Game of Thrones Fans Probably Missed These Major Clues to Daenerys’ Fate in Season 8

One of the major criticisms of Game of Thrones’ final season was the execution of Daenerys Targaryen’s descent into villainy. Watching a character who, for the better part of eight seasons, had been working hard to establish herself as a queen worth following and avoiding repeating the mistakes of her tyrannical father become something even worse was hard to swallow. It wasn’t that the premise of Daenerys becoming a villain was outlandish; it was more how it was handled. Could she have become a tyrannical queen who would happily use her dragons to burn any who opposed her? Yes. Did the transition from hero to villain occur so quickly that it gave most of the show’s fans whiplash? Also, yes.

Yet, as much as the show rushed her villain arc, it wasn’t an entirely unpredictable outcome. Fans of the franchise know that the narrative of Westeros relies heavily on symbolism and prophecy regarding its characters. Events in the past repeat themselves and some visions seen throughout the show end up coming true, just not in the way people expected. There were several hints throughout the show that pointed towards what Daenerys’ ultimate fate would be. While none of them outright stated she would die, there was a lot to suggest that her quest for the Iron Throne would not be as successful as she dreamed it would be.

Daenerys Progressively Darker Outfits

This one might be a bit on the nose, but even the costume design in Game of Thrones was very deliberate. It can be seen in how Cersei Lannister’s dresses in seasons 7 and 8 mirrored her father’s outfits as Cersei saw herself more and more as Tywin’s true heir. Or in how Jon Snow and Robb Stark later wore outfits that were almost identical to Ned Stark’s. In Daenerys’ case, the final season seemed to hint at the gradual transition from heroine to tyrant with each passing episode. This needs a bit of clarification, as the outfit clues reflected different points in Daenerys’ fall from grace.

Take a look at the beginning of the season. Daenerys is wearing an almost solid white outfit. This showed solidarity with the North, but the color white symbolizes purity, innocence, and even cleanliness. At this point in her life, Daenerys is still that paragon that people can follow with love and admiration in their hearts. She was still the woman that, so many fell in love with. As Daenerys suffered a series of losses, both political and emotional, a change took root in her outfits. The first hint of this was in the aftermath of the Battle of Winterfell. Her new dress took on a gray color, signifying that her morals were darkening or that she was being pushed in a darker direction.

By the time the season was reaching its conclusion, Daenerys had transitioned fully into a black outfit with the only splash of color coming from her red cape, signifying not only that her evolution into a villain was complete, but that she was now ready to completely embrace her family’s words “Fire and Blood.” By this point, the woman who wanted to avoid becoming a monster like her father was gone. Too much loss for what was ultimately an unsatisfying prize had transformed Daenerys into a tyrant with the potential to become a threat almost as dangerous as the White Walkers if left to her own devices.

The Revelation of Jon’s True Identity

Realistically, fans always knew that the revelation of Jon Snow’s true parentage would cause friction between him and Daenerys. Being the son of Rhaegar, especially a legitimate one, meant that he was automatically higher in the line of succession than she was. Perhaps some people felt it was possible for Daenerys to reconcile with Jon. The two falling in love may have been incestuous, but it was hardly anything abnormal for two Targaryens. Also, there was even a precedent for such a couple as Rhaenyra Targaryen and her uncle, and later husband, Daemon. Unfortunately, that answer was far too messy to lead to a peaceful solution.

The entire premise of Daenerys’ rise to power was based on her belief that she was the last Targaryen. It was really the only reason she could even make a claim for the throne. Had there been any legitimate male contenders, she wouldn’t have even been an afterthought for the rest of Westeros, despite her obvious skill and accomplishments. She would always be within Jon’s shadow due to him being a man and her a woman; another cultural barricade that she was not prepared to deal with just yet. Proof of this could be seen in how quickly she panicked when she learned the truth, actually begging Jon not to share it with anyone else for fear it would undermine her authority.

In this way, it functioned as a hint. Daenerys’ inability to cope with the reality of her place in the family hierarchy was always going to cause a problem. One where her only options were to remove Jon as a threat to her rule or to find someway to get him to serve her, which became increasingly less likely due to how disturbed he was by their relationship when he learned the truth of their family ties. Daenerys not only lost her place in the world here, but she also lost perhaps the first true love she has known since Khal Drogo. That sort of loss can cause a person entering emotional free fall.

Daenerys’s Vision in the House of the Undying

The biggest hint by far though came all the way back in season 2. When Daenerys’ dragons were stolen by the warlocks of Qarth, she had to travel into their domain, the House of the Undying. There, she experienced visions that were predicting her future. The first of which was a vision of the Iron Throne, with snow falling onto it. This was a hint of how her destruction of King’s Landing would expose the Iron Throne to the elements, but that she herself would never sit upon it. There is also some wiggle room to assume that the snow she saw in the vision might have been the ash left behind in the wake of her dragon’s fire.

What followed this vision, though, was most telling. The very next thing she saw was her husband, Khal Drogo, and her infant son, Rhaego. Both died prior to this, leaving Daenerys with only her dragons and the Iron Throne as her reason to live. What other reason could such visions of the future have meant other than that she would succeed in her quest to conquer Westeros, but that she would die before ever getting to sit atop the throne? Though it is heartbreaking, Daenerys would never rule the Seven Kingdoms. Fans can at least take some comfort that, if the visions hold true, then she is in the afterlife with the people she loved most. The people who helped her become the powerful woman she was for most of the series, and who gave her more meaning than an empty chair.

Looking back, there were many hints about Daenerys’ unfortunate fate. While there are fans who still wish things had ended differently, the point of the show was about how the quest for power not only becomes corrupting, but self-destructive. Look at everyone who has ever coveted or pursued the Iron Throne. They did horrific things to get just a step closer to it. Daenerys’ burning of King’s Landing may have been overkill in the most literal sense of the word, but it was the most blatant example of how absolute power corrupts absolutely. Everything she had done or experienced by then was just a hint of what was come. Daenerys could always be a villain. If the show had spaced out her change then it might have been better received, and her death viewed as more acceptable. Or at least tolerable. This leaves fans with a mixed bag. One that says the signs of Daenerys’ ability to be a villain were obvious, but that could have been handled better.