Game Of Thrones' Hated Ending Never Betrayed George R.R. Martin

 Game of Thrones season 8 had a controversial conclusion; however, a letter by George R.R. Martin seems to indicate it's not far from what he planned.

Game of Thrones had a controversial season 8 conclusion, but the finale may have a significant reveal for the books. In 2015, a letter containing George R.R. Martin's original outline for A Song of Ice and Fire spread around the internet, revealing several discarded ideas for the series. These included shocking story turns, such as Arya, Jon Snow, and Tyrion forming a love triangle. However, some ideas from the original plan, including Daenerys Targaryen invading Westeros, stayed in the story. Someone even blocked out a paragraph in the letter to protect secrets about the future of Martin's beloved novels.

HBO's epic fantasy show had a highly-criticized final season in 2019. During the Game of Thrones finale, the series had Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) nominate Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) to become the king of Westeros. Of course, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) murdered Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), so Westeros needed a new ruler. Bran, who can see glimpses of the future, accepts the Westeros power seat, saying, "Why do you think I came all this way?" However, Game of Thrones received backlash from fans thinking several other candidates were better choices than Bran. After all, the character basically gives up his identity to become the Three-Eyed Raven

In the years since Martin's letter hit the internet, fans have seemingly deciphered the blocked paragraph, and it has a significant reveal about Game of Thrones and the conclusion of Martin's series. According to a Reddit thread (spotted via Winter is Coming), fans believe the deciphered section says that "Bran sits free" on the Iron Throne, and Tyrion may have helped put him there. The letter also supposedly notes that Jon Snow is Bran's "bitter enemy" in the North. If the deciphered paragraph is correct, the show never betrayed Martin's ending.

According to the letter, Game of Thrones' ending may not be far from Martin's. With the letter seemingly suggesting that Bran winds up on the Iron Throne and Tyrion possibly helps him get there, the events of Martin's novels may follow closer to the HBO show than previously thought. With Game of Thrones passing Martin's books in season 5, it was previously unknown how closely the show would resemble the author's still-unreleased novels. However, Martin's letter may prove that his story's ending will always result in Bran Stark ruling Westeros and Tyrion aiding his reign. Furthermore, the part about Jon Snow being Bran's enemy could've been adapted into Jon ultimately going to the Wall in the series finale.

While HBO's show may have included Martin's true ending, it won't happen in the same way. Game of Thrones earned fan criticism for shortening its final season to six episodes and seemingly rushing the story. For instance, though the White Walker threat was looming in Game of Thrones for years, the series ends the Night King's (Vladimír Furdík) quest for power in the span of one episode, thanks to Arya Stark (Maisie Williams). Martin's books won't follow suit. The author's novels include several characters the show cut out, likely meaning the ending will be more detailed and explain Bran's ascension to the throne better. In the end, Bran will likely still be the king. He'll just have a few more supporters in the Game of Thrones fanbase.