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Last year, social media was set ablaze by rumors of a Jon Snow sequel series. Initially, it seemed like just another unsubstantiated rumor, but once Kit Harington began publicly dropping breadcrumbs and hype nuggets for fans, the prospect of a greenlit series began to seem more ironclad.
Eventually, HBO and even George R.R. Martin confirmed the series’ legitimacy, but, unfortunately, Jon Snow’s progress reports have been scarce of late. The only official briefing fans have received on the potential sequel came from HBO’s Drama Chief Francesca Orsi, and her words were less encouraging than fans of The Bastard of Winterfell would hope.
“We’re just working deeply with the writers to get in shape for a potential green light, but at this point, no, no determination on whether it can go all the way,” said Orsi in an interview with Deadline in late May. Meanwhile, HBO still has four more Thrones-adjacent spinoff series in development, which doesn’t bode well for Jon Snow’s return. Time and time again, history has shown us that sequels released too many years after their antecedents tend to perform poorly with viewers.
The clock may be ticking for Kit Harington and company as they work towards a green light with HBO, but that shouldn’t stop us fans from speculating about what the show might entail. We have a few ideas about what might be in store for Jon Snow after he marched north of the wall with his trusty band of Free Folk. Without further ado, here are five potential premises for the highly anticipated Game of Thrones sequel series.
A White Walker Return
At the climax of the darkest battle scene ever to grace the small screen, Arya Stark killed the Night King, causing a chain reaction that destroyed his army of undead wights and turned his White Walker lieutenants into icy shards on the grounds of Winterfell. For all intents and purposes, the White Walkers no longer exist in Westeros. However, this is fantasy we’re dealing with—anything is possible if the writers dream it so.
In season six of Game of Thrones, Bran’s visions confirmed that the Children of the Forest created the White Walkers thousands of years ago. Episodes later, the last Child of the Forest was killed by the Night King’s army. Still, the lands beyond the Wall are vast and largely uncharted. Perhaps a rogue band of Children lives on in the northernmost reaches of the Lands of Always Winter, evading detection by the Free Folk and Night’s Watch brothers.
Leaf, the only Child of the Forest we meet in Game of Thrones, was generally aligned with the forces of Men against the White Walkers invasion. But who’s to say every Child would be similarly sympathetic to the cause?
Martin details a long and bloody history between the First Men and the Children of the Forest in his A Song of Ice and Fire series. Thousands of combatants were slain on both sides before a truce was called to stop the bloodshed. But as the countless wars, schemes, and upheavals in Game of Thrones showed us, not every truce is made to last. Maybe this dangerous new group of Children plans to exact revenge on the world of Men in the form of a new White Walker army.
It would make thematic sense for Jon’s primary foe in the sequel series to be a new White Walker threat. Throughout the main series, he was the only character who understood the threat they posed from the beginning. Many fans were furious that Jon never got the chance to have the final showdown with the Night King that the writers teased for seasons. A White Walker return in the sequel series could serve to repair some of the narrative hiccups that damaged his character arc in the final seasons.
But ultimately, a new White Walker threat would be more likely to bore fans than captivate them. No matter how inventively they’re reintroduced, there’s no getting around the fact that the White Walkers are old news. If HBO is going to revisit Jon and give him a new story, it should probably revolve around a threat we haven’t seen before.
A Free Folk Civil War
Tormund Giantsbane, one of Jon’s greatest allies, began to see Jon as one of his own after he skirted thousands of years worth of customs and traditions to allow the Free Folk entry through the Wall. Their bond only strengthened as they fought the Boltons and White Walkers together at Winterfell. In the final frames of Game of Thrones, we see Jon and Tormund riding side by side along with what remains of the Free Folk as they embark on a new journey north of the Wall.
Considering the silent reverence the Free Folk showed Jon as he entered Castle Black in the finale, it’s safe to assume that Jon is primed to follow in Mance Rayder’s footsteps as the next King Beyond the Wall. Tormund and his allies might believe there is no better option than Jon to lead the Free Folk into a new era, but there could be other wildlings north of the Wall who staunchly disagree.
The group of wildlings Jon leads through the gates of Castle Black is small, but as we mentioned before, the lands beyond the Wall span for hundreds of miles. There could be dozens of factions of Free Folk that managed to avoid the Night King’s wrath. What if a faction of Thenns wants to kill Jon as retribution for murdering their leader at the battle for Castle Black? In a time of desperation and war, the Free Folk were willing to accept Mance as a leader because he had wildling blood. But Jon, as a Targaryen and a Stark, will inspire no such allegiance with his markedly Westerosi ancestry.
This premise offers the potential for action, political intrigue, and emotional paydirt for our honorable protagonist. Jon would have to utilize diplomacy and wit to keep his new wildling subjects safe from attack. But beyond that, a wildling civil war would require Jon to finally consolidate and accept his identity as a leader and a king. The only downside of this concept is that it leaves little room for familiar faces from the Thrones universe to make appearances.
The Dothraki, Unsullied, and Drogon’s Revenge
After Dany committed genocide by Drogon against the small folk of King’s Landing, Jon is faced with an unfathomably difficult choice: allow Dany to continue her fiery campaign of tyranny and destruction, or murder the love of his life to protect the thousands of people she would inflict death upon. We all know how that went.
