When Game of Thrones came to an end, a lot of people were thinking about how the universe might continue. It wasn’t surprising when we learned that HBO and Kit Harington were developing a Jon Snow sequel series, although it didn't end up going forward.
The door wasn’t completely closed on the idea of a Jon Snow spinoff series, but Kit Harington's recent update doesn't sound great. That's a shame, because while a sequel couldn't completely fix the issues with the final season of Game of Thrones, it could have righted a couple wrongs and been a fun adventure.
It would give Jon a chance to feel like he belonged
For the longest time in Game of Thrones, Jon Snow didn’t feel like he belonged anywhere. Catelyn didn’t want him around, and Theon would often taunt him as being the illegitimate child of Winterfell. That was part of the reason he joined the Night’s Watch, but he didn’t always fit in there, either.
Jon only started to feel at home among the wildlings north of the Wall. He found a brotherhood with them, as nobody cared how he grew up or what he knew. They just needed to know that they could trust him.
We could see more of Jon with the wildlings in a sequel show, not to mention more of likable characters like Tormund Giantsbane. Jon had a place among them.
We'd see more of a bond between Jon and Ghost
Jon's direwolf Ghost was loyal to him, and he hated the fact that Jon went south without him at the end of Game of Thrones. I hated it as well, especially after Ghost almost died in the Battle of Winterfell. They reunited in the series finale, but I want more.
A sequel show would give us the chance to see how their bond evolved after afterthing they'd been through. The bond between Stark and direwolf was never quite shown in the right way on Game of Thrones, never exploring the layers we see in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books. There was just too much else going on.
But a sequel would be focused on Jon Snow, and that would mean more time for Ghost. We'd see how Ghost didn’t lose faith in Jon just because Jon went south, and how Ghost didn’t feel like he was betrayed when Jon started riding Rhaegal.
We could learn what happened to Craster’s children
A plot point that seemed to be completely forgotten about during Game of Thrones was how Craster the wildling would give up his infant sons to the White Walkers. We got to see what happened to one of the babies, with the Night King using his magic to do something to the infant to turn his eyes ice blue. However, we never fully got an explanation of what was going on here.
With Jon north of the Wall, we could dig into this. Because the Night King fell, it would mean all his magic fell. We saw the dead fall, but what about Craster’s infants? There were no signs that the magic caused them to grow up quickly, so that would suggest there are still somewhere north of the Wall, right? The sequel needs to explore that.
Perhaps these kids, whatever happened to them, could revive the White Walker threat.
Bran Stark would still be king
One thing that the Jon Snow Game of Thrones sequel wouldn’t be able to undo is the installation of Bran Stark as the ruler of Westeros, minus the North, which was declared an independent kingdom. Nor could it give Bran the personality he seemed to lose when he became the Three-Eyed Raven.
But we could see who becomes king after Bran. With Jon Snow both a Stark and the natural Targaryen heir, he seems like a natural choice. It may get leaked it that that Jon's parents Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark officially married, and that Jon was never Ned’s illegitimate son after all. It opens a huge can of worms and brings up a lot of questions for everyone, as people will want proof.
Jon’s character development will still be an issue
Did Jon actually have a personality? At first, his broodiness made sense, and he did start to develop a personality up until his death in the season 5 finale. After that point, he closed in on himself, refusing to really let others in. His relationship with Daenerys was rushed and uninteresting. Jon never seemed to find any happiness in life. He didn’t really seem to want to live after killing Daenerys Targaryen. He didn’t even seem to care if he was sentenced to death for what he did.
A Game of Thrones sequel series would need to coax Jon back to life. He would have to find new purpose beyond the Wall, perhaps because he needs to face down a new threat, or perhaps because he finds meaning in something simpler and quieter, like family. A sequel show would need to make up for lost time, and could give Jon Snow a whole new lease on life as a character.
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