--- title: Jorah Originally Supposed to Survive Game of Thrones description: Turns out one character who bit the dust in Game of Thrones' final season was originally supposed to survive the entire series. canonical: https://time.com/5594836/game-of-thrones-season-8-jorah-lives/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-05-23T18:47:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:50:17.385Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: This Game of Thrones Character Was Originally Supposed to Survive og:description: His watch could have continued og:url: https://time.com/5594836/game-of-thrones-season-8-jorah-lives/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt22cb413bcdf2cce8/69894928e76ad22c17634948/game-of-thrones-s8-e3-jorah-daenerys.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3150 og:image:height: 1772 og:image:alt: Game-of-Thrones-S8-E3-Jorah-Daenerys og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Game of Thrones Character Was Originally Supposed to Survive twitter:description: His watch could have continued twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt22cb413bcdf2cce8/69894928e76ad22c17634948/game-of-thrones-s8-e3-jorah-daenerys.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:56 video:published: 2019-05-21 section: entertainment topics: Game of Thrones, Prince That Was Promised prophecy, Night King, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Arya Stark, series finale theories, fan interpretation, George R. R. Martin books genre: explainer, commentary, pop culture analysis tones: analytical, speculative, engaging, informative emotions: curiosity (high), excitement (medium), disappointment (low) sentiment: neutral audience: Game of Thrones fans, TV viewers, fantasy readers, pop culture enthusiasts people: Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Arya Stark, Bran, Melisandre, George R. R. Martin organizations: Night's Watch products: Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire content_suitability: violence [01:01-01:11]; death [00:44-01:19] transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Turns Out This _Game of Thrones_ Character Was Originally Supposed to Survive Season 8 > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: This Theory Was Left Unanswered in the Game of Thrones Series Finale [Watch (HLS stream): This Theory Was Left Unanswered in the Game of Thrones Series Finale](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/9xk3R1Vy.m3u8) (1:56)  _Published 2019-05-21. If season 8 of Game of Thrones has taught us anything, it’s that prophecies aren’t always what they seem_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video examines the Prince That Was Promised prophecy in Game of Thrones and how it may have shaped the show's ending. It explains that Jon, Daenerys and Arya were the main contenders, and that Arya ultimately killed the Night King. It then describes how Jon's killing of Daenerys led some fans to read Jon as the prophesied prince, while noting the show never confirmed this. The video closes by suggesting that remaining questions may be answered in George R. R. Martin's final books. ## Key points - The Prince That Was Promised referred to a prophesied hero destined to lead the people against a darkness. (00:33) - In the final season, Jon, Daenerys and Arya seemed to be the top three contenders for the prophesied role. (00:38) - The show repeatedly suggested Jon or Daenerys would kill the Night King until Arya stabbed the leader of the White Walkers. (00:44) - Arya did not appear to fit the criteria presented for the Chosen One, while Jon and Daenerys both had strong arguments in their favor. (01:01) - Jon fatally stabbed Daenerys before she could sit on the Iron Throne, leading some fans to believe he was the prince all along. (01:11) - If the darkness is read as Mad Queen Daenerys or humanity itself, Jon killing Danny would match Melisandre's prediction that their destinies were entwined with the prophecy. (01:24) - The show never confirmed the identity of the prince or whether the prophecy was fulfilled, leaving conclusions to fan interpretation. (01:34) - Remaining questions may be answered in the final two books of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. (01:43) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:20] Series ending and lingering questions. Bran is crowned king and Jon is sent to the Night's Watch, but viewers still have unanswered questions. - [00:20 to 00:33] Online debate over prophecy. The video introduces the debate about how much the prophecy, especially the Prince That Was Promised, shaped the endgame. - [00:33 to 01:01] Chosen One contenders and Arya's twist. The prophecy is explained, the three contenders are named, and Arya unexpectedly kills the Night King. - [01:01 to 01:34] Jon, Daenerys and the prophecy reading. Jon's killing of Daenerys is linked to fan theories that he was the prophesied prince, which the show never confirmed. - [01:34 to 01:56] Hope for answers in the books. The video suggests the unresolved questions may be addressed in George R. R. Martin's final two books. ## Key quotes - [00:33] interviewer: "The Prince That Was Promised referred to a prophesied hero who was destined to lead the people against a darkness." - [01:01] interviewer: "Arya didn't really fit any of the criteria presented for the Chosen One." - [01:34] interviewer: "The show never actually confirmed the identity of the prince or even whether the prophecy was actually fulfilled, leaving all of these conclusions up to fan interpretation." ## Questions this video answers - What is the Prince That Was Promised prophecy? [00:33] - Who were the top contenders for the prophesied role in the final season? [00:38] - Why did some fans believe Jon was the prince all along? [01:11] - Did the show confirm the identity of the prince or whether the prophecy was fulfilled? [01:34] - Could the unanswered questions be resolved in George R. R. Martin's books? [01:43] ## Content suitability - violence [01:01-01:11]: References to Arya stabbing the Night King and Jon fatally stabbing Daenerys. - death [00:44-01:19]: Discussion of the killing of the Night King and of Daenerys.  