Bran Truly Was The Best Possible Choice To Rule

[Apoplexy]

Jon or Sansa would be much better. Bran made Bronn the master of coin.. Really? And not master of war or anything?

[joaozinm]

Show bran has be awkwardly staring até people and trees for 2 Seasons.

There was a season earlier that bran doesnt even appear.

He clearly can see the present and Future cause he keeps one lining everyone like: you're exactly what you should be doing. (Doesnt know where the fuck is drogon, though, or any useful information at all)

He doesnt want to be king and doesnt show any sign of interest in a game of thrones. His fate was always bound to the "great war" (an 1 hour Night actually).

Since he has done nothing his choice os totally unbelievable.

His moral is now dubious.

The only thing he has done, revealing Jon heritage, triggered the biggest crime in The series.

 You can buy this crap that he is this manipulative being but It not shown on the screen.

Show bran as king makes no sense at all. Maybe book bran Will.

[Jaime the Goldenhand]

There are quite a few aspects of Bran being king that I think are problematic.

1. Bran is foreign to the common folk

Bran's story is like something out of Edgar Allan Poe. He is a warg, telepath, and can commune with spirits that live inside of trees. This is not something the average common person could be on board with right away. The idea that the king can see anything that is happening anywhere in the kingdom, at anytime. That's really terrifying. At worst, it is complete and total surveillance of the public. Varys was hated for being a spy. How will Bran ever convince anyone that he isn't watching them day and night. At best, he is a god-emperor. Just read Dune to see how that works out for the common people. 

2. Religion 

Most of the Seven kingdoms (six), follow the faith of the Seven. The beliefs in the Seven is in direct conflict with the actual reality of Bran's powers. Bran can commune with weirwood trees because they contain the spirits of the children of the forest. This provides actual proof that the power of the old gods exists. Think of how the religion of the R'holor was viewed by the average person and how Melisandra was feared because she possessed literal god-given powers.

3. Succession

How does this break the wheel. Most of the conflicts that have occurred in Westeros over the centuries have been due to an unclear line of succession. The Dance of the Dragons, the War of the Five Kings, and "The Last War" (haha). There have been long stints of peace under Targaryens and clear lines of succession by blood-right. What will happen when Bran dies? All the lords and ladies (who will all miraculously be good buddies with absolutely no political ambitions whatsoever) will get together and politely choose? What if they disagree, what if someone is scheming behind the scenes to manipulate the vote. What if someone uses military power to coerce the vote, what if the king is murdered several days after they are elected? Essentially, this new system just guarantees that there will be conflict over succession EVERY TIME a king dies. This solves absolutely nothing. Not the mention that the NORTH IS STILL RULED BY A MONARCH SELECTED BY BLOOD-LINE AND BIRTHRIGHT. I guess that OK though, the Starks are GOOD PEOPLE AND KNOW WHAT IS GOOD. Nothing bad will ever happen in the North.

4. Bran is a Stark

So, Bran is king of a kingdom that he is not part of. This is about as stupid as having a Canadian become the US president. How many PRO-North mandates will Bran need to make before his judgement and allegiances are questioned by the common people. For now its ok though, all the great lords of Westeros and the small council are BEST BUDDIES. 

5. Bran is fatalistic

Bran doesn't seem to care at about what happens in the world. He accepts a completely fatalistic view of how things will happen. He also seems to know how things will happen before they actually do. This will give him complete and absolute power. How can he exercise agency when he is simply walking along a path that has already been chosen. Will super-human entity like that really be accepted by the common people. I imagine it will just terrify them. It is hard enough for the masses to accept Muad'did and Leto II in the Dune series, despite religious manipulation setting the stage for their ascension. 

6. Bran is loveless

Will Bran host tourneys, will Bran take a queen (even though he can't father children and can barely communicate in a meaningful way with anyone at all), will Bran be able to satisfy the demands and complaints of common folk on a daily basis. "My crops were stolen and my daughter raped by bandits!", "Yes...I saw...she was beautiful. In fact, I knew it was going to happen even before it happened. But, don't worry, it is all part of a bigger plan that only I can see". Bran has no connection to the world. What will happen if Bran is ever questioned. What if there is continued plotting against him, will he care enough to resist. How can someone out of time form meaningful connections to those in it. See Dr. Manhattan for reference. 

Overall, I think this conclusion was absolutely awful and basically begs the audience not to think about it for more than a couple seconds before turning off their TV and cancelling their HBO subscription. I can't see Bran being a better king than almost any other available character. 

   

[Stark_in_Winterfell]

8 hours ago, GeorgeIAF said:

Jon was the best choice. 

I think Jon would have refused it to his dying breath, especially after killing Dany.  But the story set Jon up to be king and then dropped it like a hot rock.

[Sir Hedge of Hog]

1 hour ago, joaozinm said:

Show bran has be awkwardly staring até people and trees for 2 Seasons.

