Daenerys Killed Khal Drogo Herself In George R.R. Martin’s Original Game Of Thrones Plan, And Got Her Dragons Very Differently Too

Daenerys Targaryen’s story in Game of Thrones could’ve been quite different, if George R.R. Martin had stuck to his original vision for her story. From the very beginning right through to Game of Thrones‘ ending, Daenerys has one of the biggest, most important, and in the end, most controversial stories. That all starts with her, her brother, Viserys, and her new husband, Khal Drogo, but Martin’s early plan had a more surprising approach that involved her killing the latter.

Martin’s original plan comes from 1993, and an outline written when pitching the books, at a time when he envisaged the series that was eventually adapted into Game of Thrones would just be a trilogy. Daenerys would be a key player throughout, but in particular was the focus of the second book, A Dance with Dragons, which would chart her invasion of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Of course, Thrones took six seasons for Dany to sail for Westeros; the books haven’t got there yet. But with Martin’s plan, how she did it would’ve been very different.

Why Daenerys Killed Khal Drogo & Why It Changed

Martin’s Final Story Was The Stronger One

Much like in A Game of Thrones and season 1 of the HBO show, Martin’s initial version of Daenerys’ story included her and Viserys trying to rebuild their power base in order to take back control of Westeros, which included Dany marrying Khal Drogo. Similarly, Viserys kept on pushing Drogo to head to Westeros, only to realize the Khal had little interest in helping him get a crown… and, eventually, Drogo killed Viserys. That broadly fits with the finished version, but after that things differ, as Martin wrote:

“Over across the narrow sea, Daenerys Targaryen will discover that her new husband, the Dothraki Khal Drogo, has little interest in invading the Seven Kingdoms, much to her brother’s frustration. When Viserys presses his claims past the point of tact or wisdom, Khal Drogo will finally grow annoyed and kill him out of hand, eliminating the Targaryen pretender and leaving Daenerys as the last of her line. Danerys [sic] will bide her time, but she will not forget. When the moment is right, she will kill her husband to avenge her brother, and then flee with a trusted friend into the wilderness beyond Vaes Dothrak.”

Daenerys killing Drogo to avenge Viserys is almost unthinkable based on the finished version, where she grew to love the khal deeply, and despised her brother. This does establish her even earlier on as being someone who will take what is hers with fire and blood, and as a more ruthless character, who could arguably better set up her dark turn by the end of the series. However, Viserys and Drogo’s deaths as written were both powerful, emotional moments for Daenerys and key points in her arc, and it’d be weaker without them as they are.

It’s likely that Martin’s plans changed because of how those two relationships developed. Despite some ideas, Martin doesn’t fully map everything out for his stories. It’s easy to imagine that, as he wrote, the love grew between Dany and Drogo, and the vicious treatment of her by Viserys came to the fore a little more too (as well as him becoming more desperate and pathetic), meaning that she would have no reason to avenge his loss.

How Daenerys Found Her Dragon Eggs Compared To The Finished Version

It Was More Random Than What We Saw In Game Of Thrones

The key defining part of Khaleesi’s story that was there from the beginning was Daenerys getting dragon eggs but, again, this was different in Martin’s outline. In the books, and Game of Thrones season 1, the eggs are a wedding gift from Illyrio Mopatis, who says he got them from the shadow lands beyond Asshai. In Martin’s original plan, though, Dany simply stumbled across the eggs after killing Khal Drogo:

“There, hunted by Dothraki bloodriders… of her life, she stumbles on a cache of dragon’s eggs… of a young dragon will give Daenerys the power to bend the Dothraki to her will. Then she begins to plan for her invasion of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Although not all parts of Martin’s letter were fully legible, hence some of the gaps above, it’s at least clear that her finding the dragon eggs, and seemingly the birth of a dragon, would be what won the Dothraki to her cause. That’s not entirely different from Game of Thrones, but it is less powerful, and her just happening upon them certainly feels a little too convenient.

In contrast, Daenerys emerging from Khal Drogo’s funeral pyre with three baby dragons is one of the most iconic moments in Game of Thrones, and also is one of the greatest chapters in A Song of Ice and Fire. It’s an incredible, indelible magical event that signifies just how special she truly is and adds to the fantastical nature of the entire world, and Martin was so right to change his approach to this story.