Game Of Thrones Theory Teases Daenerys Targaryen's Return - But How Likely Is It?

It's not.

No, seriously. The idea of Daenerys Targaryen — the "Game of Thrones" character made famous by Emilia Clarke — returning to the universe doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. At the end of the original series, Daenerys is sitting pretty after fully torching King's Landing and killing a whole bunch of innocent people in the process, until she's confronted by her nephew-boyfriend Jon Snow (Kit Harington). (If the nephew-boyfriend part of this is giving you pause, "Game of Thrones" might not be the right show for you.) She tries to convince him that they can rule Westeros together, but on account of all the genocide she just did, Jon is skeptical — and he kills her.

Whether or not Daenerys will return to the rumored spin-off centered around Jon is, somehow, a question — perhaps because the original series ended in such an unsatisfying way, or maybe because fans of "Game of Thrones" love to hope for things they'll never, ever get. There is a theory that illustrates exactly how Daenerys could return, which goes something like this: after Jon stabs Daenerys, her largest and only remaining dragon Drogon picks up his mom's body and flies off to parts unknown. It's not absolutely impossible that Drogon, in his infinite dragon wisdom, got Daenerys to a Red Priestess in time for the Queen of Dragons to be restored, but it also feels like, maybe, just maybe, fans are still really bummed about the series finale and want to retcon the entire situation.

If this helps, Emilia Clarke thinks a return to the "Game of Thrones" universe seems pretty far-fetched too. Speaking to Extra in June 2023, Clarke was asked if she'd show up, and she simply said "I don't think so." Directing her attention to the camera, she reached out to her former co-star, saying, "Kit, I love you! I'm going to watch that one because of you, or I am gonna tell you I did." Then she said the thing out loud that everybody already knows: "FYI, you killed me... spoiler alert!'"

That said, in September 2022, she addressed the issue and had a little fun with it along the way. Appearing at DIF London in October 2022, Clarke said of Daenerys' ending, "I still think Daenerys did nothing wrong. It's not fair that Jon gets to live. I want Daenerys with him. With Jon. They could go to family therapy and fix their issues. Daenerys is a very hopeful character, she has a lot of hopes and I wished that she was able to achieve that." She did then go on to joke about how Daenerys could potentially return as an undead White Walker, which is yet another far-fetched way that the character could show up in Jon Snow's spin-off.

Look, it's no wonder most fans — and apparently Clarke — would love a re-do of Daenerys' entire deal at the end of "Game of Thrones." Initially, audiences were drawn to Daenerys, who is sold in marriage to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) so the two can ravage and retake the Seven Kingdoms for the ancient and powerful Targaryen clan. After Drogo dies and Daenerys emerges from his funeral pyre with three baby dragons, though, Daenerys is on her own, and slowly but surely, she conquers the lands across the Narrow Sea before turning her sights on the Iron Throne.

This is when things start to go downhill, to put it ever so mildly. As she faces off against enemy forces, Daenerys' bloodlust becomes more and more obvious, but it all comes to a head at the end of Season 8, the series' final outing. After watching two dragons and a few loved ones die in battle, Daenerys abruptly goes full-throttle mad and turns Drogon on King's Landing, setting it ablaze and killing countless innocent people in the process. Sure, the trajectory where Daenerys becomes the Mad Queen like her father Aerys II, nicknamed the "Mad King," makes sense. The way the show tried to make it happen in the blink of an eye? Not so much.

Let's be clear: the Jon Snow spin-off is still rumored, but it does seem pretty likely. In June of 2022, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the project was in development and George R.R. Martin, who wrote "A Song of Ice and Fire" — upon which "Game of Thrones" is based — took to his blog, Not a Blog, to discuss some of the finer details.

"It seems as though Emilia Clarke has already mentioned that 'SNOW' was Kit's idea in a recent interview," Martin said, referring to a BBC interview where Emilia Clarke said the project was largely created by Kit Harington himself. "So that part is out. Yes, it was Kit Harrington who brought the idea to us. I cannot tell you the names of the writers/ showrunners, since that has not been cleared for release yet... but Kit brought them in too, his own team, and they are terrific. 'SNOW' has been in development almost as long as the other three, but for whatever reason it was never announced and it never leaked... until now."

Martin did have the good sense to clarify, though, that nothing is set in snow stone, referencing other "Game of Thrones" spin-offs in development as well: "Please note: nothing has been green lit yet, and there is no guarantee when or if it will be... on any of these shows. The likelihood of all four series getting on the air... well, I'd love it, but that's not the way it works, usually."