SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses Season 8 of HBO’s Game of Thrones . Please proceed with caution if you have not yet viewed all available episodes and wish to avoid spoilers.
When Season 8 of HBO’s Game of Thrones concluded, many fans were surprised that, after the dust had settled, Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) was crowned the ruler of Westeros. Also known as Bran the Broken on account of his paraplegia, his rise to power was certainly unexpected after Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) were both determined to claim ownership of the Iron Throne.
However, according to Carice van Houten, who played the Red Witch, Melisandre in Game of Thrones , the randomness of it was actually perfect.
“I really loved it, and also the randomness of talking about who’s going to be king,” van Houten revealed to The Hollywood Reporter .
“The silliness of it was very smart. I thought, ‘This is what life is. Some dumbo can become president.’ That’s the world we live in. We just sort of go, ‘Uh, that guy.’”
While Bran may not really be a “dumbo,” many fans were unsure he was the best person for the position, especially after he initially claimed he really didn’t want a role of power. However, after a somewhat democratic discussion between fellow powerhouses in Westeros, the decision was made to put Bran in power. Then, when he finally should die, a vote would be cast once more over who should rule Westeros.
In addition to Bran’s rise to power, van Houten was also impressed with the Iron Throne being destroyed in the final season of Game of Thrones .
“I just love the fact that the whole throne was blown away,” van Houten said.
In Season 8 of Game of Thrones , the Iron Throne was melted down by one of Daenerys’ dragons after she was killed by Jon Snow (Kit Harington). The dragon then lifted up Daenerys’ limp form and flew away with her. This led to fan speculation that Daenerys might actually be resurrected like Jon Snow was in Season 6 of Game of Thrones . Of course, with Season 8 being the conclusion of the epic fantasy series, fans will likely never find out if this is the case.
Season 8 was the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones . HBO is currently in production on a prequel series set in the same universe as Game of Thrones . However, as previously reported by The Inquisitr , this series has only filmed a pilot and has not been officially greenlit to series by HBO.