Game of Thrones has lots of cool characters who are all linked together in some pretty interesting ways. Whether as family, friends, or enemies, their tangled relationships made the show really exciting to watch.
In this relationship loop, the family connection of Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow shook up the story big time. The two major characters first crossed paths in Season 7.
Daenerys arrived in Westeros and met Jon for the first time. Soon after, they became romantically involved, adding a new dimension to the story.
When Jon and Daenerys finally meet, fans learned a big secret: Jon isn’t Ned Stark’s son but the child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, which makes Daenerys Jon’s aunt. However, George R.R. Martin, initially planned for Jon to have a love interest even more disturbing than Daenerys.
George RR Martin’s Disturbing Original Love Interest for Jon Snow in the Game of Thrones
In George R. R. Martin‘s early plans, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) was supposed to have a romantic relationship with Arya Stark, not Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke).
When the author was outlining his book series A Song of Ice and Fire, he initially planned for Arya (Maisie Williams) to have feelings for her half-brother Jon, who later turns out to be her cousin.
This would have happened during their journey to the Wall with their mother Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) and brother Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright). The plotline is detailed A Forum of Ice and Fire:
“Wounded by Lannister riders, they will seek refuge at the Wall, but the men of the Night’s Watch give up their families when they take the black, and Jon and Benjen will not be able to help, to Jon’s anguish. It will lead to a bitter estrangement between Jon and Bran. Arya will be more forgiving until she realises, with terror, that she has fallen in love with Jon, who is not only her half-brother but a man of the Night’s Watch, sworn to celibacy. Their passion will continue to torment Jon and Arya throughout the trilogy, until the secret of Jon’s true parentage is finally revealed in the last book.”
In the show, Arya and Jon have a close familial relationship. Jon acts as a mentor to Arya, giving her Needle, with which she later becomes skilled with.
Jon Snow Spin-off Possibility Discussed by Creators
Could there be another Game of Thrones spin-off with Jon Snow? Creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss recently have talked about a potential Game of Thrones spin-off featuring the late Prince of Dragonstone.
Fans are excited about the idea of more adventures beyond the Wall. The HBO series aired for eight seasons from 2011 to 2019, featuring numerous characters, including Kit Harington’s Jon Snow as one of the main protagonists.
After GOT ended, HBO has been busy expanding its fantasy universe with House of the Dragon, along with several other spinoffs from the series in development.
The Hollywood Reporter talked to Benioff and Weiss about the Jon Snow spin-off, which HBO had planned but faced delays. In response, Weiss said:
“Nothing would make us happier than to work with our people from that show. But there are a lot of other ways to make that happen that are fresh and exciting for everyone involved. Also, unless [Kit Harington] has been doing a lot of working out, that’s a really heavy cloak for a guy in his 40s to carry around — it’s like 60 pounds.”
Weiss hinted that the Jon Snow spin-off might happen later, perhaps when both he and Harington are much older. At that time, the star could revisit the role of Jon, with authentic gray in his beard.
Watch Game of Thrones on HBO.
