Jon Snow has long been the moral compass and emotional heartbeat of Game of Thrones, but now, as we head into the iconic series’ final two episodes, his future seems more cloudy than it ever has before.
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ‘GAME OF THRONES’ SEASON 8 WILL FOLLOW AFTER THE GIFs.
Had you asked the casual Game of Thrones fan to place a bet on who they thought would be the one to deliver the fatal blow on the Night King a year or two ago, most people would have placed their wager on Jon Snow. Because more than any other character on Game of Thrones, Jon Snow is the prototypical hero.
He’s handsome, he’s brooding, and he’s ill with a sword. He’s just, he’s fair, he’s kind, and did we mention he’s handsome? Point being, everything about Jon Snow screamed The Prince that was Promised. Until it didn’t.
Because as we now know, it wasn’t Jon that killed the Night King, it was his younger sister Arya. So, with the option of being the stereotypical, world-saving hero off the table, what is the fate of Jon Snow in Game of Thrones?
While fans will be quick to point out that Jon — who is actually Aegon Targaryen — has the best claim to the Iron Throne, those fans clearly haven’t been paying much attention to who Jon actually is this entire time.
If you think Game of Thrones ends with Jon Snow sitting on the Iron Throne, disseminating his rule throughout the Seven Kingdoms, you’re sadly mistaken. In fact, I’d venture it’s more likely that Jon pays the iron price than sits on the iron throne.
But assuming Game of Thrones doesn’t kill its preemptive hero (for the second time), what is the actual destiny for Jon Snow in this story? The answer may have been teased in “The Last of the Starks”.
As Jon says one final goodbye to his red-bearded, Giant-loving BFF Tormund, everyone’s favorite Wildling drops a potentially foreshadow-filled line.
Explaining that his direwolf Ghost would be happier in the North, Tormund replies “so would you.”
“This is farewell, then,” Jon says.
“You never know… You’ve got the North in you … the real North,” Tormund smirks.
And with that, I believe Thrones revealed where Jon Snow will end up: North.
Now, whether this is as Warden of the North, King in the North, or as the Commander of a new Night’s Watch is yet to be seen, but it appears Jon Snow’s future lies where he’s always belonged: home.