7 Game of Thrones fan theories that actually came true

Over the course of eight seasons of Game of Thrones, fans had plenty of theories. Some of these theories started with the book fans, while show-first or show-only fans joined in with their theories as the story went on.

Not all these fan theories came true. Jon Snow didn’t kill the Night King, and Jaime Lannister wasn’t responsible for Cersei’s death. However, there were plenty of others that did come true. It’s time to take a look at the big ones that happened.

R + L = J

Let’s start with the most talked-about fan theory that came about in the series. Fans everywhere were sure from the very beginning that Jon Snow was not the illegitimate child of Ned Stark as we'd all been told. Ned just didn't seem like the type to have an affair. The fact that Ned was never honest about who Jon’s mother was made it clear that this was something much bigger.

So, fans realized that Jon was likely Lyanna Stark’s son. Fans knew that Lyanna had been “taken” by Rhaegar Targaryen years before the start of the series, but what if she wasn’t kidnapped? What if they were actually in love and had a son who grew up to be Jon Snow?

F fans weren’t initially in agreement over whether Jon was a legitimate Targaryen prince or an illegitimate child, but that didn’t matter. Fans knew R + L = J, and that’s exactly how it turned out.

Benjen Stark didn’t die and became Coldhands

During the very first season of Game of Thrones, Jon's uncle Benjen Stark went missing while on a ranger mission north of The Wall. We all know in the world of fiction that if a character’s death doesn’t happen onscreen, then it wasn’t a real death. Fans believed that for the longest time about Benjen.

Fans were sure that Benjen Stark was the mysterious hooded figure from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books who helps Bran beyond the Wall, known as Coldhands. It turned out that was the case, at least on the TV show. While the books haven’t gotten that far, Game of Thrones did reveal that Benjen Stark is Coldhands, even though the show never gave him that name.

The Iron Throne would be destroyed

When Daenerys Targaryen has her visions in the House of the Undying at the end of the second season, she saw the Iron Throne in a destroyed throne room. It looked like ash was falling from the sky, although sometimes that ash looked a bit like snow. Was it a sign that winter would reach King’s Landing? That bit wasn’t certain. What was certain was that the Iron Throne would be destroyed.

In the end, nobody really claimed the Iron Throne after the fall of King’s Landing. Daenerys never did get to sit on it, as Jon Snow killed her before she had that chance. In his anger, Drogon destroyed the Iron Throne, making the prophecy and the fan theory come true.

Jon Snow would come back from the dead

The fifth A Song of Ice and Fire book, A Dance With Dragons, ended with a major twist: Jon Snow was killed by members of the Night’s Watch. We’re still waiting for the sixth book to see how that plays out, but the TV show confirmed a fan theory: the red witch Melisandre would bring Jon Snow back from the dead.

Jon’s sudden death just didn’t make sense in the overall story. Without Jon, it would be impossible to warn people about the Night King. Who was really going to believe Sam? And with Melisandre already at Castle Black, it only made sense that she would bring him back. The fan theory came true early in Game of Thrones season 6.

Arya would become a Faceless Man

When Arya initially met Jaqen H'ghar while at Harrenhal, it was clear that there would be more to the story. He helped Arya and her friends get out, and he shared more about his abilities: he could change faces. Before he left, he gave Arya a Braavosi coin and made it clear that if she used it, she would get passage to the city of Braavos. She could then come to find him to train.

Fans knew this foreshadowed her journey. Arya would become a Faceless Man. Sure enough, that’s exactly how it all played out. Not only did she become a Faceless Man, but it was due to that training that she was able to take out the Night King.

Gendry would return and be legitimized

After Ser Davos helped Gendry escape from Dragonstone so Stannis Baratheon couldn’t kill him, Gendry didn't show up for seasons. It became a running joke that he was still rowing his boat, although fans assumed that he eventually made it back to King’s Landing.

Fans didn’t just theorize that Gendry would come back, but that this bastard son of King Robert Baratheon would also be legitimized. Of course, the idea was that he could end up becoming the king of Westeros eventually. While the last part didn’t come true, Gendry returning and being legitimized did end up coming to pass.

The Wall would come down to allow the Night King to cross

The Wall was clearly built to keep the Night King and the White Walkers out of Westeros. While the dead would head toward the Wall, they never crossed it. That mean the Wall had to come down if there was going to be a final confrontation between the living and the dead.

There were a few theories about how this would happen. One of the main ones was that a dragon would burn down the Wall. Once the Night King got his hands on Viserion, that’s exactly how it all played out. The Wall easily crumbled, and winter finally hit Westeros in a way the continent had never experienced.

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