Game of Thrones fans have been looking forward to the new Targaryen spinoff House of the Dragon, but this week HBO gave them something else to anticipate: a new planned spinoff featuring Jon Snow. The show will simply be titled "Snow", and take place after the controversial season 8 ending of GoT.
As it was just announced, very few details are yet available, and the internet is abuzz. Excitement and trepidation are common amongst GoT audiences, many of whom are still stuck on the much-reviled series finale. Redditors who are fans of the franchise are already hard at work with questions, theories and speculations about the new show.
What's It About?
Redditor -Trippy asked the question that most fans are wondering about first and foremost: what will the plot of the show be centered on? "Is it just Jon’s adventures beyond the wall? What can the story be about? The white walkers are dead so you can’t have Wildings v Whites story," they ask.
The issue is not so much the small scope of stories the show could possibly tell, but just the opposite. Though the GoT finale last showed Jon leading the Wildlings back north of the Wall, there's no guarantee he'll stay there. It would be shocking if the show didn't return to King's Landing, Winterfell and other fan-favorite locations, but there are so many new lands and peoples the show could take advantage of. The number of potential new storylines is truly mind-boggling.
Will The White Walkers Return?
The Battle of Winterfell and the death of the Night King seemed to solve the long-building threat of the White Walkers once and for all. But Redditor JangoFettDidNoWrong wonders "What if the Night King was just a General?"
Though many fans feel the White Walkers have been done to death (literally), the return of a stronger group of walkers would be a dire challenge to the Seven Kingdoms. It would certainly require the reunion of Snow with other fan favorites to deal with the new threat, and satisfy those fans who thought the Night King's defeat came rather easily after all the build-up surrounding him.
Will It Feature Gendry?
The Got finale left many fans wondering what happened to Gendry Baratheon. Redditor bluelouie is wondering too, pondering whether "Gendry Baratheon and his quest to reclaim the iron throne from its usurpers" will be a featured storyline.
Related: 10 Best Changes The Game Of Thrones Show Made, According To Reddit
It would certainly make sense for Gendry to return. His claim to the throne, outside of being a bastard, is clearly much stronger than Bran's. If he decides to mount a challenge, it would give the show a main antagonist, and provide an interesting parallel between two bastard characters with claims to the Iron Throne (Gendry and Snow) and the paths they chose to take.
What Does It Mean For The Books?
Since George RR Martin's involvement in the show is confirmed, many fans are wondering if the show means yet another delay in the writing of the final two books of the series. Redditor RVanzo thinks they have the answer, saying "And it’s official, we are never getting winds of winter."
This is the worry of many fans, who have been waiting for the sixth entry in the Song of Ice and Fire series for over 10 years. Indeed, the book has been in progress since before GoT even premiered, and Martin is notorious for being distracted by other projects, all of which he himself has blamed for slowing down his writing. At least the show will give fans another Martin story to enjoy while waiting for Winds of Winter.
How Much Will Bran Be Involved?
One of the most unpopular storylines from the GoT finale was the naming of Bran as the next ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. Many felt that his training as the Three-Eyed Raven and the rest of his story pointed to a different ending, and Bran didn't really deserve the Iron Throne.
Redditor Wetyrag wonders if there's potential for a potential villain turn for Bran, positing "I could imagine Bran or his children becoming evil, and Jon having to deal with that." This would certainly provide an intriguing way to continue Bran's story, and one that would lean into fans dislike of the character.
Will Daenerys Return?
It's hard to think of Jon Snow without remembering his romance with Daenerys. Most fans hated her seemingly-sudden turn to madness in the show's final season, and her death at the hands of Jon in the finale was met with plenty of criticism. Is there a path for her to return in the new spinoff?
Wolverinemommy sees a clear way for Dany to come back: the same way Jon did. A storyline in which "Dany is resurrected by a red priestess" would allow for the two characters to seek some sort of closure together, and possibly rebuild the nearly-extinct Targaryen family.
What Role Will The Children Of The Forest Play?
One of the groups audiences learned the least about in the run of the original show were the Children of the Forest. They are shown creating the White Walkers, and they have a deep connection to the wierwood trees that used to grow all across the Seven Kingdoms.
Redditor bobaman007 thinks they could definitely appear, asking if the show will include "Maybe something related to the Children of the Forest?" Since the show will almost certainly follow Jon in his adventures beyond the Wall, a storyline involving the Children makes a lot of sense. It would allow the series to explore more of the world of magic in Westeros, and how the Children have wielded it since before the arrival of the First Men.
Will It Feature Jon Warging?
Warging is a power some GoT characters have that allows them to enter and control the minds of animals, the person literally embodying the host animal. Bran displays this ability many times in the show, but in the books many of the Stark children exhibit this ability to some degree, including Jon, featuring in his character arc heavily.
Redditor Mookiebrain speculates that Jon "could Warg" in the show, and it certainly makes sense. It would allow for the writers to continue developing a character that audiences thought they knew everything about. It would also be faithful to the source material, and prove the show does have at least some basis in the books.
Will There Be Dragons?
Drogon is a prime candidate to appear in the Jon Snow series. After Jon kills Dany in the throne room, Drogon melts the Iron Throne and flies away with her body. Drogon recognizes that Jon, too is a Targaryen, and leaves him alive despite his actions.
Does this mean that Drogon may return to Jon? Hiredgun77 reminds fans that "Drogon is still out there, I could see them meeting again." As the last remaining Targaryen (as far as we know), Jon has a special claim to the loyalty of Drogon. A reunion of the last dragons would be more than plausible, and would certainly help to draw skeptical fans back to the franchise.
What Will It Do For The Show's Legacy?
Much of the discussion surrounding the new show is understandably focused on the ending of the last one. A large majority of GoT fans were disappointed (or worse) by the final season, and reactions are mixed regarding what effect this new show will have on its legacy.
Some, like prettybunbun, are "so hype", convinced that the show presents an opportunity to fix the mistakes of season 8 and give fans a much more satisfactory conclusion to Thrones while transitioning to something new. Others, like PauI_MuaDib are leery, worried that the new show could " make it worse 😬 let's hope it can't get any worse tho." Until the show's marketing ramps up this will represent a good chunk of the discourse around it, which should encourage HBO to give fans more details soon.