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer May 23, 2019 6:47 PM UTC If season 8 of Game of Thrones has taught us anything, it’s that prophecies aren’t always what they seem  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer May 23, 2019 6:47 PM UTC **Warning:** This post contains spoilers for [_Game of Thrones_ ](http://time.com/4913247/game-of-thrones-season-8-premiere-date/)[season 8](http://time.com/4913247/game-of-thrones-season-8-premiere-date/). The eighth and final season of _Game of Thrones_ [killed off](http://time.com/5588517/game-of-thrones-series-finale-deaths/) more major characters — including [Daenerys Targaryen](http://time.com/5590729/game-of-thrones-finale-daenerys/), [Cersei and Jaime Lannister](http://time.com/5586743/game-of-thrones-cersei-jamie-death/), and [Theon Greyjoy](http://time.com/5578054/game-of-thrones-battle-of-winterfell-deaths/) — than any of the other seven preceding it. But there was apparently one character who bit the dust who was originally supposed to survive the series. As we know, Jorah Mormont died protecting Daenerys from the army of the dead during the [Battle of Winterfell](http://time.com/5542922/game-of-thrones-season-8-battle-of-winterfell/), a fitting end for the man who had been by the Dragon Queen’s side basically from the very beginning. However, in an interview with [_Entertainment Weekly_](https://ew.com/tv/2019/05/23/game-of-thrones-character-survive/), _Game of Thrones_ writer Dave Hill revealed that the writers were initially intent on having Jorah Mormont be one of the people waiting for Jon at the Wall in the show’s closing minutes.  Iain Glen as Jorah Mormont and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen Helen Sloan—HBO “For a long time we wanted Ser Jorah to be there at the Wall in the end,” he said. “The three coming out of the tunnel would be Jon and Jorah and Tormund. But the amount of logic we’d have to bend to get Jorah up to the Wall and get him to leave Dany’s side right before \[the events of the finale\]…there’s no way to do that blithely. And Jorah should have the noble death he craves defending the woman he loves.”  HBO As for how the actor who played Jorah felt about his character’s end, Iain Glen told _EW_ that he felt Jorah was better off not knowing about [Daenerys’ Mad Queen turn](http://time.com/5587311/daenerys-mad-queen-game-of-thrones/). “There’s a sweetness in that because Jorah will never know what she did,” Glen said. “That’s probably best. It’s a blessing for him that he never found out what happened to her. And from a pragmatic story point of view, his death served a greater purpose. Where could we have taken Jorah from there? F— if I know.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Ser Jorah. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5594836/game-of-thrones-season-8-jorah-lives/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5594836/game-of-thrones-season-8-jorah-lives/"},"headline":"Turns Out This Game of Thrones Character Was Originally Supposed to Survive Season 8","datePublished":"2019-05-23T18:47:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-13T08:50:17.385Z","description":"His watch could have continued","url":"https://time.com/5594836/game-of-thrones-season-8-jorah-lives/","keywords":["Television","game of thrones","TV","clickmonsters"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt22cb413bcdf2cce8/69894928e76ad22c17634948/game-of-thrones-s8-e3-jorah-daenerys.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt22cb413bcdf2cce8/69894928e76ad22c17634948/game-of-thrones-s8-e3-jorah-daenerys.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Game-of-Thrones-S8-E3-Jorah-Daenerys","caption":"Iain Glen as Jorah Mormont and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen","creditText":"Helen Sloan—HBO","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5594836/game-of-thrones-season-8-jorah-lives/","name":"Turns Out This Game of Thrones Character Was Originally Supposed to Survive Season 8"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"This Theory Was Left Unanswered in the Game of Thrones Series Finale","description":"If season 8 of Game of Thrones has taught us anything, it’s that prophecies aren’t always what they seem","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/9xk3R1Vy/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2019-05-21T17:49:28.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/9xk3R1Vy.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5594836/game-of-thrones-season-8-jorah-lives/","duration":"PT1M56S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5594836/game-of-thrones-season-8-jorah-lives/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```