Game Of Thrones: Daenerys Was Destined To Be The Night Queen Theory Explained

Throughout Game of Thrones‘ run, there were various theories suggesting Daenerys Targaryen would become the Night Queen, and the notion is still plausible even though the show has come to an end. Emilia Clarke memorably portrayed the Mother of Dragons for all eight seasons of the HBO show based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. After rising to power, the member of House Targaryen set her sights on the Iron Throne until her thirst for control resulted in the character’s downfall. Even though Game of Thrones seemingly put an end to her journey, theories regarding her future are still running rampant.

Following the victory with the Battle of Winterfell, Daenerys became worried about Jon Snow’s rightful claim to the Iron Throne based on his Targaryen heritage. Instead of allowing King’s Landing surrounded, she went on a deadly rampage, burning the city to the ground. With Cersei Lannister’s death during the attack, Daenerys became the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, but she was killed before being officially crowned. Dismayed by Daenerys’ actions, Jon felt as though he had no choice but to assassinate the new Queen for the greater good. After her death, Daenerys’ last surviving dragon, Drogon, snatched her dead body and flew away.

Before Game of Thrones concluded, several theories suggested Daenerys would be sitting on a very different throne by series end. Rather than the Iron Throne, which Daenerys had been vying for, some viewers thought she would claim the Ice Throne as the Night Queen. The evidence originally stemmed from the vision she had at the House of the Undying in season 2. Daenerys’ vision took her to the throne room in a ruined King’s Landing as snow fell before ending up Beyond the Wall where she encountered Khal Drogo and their son. Theorizers had pointed out that the vision predicted aspects of season 7 when Daenerys switched focus from King’s Landing to help Jon face the Night King north of the Wall. The crying dragons could have also hinted at Viserion’s death at the hands of the Night King. Some fans predicted that Daenerys would lose the rest of her dragons, leading her to join forces with the Night King, agreeing to become the Night Queen to reunite with her children. While that obviously didn’t come true, a version of the theory is still plausible.

How Daenerys Could Still Become The Night Queen

The adapted Night Queen theory, pointed out by Inverse, surrounded Drogon’s actions after Daenerys’ death in the Game of Thrones series finale. Based on the ambiguous nature of the map of continents features in the series, the revised theory believed the queen could have been brought to the “True North.” Essentially, Drogon may have taken Daenerys’ dead body to an area known for the existence of White Walkers. While it was initially unclear where exactly Drogon took his master, it was later confirmed by the showrunners that the dragon flew east of King’s Landing to Volantis. Some viewers even suggested Drogon took Daenerys to Volantis to be resurrected. Either way, that put an end to Daenerys’ destiny as the Night Queen in the TV universe, but the same can’t be said about the books.

Avid fans of Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series are eagerly waiting for the release of The Winds of Winter. The controversial ending of Game of Thrones came from Martin, but that doesn’t mean his books will follow the same path. In fact, the series veered away from many of Martin’s original plot points, suggesting far different outcomes for major characters like Daenerys. The Night King isn’t a character in the book, but instead a figure of legends. As a way to incorporate the White Walkers into the narrative, Martin could push Daenerys into the path that would transform her into the female equivalent of the Night King.  That said, the theory has, and always will be, far-fetched, but Game of Thrones purposely left some aspects open-ended so these discussions continue well after the show ended.

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Kara Hedash
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Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

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