Game of Thrones: 10 Things That Might Have Happened If Joffrey Survived

There were a lot of big deaths on Game of Thrones, but nothing quite satisfying as when King Joffrey was poisoned at his own wedding. Joffrey was a cruel king, a spoiled brat,  and the person responsible for the death of Ned Stark as well as the mistreatment of several of the most beloved characters on the show.

With so many key characters being killed on the show, it’s easy to overlook the impact of Joffrey’s death had going forward. So many things changed as a result of his murder, some good and some bad. Here are some of the biggest differences if Joffrey had lived.

10 Cersei Leaves King’s Landing

Cersei Lannister had always been a pretty evil person but the death of Joffrey changed her for the worst. She became more unhinged and was willing to do anything to defeat her enemies. However, when Joffrey was alive, Tywin Lannister was the one in charge and Cersei did as she was told.

Tywin ordered Cersei to marry Loras Tyrell but the death of Joffrey led her to refuse her father and he was later killed by Tyrion. With Joffrey still alive, Tywin would live too and force the marriage. This would probably lead to Cersei being sent to High Garden away from her children and Jamie.

9 Tyrion And Sansa

Tywin was very busy matchmaking before his death and also arranged for Tyrion to wed Sansa. While that wedding did indeed take place, Sansa escaped from King’s Landing in the aftermath of Joffrey’s murder.

If Tyrion was not put on trial for Joffrey’s death, his and Sansa’s plan of ruling the North together would have likely come true. They would have presumably gone to Winterfell and made an attempt at marriage. Tyrion might have even grown sympathetic to the Northern cause and helped the Night’s Watch in their efforts against the Night King.

8 Power Struggle

No matter who is sitting on the Iron Throne, there is always going to be those jostling for power. If Joffrey had survived to serve as king for longer, there would have been a very interesting power dynamic in King’s Landing.

Obviously, with Joffrey on the throne, Tywin Lannister was really the one calling the shots. However, Margaery Tyrell had proven herself a talented manipulator and could have had a lot of influence over the king. Likewise, Oberyn Martell would have remained alive and could have continued his pursuit of vengeance against Tywin.

7 More United Westeros

As soon as Joffrey took over as king, he wasted no time in making a mess of things. His ill-advised execution of Ned Stark kickstarted the War of the Five Kings. However, just before his death, things were beginning to settle down thanks to the efforts of Tywin.

Robb Stark was dead while Balon Greyjoy and Stannis Baratheon had suffered significant defeats. Tywin would have continued to deal with the remaining kings while the Lannister allies like the Boltons and Tyrells would have been more loyal, thus creating a more stable leadership in Westeros.

6 The Starks Remain Separated

Game of Thrones was famous for not giving the heroes too many victories, but the death of Joffrey was a turning point, especially for the Starks. They faced many more hardships to come but this put them back on the path to finally reuniting.

If Joffrey had lived, that reunion might never have happed. Sansa would have remained a Lannister prisoner. Jon might have never met Melisandre and therefore could have stayed dead. The Starks would remain scattered and on the losing side.

5 Danger For Tyrion

Tyrion never got along with Joffrey and wasn’t afraid of calling him out or even giving him a much-needed slap. That is just one of the reasons we loved Tyrion but was also not the smartest thing he had done. Tyrion knew Joffrey wanted him dead and it seemed like one of them eventually had to go.

If Joffrey had remained alive, what was to stop him from trying to kill Tyrion once and for all? Tywin had plans for Tyrion, but it wasn’t likely he would be too sad to see him go. The longer Joffrey was alive the more danger Tyrion would have been in.

4 Daenerys’ Invasion

Daenerys came to Westeros with more power than any other army, but she did have a difficult time winning the Throne. With Joffrey as king, that path to victory could have been even more difficult. Cersei proved to be a formidable opponent for Daenerys, but Tywin would likely have been cleverer about the threat.

First of all, several of Daenerys’ armies including the Tyrells and Martells would have still been on the Lannister’s side meaning it would only be a foreign army invading. Tywin could have banded most of Westeros together to fight Daenerys.

3 Arya’s Revenge

Arya’s list of all the people she wanted to kill was always changing, but one of the first names added was Joffrey. Her reasons for wanting him dead were more than understandable, unfortunately, by the time she became an expert assassin, Joffrey had already been killed.

When Arya returns from Braavos, she goes to Winterfell to be with her family. If they weren’t in Winterfell and Joffrey was still alive in King’s Landing, it’s entirely likely she would have set out to take him and his family off her list once and for all.

2 The Truth Gets Out

Like many people who sat on the Iron Throne, Joffrey took the position amidst controversy. Ned Stark had learned the truth about Joffrey’s parentage and that he was not the rightful heir. Ultimately, this news was dismissed by the Lannister and their allies, but there are many in Westeros who believed it to be true.

The longer Joffrey remained king, the more this controversy would have spread. It seemed like it would’ve only been a matter of time before the majority of Westeros accepted it as fact or someone, possibly Bran, emerged with proof of the lie.

1 Uprising

As much as Joffrey’s hold on the Iron Throne was secure with Tywin Lannister backing him, he was still a deeply despised king. His penchant for cruelty to the commonfolk was well known and led to numerous hostilities with the people of King’s Landing. His reputation likely only got worse the further you got from the capital.

If Joffrey had lived, it’s unlikely this behavior would have improved. The hatred for him would have increased and possibly become more hostile. Before long, it’s possible the people would start calling for a new king to take the throne.

About The Author

Colin McCormick
(2030 Articles Published)

Colin McCormick is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been a proud member of the team since 2019. In addition to his work as Screen Rant, Colin is also a writer of News, Feature and Review pieces at Game Rant. Colin has had a long passion and obsession with movies going back to the first time he saw The Lion King in theaters. Along with movies, Colin stays up-to-date on the latest must-see TV shows. While he loves to find interesting projects in any kind of genre, he has a special movie of crime stories that are infused with a little dark humor much like the work of his favorite author, Elmore Leonard.

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