Game of Thrones is one of the most successful TV shows ever made. Since it debuted in 2011, the show went on to capture the minds of millions around the globe. In many ways, the show was the best example of ‘Event TV’ from the past several years.
Based on the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, the show featured two characters that seemed to embody fire and ice. Jon Snow, a brother of the Night’s Watch, represented ice and Daenerys Targaryen, the Dragon Queen, represented fire. Naturally, the two characters started a relationship in the seventh season, but should Daenerys and Jon have been together?
Perfect: North And South
The book series that Game of Thrones is based on is called a Song of Ice and Fire, with the series grappling with conflicting themes at many points. The combination of Jon and Dany brings a thematic balance to the story, with Jon representing ice (even though Jon also has ice and fire inside him) and Dany representing fire.
However, aside from the symbology, there is also a political reason as to why Jon and Dany were perfect together. A marriage would’ve united the kingdoms, with north and south joined together by marriage.
Someone Else: Gendry
This one may be slightly controversial as the two didn’t share many scenes together, but there’s no denying that the two would certainly have made a beautiful couple should they have decided to wed.
Daenerys even legitimized Gendry, making him heir to Storm’s End. This marriage could have been political in order to make Dany a more acceptable Queen among the Westerosi lords.
Perfect: Targaryen
In any other show, the fact that Jon and Dany are related would have been a big no-no. However, as this is Game of Thrones, it is actually one of the main reasons why they’d be perfect together, with the Targaryens having a history of incestuous marriages.
Aegon the Conqueror famously conquered Westeros with his 2 sister-wives, so there would have been a kind of symmetry if Westeros was conquered again by a married pair of Targaryens.
Someone Else: Irri
In the books, Daenerys has far more characters in her entourage than the show. In the book series, she has characters such as Strong Belwas, and Barristan Selmy wasn’t killed by the Sons of the Harpy either.
However, one character that wasn’t used to a great extent in the show was Irri, Dany’s handmaiden. While the relationship between the two wasn’t romantic, it was indeed sexual.
Perfect: Warrior
While Game of Thrones built a reputation for subverting fantasy tropes, it appears that Daenerys Targaryen was attracted to warriors, with Khal Drogo and Daario being the most obvious examples of this.
Daenerys clearly has a type and it is obvious that Jon Snow fits into this type, with the former King of the North being one of the most celebrated warriors in the kingdom.
Someone Else: Jorah
Jorah Mormont always seemed to have a crush on Daenerys Targaryen, with the exiled Westerosi abandoning his mission to spy on Dany after falling in love with the Dragon Queen during their time together in Essos.
While it is clear that Dany never returned the feelings that Jorah held, there is no denying that Jorah loved Dany and would certainly not have killed her.
Perfect: Exile Similarities
In many ways, the stories of Jon and Daenerys mirror one another. The ice and fire connection has already been discussed, but their comparative exile has yet to be. While Jon had been in self-exile at the Wall since the first season, Dany had been in exile since Robert’s Rebellion.
Their respective exiles also mirror the ice and fire connection, with Dany traveling the hot climate of Essos and Jon living on the Wall. Additionally, the two are also hidden Targaryens. While Dany was physically hiding, Jon’s name and identity were hidden, with Ned Stark giving him the name ‘Jon Snow’ to protect him from Robert Baratheon.
Someone Else: Daario Naharis
Daario is one of the most attractive men on Game of Thrones, with the Tyroshi sellsword appearing before Dany conquered Meereen. Dany and Daario would go on to form a romantic relationship during this time in Meereen before Dany left him in charge of the city.
If Daenerys hadn’t had an obsession with taking the Iron Throne, perhaps Daario and Daenerys would have ended up together.
Perfect: Honorable
The Starks have a reputation for being honorable, with Lord Eddard Stark being the clearest embodiment of this. Despite not being Jon’s biological father, Eddard Stark clearly had a huge influence on Jon as he developed a sense of honor that would mirror Lord Stark’s.
This sense of honor is certainly an attractive characteristic. Although it ought to be said that it was this sense of honor that eventually led to Daenerys’ death.
Someone Else: Khal Drogo
While the beginning of their relationship wasn’t romantic at all, the Drogo and Daenerys began to fall in love with each other. The two influenced each other in several different ways, the most noticeable of which being Daenerys’ effect on Drogo, who started to change how the Dothraki treated those it attacked.
It was truly a tragedy that Khal Drogo died in the first season, not only because of their relationship but also because their son was prophesied to become the Stallion who Mounts the World.