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George RR Martin suggests a much darker ending to his novel series “A Song of Ice and Fire” than the one that viewers from the HBO-Know the series “Game of Thrones”. While the TV adaptation ultimately gave many of the main characters comparatively mild farewells, the author now makes it clear: There was originally supposed to be a lot more blood in the books. And some popular characters face a tragic fate.
In an interview with “The Hollywood Reporter” on the occasion of the upcoming HBO series “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”, Martin spoke about the still pending completion of his mammoth literary work. Although the sixth book “The Winds of Winter” has been a long time coming since 2011 and the final ending has not yet been fully determined, Martin knows exactly how his vision differs from the TV series. “Game of Thrones”, developed by David Benioff and DB Weiss, had already overtaken the original novel by season five.
Martin formulates his demarcation unmistakably: “I wanted to kill more characters,” he said. “Not necessarily those who died in the series. The ending there was much happier.” For the author, however, this forgiveness was never the goal of his story.
No happy ending for Tyrion Lannister
A particularly striking example is Tyrion Lannister. In the series, played by Peter Dinklage, the popular character ultimately rises to become Hand of the King to Bran Stark. For many viewers, this was a kind of late justice. But Martin clearly contradicts this reading. He sees no comparable outcome for the literary Tyrion.
“I don’t see a happy ending for Tyrion,” Martin explained. “His entire arc is tragic from the start.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that Tyrion has to die in the novels. Captivity, torture or other cruel twists and turns are also conceivable. The only thing that is certain is that hope is not one of the central motifs of his future, if Martin even finishes the books.
However, the series may have saved another character from a similarly grim fate. The author was surprisingly open about this too.
Sansa Stark as an exception to the original plan
According to Martin, Sansa Stark was originally intended for a much more gruesome end. “I wanted to let Sansa die,” he said. But the portrayal of Sophie Turner in the series gave him pause. “She was so convincing that I might just allow her to survive.” In “Game of Thrones,” as is well known, Sansa’s path ends with her coronation as Queen of the North. A radical contrast to Martin’s original idea.
It remains to be seen whether this reassessment will actually find its way into the books. Given the years-long delays in The Winds of Winter, it could be a long time before readers learn what fate Martin ultimately has in store for his characters. Equally realistic, however, is the possibility that the literary ending of “A Song of Ice and Fire” will never appear. And the author’s dark plans will forever remain theory.