Game of Thrones was known for its historical fantasy storyline that captivated millions of fans across the globe, but sadly, the once-promising show did not live up to expectations as soon as the Night King and his army entered the picture.
Ever wonder what the show would have looked like without the White Walkers? If the fight remained within the houses of the Seven Kingdoms and no external icy forces took the spotlight away from the dirty politics, would it have a better ending?
Game of Thrones would still be the same without the White Walkers
The arrival of the White Walkers had been hinted at since the beginning of Game of Thrones. The phrase “Winter is coming” has been repeated a hundred times, suggesting an ominous threat was on its way not only in Winterfell but across Westeros.
Scenes concerning this otherworldly threat were only sparingly featured in the first few seasons. The plot centered on who should sit on the Iron Throne, and along with this deadly ambition came numerous battles, betrayals, and beheadings.
The duels were thrilling to watch, the character confrontations had us all hooked and tuned in, and the game of politics made us root for the one we thought was the rightful heir to the crown. It had all the makings of a great medieval fantasy series until it shifted the story to the White Walkers.
Game of Thrones was a very fine medieval fantasy drama show till that episode about the ice wall invasion everything turned into Marvelshit.
— The Maradonian (@TemoBlanks) June 14, 2025
When the White Walkers invaded Westeros, it felt like we were having some sort of Marvel-inspired scene where the animosity plot between Team Cap and Team Iron Man was swept aside because the Avengers now had to deal with Thanos.
However, in Game of Thrones, there was no character development after the Night King plotline. Fans expected that the major players would change and grow and learn from this massive White Walkers threat. In the end, they remained the same.
Daenerys still wanted the Iron Throne despite the deaths of her dragons. Arya still hoped to exact revenge on Cersei until the very last minute. Jon was still the same even after getting a second chance at life. Everyone was still onto their own grand plans and little schemes after the ice-cold invasion. Remove this arc, and we will still get the same story.
What’s worse was the fact that it lost most of its grounded cinematic touch after it was saturated with CGI and special effects due to the extensive White Walkers storyline.
Why was the Night King invented?
The Night King does not exist in George R.R. Martin’s lore; he was created by David Benioff and Dan Weiss for television. If the author did not particularly mention a leader of the undead, then he is probably going on a different route in the books.
The showrunners wanted to have a Night King as they envisioned him as Death. They did not explicate this thought, but they mentioned the flashback scene in Season 6, set thousands of years ago, inspired them to give this villain a tangible form.
It’s intriguing to see how the show would have panned out had it revolved around the fight for the Iron Throne and without the distraction of the White Walkers.
Game of Thrones is currently available to watch on HBO Max (USA).
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
