As far as plot twists are concerned, Game of Thrones was one of the best when it came to shocking its fans. Whether it was an unexpected character death or a surprising development in the storyline, there were some good plot twists that nobody saw coming from the first season right up to the last.
The brilliant foreshadowing on Game of Thrones of most of these plot twists made the show even better, but sometimes it made it easy to predict what would happen next. Although the show managed to surprise its fans from time to time, there were a number of plot twists that were too obvious to miss.
Daenerys Surviving The Fire
The first season of Game of Thrones ended with Daenarys lighting a pyre for Khal Drogo and climbing onto it too with her three dragon eggs, despite Ser Jorah begging her not to do it. When the fire died down, everything else was burnt except for Danerys and three baby dragons.
Before this pivotal moment in the series, the show had alluded to Daenerys' resistance to heat and fire, making her survival something fans knew would happen. The first time was in the pilot when she took a bath in scorching hot water. Another time was when she touched the dragon eggs straight from the fire and didn't burn. And finally, when Viserys was killed with hot, molten metal, she said, "fire doesn't kill a dragon."
Illegitimacy Of Cersei's Kids
Cersei passed Joffrey, Tommen, and Myrcella off as the king's true heirs while he was still alive, but Ned figured out that none of them were Robert's kids and confronted Cersei about it.
By the time Ned discovered this, the audience had already figured it out as early as the first episode. The reveal of the incestuous relationship between Cersei and Jamie was the first clue and the theory was only further confirmed in the next episode, "The King's Road," when Cersei told Catelyn a story of her first "beautiful black-head boy" with Robert who was completely different from the three blonde children.
Viserys' Demise
Viserys spoke often and loudly about being the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. As part of his plan to take back the seven kingdoms, he offered Danerys up for marriage to Khal Drogo in order to get the support of the Dothraki in battle. Unfortunately, Viserys died a brutal death on Game of Thrones before he even saw the iron throne.
The sense of entitlement Viserys showed throughout the first season resulted in him being one of the most unlikable characters on the show. Even the other characters on the show didn't pay him much regard, especially when he kept threatening Danerys, thus reducing the odds of him having their support to become king. Once he threatened her son, fans knew his death was sealed.
Arya's Revenge On The Freys
Due to the events of the Red Wedding and the Freys' part in it, Arya added Walder Frey to her list of names of people she planned to kill. In the season 6 finale, she carried out her revenge plan and killed Walder and his sons, then later in season 7 poisoned the rest of his men.
Although the exact way Arya killed the Freys might not have been easy to guess, fans knew there was bound to be some comeuppance for the red wedding. Arya had already proven herself to be a very capable assassin and crossed a couple of names off her list by then. Not to mention Melisandre's prophecy that she would shut brown eyes (among others) forever.
Cersei's Unborn Child
All three of Cersei's children died on the show, and this was revealed as a fulfillment of a prophecy given to her when she was younger. Cersei got pregnant again towards the end of the show, but fans already had theories that the child wouldn't survive.
The prophecy about Cersei said that she would only ever have three children, which was exactly what happened. Based on that, fans believed Cersei would either die before the baby was born or she would have a miscarriage in order for the show to stay true to the prophecy.
Jon Snow's Ressurection
The season 5 finale, "Mother's Mercy," had one of the most shocking twists of Game of Thrones. Jon Snow, who was commander of the night's watch at the time, was stabbed to death by some of his men. In the second episode of season 6, "Home," Melisandre brought him back to life.
Although his death was brutal and shocking, fans didn't believe that he'd stay dead for long. Resurrection was not a new concept on the show, as Beric Dondarrion had been brought back to life six times already by Thoros' prayer to the Lord of Light. As Mellisandre, a devout follower of the Lord of Light, went to the wall at the time of Jon's death, fans saw it as a setup for her using the same tactics to bring him back.
Shireen's Death
Season 5's "The Dance of Dragons" had a scene that broke fans' hearts when Shireen was burnt to death by her father, Stannis, at the behest of Melisandre who told him it was their only way to secure a victory.
As tragic as it was, some fans saw Shireen's fiery demise coming a season before it actually happened. The conversation between Melisandre and Syrelse telegraphed the princess' horrible fate when the two looked into the fire and Melisandre said the Lord of Light needed Shireen so they had to take her along. The one shocking thing about it was Stannis being the one to agree to the sacrifice.
Cersei's Revenge On Ellaria
After Ellaria poisoned Myrcella with a kiss as revenge for Oberyn's death at the hands of the Mountain, Cersei did the same to her daughter, Tyene several seasons later.
Although there are a lot of unpopular opinions about the Lannisters on Reddit, one of the most popular ones was that Cersei's actions were justified this time because Myrcella was completely innocent and didn't deserve to die. Given Cersei's love for retribution in the most poetic ways, as she did with Septa Unella in season 6, her revenge on Ellaria was totally expected.
Daenerys Burning Down Kings Landing
After the battle against the army of the dead was won, Danerys and her troops headed for King's Landing to take back the iron throne. The battle ended with Danerys burning down King's Landing, killing innocent people in the process.
Most fans felt like her descent into madness came too suddenly, but there were plenty of signs that foreshadowed Danerys becoming a villain. In earlier seasons, Daenerys threatened to lay waste to armies and burn cities to the ground, as well as take what was hers with fire and blood, which was exactly what happened.
The Army Of The Dead Breaching The Wall
Season 7's "The Dragon and the Wolf" ended with the army of the dead destroying the wall with Viserion's help. Before long, they were marching towards Winterfell, leading to the great battle that happened in season 8.
This was one of the slow-burn storylines developed over the course of the show, but it was always inevitable that the white walkers would get past the wall; from the first episode that showed how deadly the white walkers were to the Stark's words that "winter is coming."