Old Valeria and that’s where Jorah get’s the stone disease.
Maybe not old valeria, but definitely something out West. I like your theory.
Yes, if we going with the prophecy this is Jon Snow supposed to sit on the Iron Throne. That’s it… but they sit Bran Stark on thé Iron Throne.
It’s ASOIAF, Bran can always be killed by someone or something.
Who writes this junk?! This is just blathering on & on first of all and 2nd of all HE DOES HAVE BRIWN HAIR IN THE SHOW! That is not jet black hair! Very, very, very few people in the world have actual jet black hair btw. Even Asians have dark brown hair, not black. See Underworld circa 2002: kate Beckinsale remarked that her hair was absolutely not black but dark brown. For actors making someone’s hair black or bleach platinum like the Targaryans is a risky business because its more difficult to remove that color. It’s lighting also btw but no his hair is definitely not black. Look closer.
One thing has been made abundantly clear, this is the same exact show that game of thrones was in its later seasons. Characters making dumb decisions for no reason other than so the story can happen. Unexplained decisions that make no sense. Big set pieces that are spectacle but just open up plot holes. Originally I thought the quality of writing was more akin to season 5 and 6, but after last episode this feels more like season 7, by the end of next episode I wouldn’t be surprised if there was another starbucks advertisement
I love Jon Snow best idea
Don’t forget what Viserys says to Rhaenyra after he reveals this prophesy of TPTWP… “Promise me. PROMISE. ” Echoes of Lyanna’s last words to Ned. If that’s not a hint, right there…
Love this!