Jon Snow Was Exiled in the 'Game of Thrones' Finale — The Sequel Could Draw From This
Published June 17 2022, 3:36 p.m. ET
The winter of Game of Thrones came and went, leaving many fans with a cold and highly controversial ending to what was once a beloved franchise. Despite this, HBO is set to take what is theirs with fire and blood with the premiere of the prequel series, House of the Dragon in August 2022. That series will predate the events of the original show by a good 200 years.
But if you thought that there were no plans to continue the story at HBO, then you know nothing about the Jon Snow sequel.
In June 2022, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that HBO is in early development talks to work on a live-action sequel to Game of Thrones. The show would be focused on everyone's favorite bastard son, Jon Snow. Kit Harington would even reprise his iconic role.
If we do get a sequel, then it's important to remember where Jon Snow has been before we see where he's going. When last we left him, he was exiled to live north of the Wall. But why was this his ultimate fate?
'Game of Thrones' fans are asking why Jon Snow was exiled at the end of the show.
Our first meeting with Jon Snow in Game of Thrones seems like a lifetime ago. He is originally introduced as the bastard son of Ned Stark (Sean Bean) of Winterfell. He resolves to willingly join the Night's Watch, a faction of exiles who keep watch over the enormous ice wall in the North to keep anyone from getting out or in.
He soon comes to learn of the unnatural horrors that threaten the Seven Realms at large, and unwittingly becomes part of the last line of defense against the Night King.
Jon begins stepping into several worlds at that point. He becomes acquainted with Wildlings who live without allegiance in the bitter cold. He even dies and is brought back to life in preparation for the war against the undead. He eventually returns to Winterfell to prepare for battle, assuming his place as the King in the North.
Jon even learns of his true lineage as the bastard son of King Rhaegar Targaryen. This makes him the rightful heir to the Iron Throne and regent proper of Westeros.
Working together with Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), they are able to put and end to the Night King's ambitions. Unfortunately, he ends up killing Dany after she burned King's Landing to the ground with her dragons in one of the most controversial endings in TV history.
After being imprisoned for his crimes, Jon's fate is sealed. His younger brother Bran, now king of Westeros, decides to exile Jon back to the Night's Watch to avoid a war between the North and Dany's Unsullied subjects.
Is the Jon Snow sequel based on the books?
It's difficult to determine where HBO could go with a show like this. Sure, it could conceivably take place beyond the Wall and depict Jon's life in the North, but that's not the issue. The real problem lies in the fact that there are no books to base this on.
The Game of Thrones series is based on a series of fantasy novels called A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. The author is infamous for not having finished the books yet, with only five of seven books having been published.
When HBO ran out of books to adapt, they were largely left to their own devices to come up with the rest of the show, leading to the series notable decline in quality between Season 6 and 8. A sequel to the series at this point would be independent of the books entirely.
If the show does indeed enter full production, Jon Snow would be placed in completely uncharted territory.