Why I Think Daenerys Targaryen Is the Actual Villain in Game of Thrones

Okay, okay! Put your pitchforks away and hear me out for a second. If you’re really a devoted ‘Game of Thrones’ fan, you would know that George R.R. Martin loves to do the unexpected. If you actually look closely, there is strong evidence that our favorite ‘mother of dragons’ may just be the big bad of the story. Why? It’s because Daenerys Targaryen is the anti-thesis of George R.R. Martin’s ideologies.

In order to understand my theory, we must try to understand the mind of George R.R. Martin, the author of ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, the series of books that ‘Game of Thrones’ is based on. So, just what were his beliefs and how do they connect to Daenerys (and, in contrast, Jon Snow)? Being a devout and long time liberal, George R.R. Martin, understandably, has many left-leaning beliefs and ideologies. In fact, his political ideologies are very much entrenched in his writings. Let’s take a look at mind behind ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’. [Potential SPOILERS ahead]

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1. GRRM absolutely hates war. In fact he was a conscientious objector to the US-Vietnam War. “But, wait,” you might be asking, “Doesn’t GRRM write about war?” Why yes; yes he does. However, he writes to show just how horrific and inevitably futile war is. Every character in his books that have actively sought war (like Stanis and Renly Baratheon, Rob Stark, Tywin Lanister, etc.) have all ended up dead in the worst possible way. In contrast, all those who tried to shun war but were forced into war (like Jon Snow and Tyrion Lanister) have been given greater power. It is quite apparent that GRRM hates war.

So, what does this have to do with Daenerys? Daenerys is the avatar of war in GRRM’s story. Her only goal throughout the series was to wage war on those who unceremoniously ‘usurped’ her family’s kingdom. She has always actively sought war because she believes that only war can bring her what she desires. Jon Snow, on the other hand, has always tried to avoid war; yet, he gets thrust into wars he didn’t cause or want. Though they both win their ‘wars’, Daenerys caused her wars, whereas Jon did not.

2. GRRM hates feudal society. He believes that all the power and decision-making should not be given to one person. Why? It’s because people a fallible. To him, even if the ruler were a good man, he shouldn’t be allowed to make decisions on his own. In an interview with VHSfx, he said: “Of course it’s not enough to be a good man to be an effective ruler and it never has been.” Take Jon Snow in the ‘Battle of the Bastards’ for instance. Jon is a ‘good’ man and a skilled warrior; yet, he made all the wrong decisions and only won because Sansa saved the day. What GRRM truly believes is that there should be a sharing of ideas for a society to survive.

So, why does he write about kings and queens and monarchs? The answer is simple. It is so that he can tear them down. That’s why Ned Stark was beheaded and why Winterfell fell (pun intended) and why many kingdoms have been torn down. This is also why everyone who has sat on the iron throne has died and why, in the end, the iron throne will be destroyed.

As you may have guessed, however, Daenerys is the perfect example of feudalism. She has always believed that her destiny is to rule and she will do everything to fulfil her perceived destiny. She already left the man she loves in order to secure her throne via marriage to anyone who can help her. She has already abandoned the people in Meereen to sail to conquer Westeros. She took the Dothraki on a sea journey that I’m sure many won’t survive. She did all of these in pursuit of her crown. In stark (again pun intended) contrast, Jon never sought power or position. He was, again, forced to accept the mantle of leadership for the sake of unity.

3. GRRM was all about unity. He loves it when people come together because they want to instead of being forced to. Jon Snow is his avatar for unity. Jon has always brought people together. He forged a unity between the Wildlings and the Night’s Watch and between the lords of the North; not by force; but, by sacrifice. By his birthright, he represents the unity of two warring houses (the Starks and the Targaryens). His birthright also signifies the unity of North and South; of Ice and Fire. On the other hand, Daenerys inspires division. In order to maintain unity, she has had to use force, fire and dragons to quash those that have rebelled against her.

4. GRRM wants to ruin stereotypes. Another of GRRM’s famous quotes is “I think the battle between good and evil is a terrific subject for fiction; but, I don’t think it’s fought between really good looking guys in white cloaks and white horses and really ugly guys in black armor, who smell bad.” Using his logic, it would make sense that the real villain of the story is someone who is beautiful and radiant (and smells good) and personifies strong leadership qualities. Now, both Daenerys and Jon posses these qualities; but, considering everything else I’ve mentioned, I’ll go with Daenerys being the villain.

However, Daenerys, as well as the audience (since we are witnessing this from Daenerys’ point of view) won’t know that she’s the villain. In another of GRRM’s quotes, he says: “Nobody is a villain in their own story. We’re all the heroes of our own stories.” This could make the reveal (as GRRM would put it) ‘bitter-sweet’.

5. GRRM likes going against expectations. In another interview, GRRM said: “Nothing bores me more than books where you read two pages and you know exactly how it’s going to come out.” One of the reasons ‘Game of Thrones’ is so popular is because it is so unpredictable. You never know what might happen or who might die. Would a twist where Daenerys is actually the big bad be really that far-fetched?

6. GRRM may have already left clues as to the fate of Daenerys. If you’re a ‘Game of Thrones’ fan, you already know that the producers (and GRRM) like to place seemingly random things or conversations into a scene that will become relevant in some future episode. I believe that they have already told us what Daenerys Tragaryen’s fate will be. Here are two clues that might tell us what her fate may be:

In season 5, we hear a conversation between Sir Barristan Selmy and Daenerys. Sir Barristan says: “Every child knows that the Targaryens have always danced too close to madness. Your father was not the first. King Jaehaerys once told me that madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, he said, the gods toss a coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land.” Could this be telling us that Daenerys will inherit her father’s madness? If so, then Daenerys is a ticking time-bomb.

In season 2, Daenerys dreams of the throne room in King’s Landing utterly destroyed with snow is falling from the large holes in the roof. As she walks to the iron throne, she sees that it is full of snow. She, then, hears her dragons and proceeds outside to what looks like the north side of the great wall. As she walks into the cloud of snow, she sees a tent; and, in that tent she meets Khal Drogo and their child (who died in season 1). This could mean that Jon Snow will destroy the throne (the demolished throne room with snow) and that Daenerys will meet her death (because Khal and the baby are both already dead) on the other side of the wall(since that’s where she went out to find the tent).

So, those are the reasons I think Daenerys Targaryen will end up as the ultimate villain of ‘Game of Thrones’. If I’m wrong, at least it was fun theory-crafting. So, do you agree with my theory? It’ll be great to hear your theories. Tell me what you think in the comment section below.

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