In the aftermath, Greyworm and the Unsullied wanted Jon’s head for his treason, but Bran and Sansa were able to broker a deal that allowed Jon to serve a life sentence at Castle Black. Greyworm and the Unsullied set sail for the Isle of Naath to serve as protectors for Missandei’s people. But the only reason Greyworm left King’s Landing without Jon’s head on a spike was the promise of imprisonment that King Bran agreed to. If Greyworm somehow learned Jon abandoned his post to trek north of the Wall, perhaps he would redirect his company’s course to punish Jon for not holding up his end of the bargain.
Even though, for some strange reason, the Dothraki were smiling without a care in the world as Jon passed them in the port of King’s Landing, the sequel series could remedy this misstep by involving them in Greyworm’s revenge plot. The Dothraki were always Danny’s first and best defenders, and they would leap at the chance to kill the man who murdered their Khaleesi.
Then there’s also the matter of Drogon. He spared Jon’s life in the throne room of the Red Keep, but after aimlessly flying around the ruins of Old Valyria for a few months with a broken dragon heart, perhaps he would want to get in on the action as well. This concept would force Jon to grapple with the guilt he’s clearly processing after killing his lover. Knowing Jon, there’s undoubtedly a remorse-ridden part of him that wants Greyworm to put him out of his misery. Would he have the strength to defend his choice? Or would he succumb to his self-hatred and doubt?
Targaryen Restoration
If you’ve been watching House of the Dragon, you’ll know how instrumental the Targaryen dynasty was in creating the Westeros we see in Game of Thrones. They ruled the Seven Kingdoms for 300 years before Robert’s Rebellion, establishing the customs, laws, and culture of the continent in the process. Some Targaryen rulers were better than others (we’re looking at you, Mad King), but all things considered, they did a pretty good job.
Even in the throes of rebellion, the Lords of Westeros honored the Targaryen line of succession by awarding the distantly related Robert Baratheon the Iron Throne. It’s undeniable that the Targaryen name still holds weight with many of the lords and small folk of Westeros – and there’s only one left in the world: Jon Snow.
King Bran’s ascent might’ve been glossed over and rushed in the sloppy Thrones finale, but there’s no reason to believe his reign will be anything but unstable. He might face criticism and even military action for allowing Northern secession without considering the independence demands from Dorne and the Iron Islands. The Lords and Ladies of Westeros might’ve chosen him to lead them as a last resort, but will they be so keen on keeping him in power after they comprehend the full extent of his detachment from humanity?
If King Bran or his haphazardly chosen Small Council make too many questionable moves, some might begin to look for an alternative. And what better choice is there than Jon Snow? He’s a seasoned military tactician, a former king, and the son of the beloved Prince Rhaegar – the last of the Targaryen line. Jon’s snowy vacation north of the Wall could be interrupted by emissaries bringing news of a broken realm and shaky leadership.
We all know that Jon “doesn’t want it and never has.” But we also know that he’s stepped up and accepted leadership roles when the security and prosperity of the realm depended on it. If the sequel series were to play out this way, Jon would once again have to choose between love and duty. Would he forsake his true identity and let the Targaryen line die with him? Or would he kill the boy and let the man be born?
Bran and Sansa vs. Jon
The first time we’re introduced to the Stark family in Game of Thrones, we watch Ned execute a terrified young man for deserting the Night’s Watch. In the North, deserting your post at Castle Black is among the most dishonorable crimes a person can commit, and the punishment is always the same: death.
For killing Dany, Jon was given a life sentence by King Bran to serve as a brother of the Night’s Watch at Castle Black. By packing up shop and heading north of the Wall with his Free Folk friends, he is now a deserter. What happens when Queen Sansa stops getting ravens from Castle Black? Or when King Bran sends prisoners from King’s Landing to the Wall, only to find an unmanned castle?
Of course, Sansa and Bran never wanted to give Jon a life sentence in the first place. They believed his treasonous act was necessary for the continued survival and safety of the realm. But that doesn’t mean the other Lords of Westeros will agree with their assessment. They weren’t there when Dany burned King’s Landing and promised her loyal army of bloodthirsty Dothraki and Unsullied that her campaign of dragon fire would continue up and down the continent.
Perhaps these newly minted monarchs would face pressure to capture the fugitive Jon and bring him to face the King’s Justice. If the writers chose to go in this direction, it would force all three characters to decide whether family and honor should be held above law and order. As the first ruling Queen in the North, Sansa might feel obligated to quiet the naysayers and prove her mettle by making an example of Jon. King Bran would have to come to terms with his increasing detachment from his humanity and find out if he still has the capacity to love his family.
As we mentioned above, this sequel series appears to be on thin ice at the moment, but if it gets the green light from HBO, it’s essential that they treat Jon and any other characters from the original series with the respect and attentiveness they deserve. In a best-case scenario, they have an opportunity to right some of the wrongs of season eight. In a worst-case scenario, they will tarnish the Thrones brand even further. But as long as the writers and showrunners understand the gravity of their assignment, the show could serve as a vehicle to give this beloved story the well-crafted send-off fans have been begging for since 2019.