There was a season earlier that bran doesnt even appear.

He clearly can see the present and Future cause he keeps one lining everyone like: you're exactly what you should be doing. (Doesnt know where the fuck is drogon, though, or any useful information at all)

He doesnt want to be king and doesnt show any sign of interest in a game of thrones. His fate was always bound to the "great war" (an 1 hour Night actually).

Since he has done nothing his choice os totally unbelievable.

His moral is now dubious.

The only thing he has done, revealing Jon heritage, triggered the biggest crime in The series.

 You can buy this crap that he is this manipulative being but It not shown on the screen.

Show bran as king makes no sense at all. Maybe book bran Will.

I completely agree with all of this. I would have like to see jon being reluctantly being forced to be king and davos reading out his titles, white wolf, etc ....and seeing the lords kneel.....but he would have probably hated it

[Cron]

9 hours ago, The One Who Kneels said:

Because being a good king is all about having the right qualifications to govern and not about charisma and leadership right? 

I'm sure the emotionless weirdo foreigner in a wheelchair will inspire a great deal of love and loyalty from lords and smallfolk alike. 

Bran's abilities (powers) would make him an incredibly formidable political (and/or military) opponent.

They can't outwit him, they can't successfully lie to him, they can't keep secrets, plots or conspiracies from him.

They cannot hit him with a surprise attack..

I know Bran is not omniscient, but he keeps tabs on a lot of stuff, and I don't think he'd be easy to overthrow at all.  In fact, he could shut down plots against him before they even fully take root, since he can see the future.

(By the way, he's not some unpopular foreigner, either.  He was "elected," we saw the "election," and got unanimous support from every region of the 6 kingdoms he now rules, even the Eyrie with Sweet Robin, as I recall, plus the "new prince in Dorne" who, far as I know,  seems to have been a character created precisely for this purpose, so that all of the (now 6)  regions would be represented in electing Bran)

[Sir Hedge of Hog]

Just now, Cron said:

Bran's abilities (powers) would make him an incredibly formidable political (and/or military) opponent.

They can't outwit him, they can't successfully lie to him, they can't keep secrets, plots or conspiracies from him.

They cannot hit him with a surprise attack..

I know Bran is not omniscient, but he keeps tabs on a lot of stuff, and I don't think he'd be easy to overthrow at all.  In fact, he could shut down plots against him before they even fully take root, since he can see the future.

(By the way, he's not some unpopular foreigner, either.  He was "elected," we saw the "election," and got unanimous support from every region of the 6 kingdoms he now rules, even the Eyrie with Sweet Robin, as I recall, plus the "new prince in Dorne" who, far as I know,  seems to have been a character created precisely for this purpose, so that all of the (now 6)  regions would be represented in electing Bran)

yep...but he still foresaw a million innocent smallfolk getting burnt and let it happen...doesn't sit well with me I'm afraid...

I am not 'anti' bran, but I am unclear about his motives - if he kept jons parentage a secret what would happened?

happy jon/dany = peaceful prosperous 7K (apart from sansa scheming)

at the least KL would not have destroyed...

[Cron]

8 hours ago, darmody said:

What could possibly go wrong trusting an omniscient being of suspect humanity and entirely unknown motives who can take over people's minds at will?

If I lived in Westeros, I'd be VERY comfortable with Bran as king (far more so than I would be with any other character we know, including Jon, for sure)

We know a huge part of Bran's backstory, and to my memory he has never given the slightest indication of being anything other than good, compassionate, gentle and peaceful.

[Ser Drewy]

The Night King is an unsung hero, trying to save us from this dreadful resolution. Victory for ice! The Others! No King but the Night King! 

[Vuron]

After Jon kills Dany, there's no way he can become King without starting another civil war.  Whether justified, or not, he assassinated the current queen.  Even after what she did, Dany still had the support of a large group (unsullied, dothraki, the iron islands, and any number of smaller houses).  These people would never support Jon and would have fought against it.

Jon also had the issue of his parentage being known and at this point, being a Targaryen is a negative after the last 2 Targaryens turned out to be viscious rulers that didn't care about their citizens.

Jon being a Targ is one of the reasons he was sent to the wall.  He's not supposed to have any children that might press a claim for the throne or history might repeat itself again.

Bran, although an odd choice, might be a food choice.  He's from a noble house, he should technically be the lord of Winterfell and protector of the North, and he has the Stark name, which is still respected.  The new King has to come from nobility and there are limited options left after all the wars.

Maybe it could have been the new Prince of Dorne, but we have no idea who that is.

[Erkan12]

2 hours ago, Apoplexy said:

Jon or Sansa would be much better. Bran made Bronn the master of coin.. Really? And not master of war or anything?

Bronn is a cutthroat, who fights without honor, he is better at fighting dirty, master of war someone should be respected, loyal and someone would fight until the last man, Bronn isn't that man.

I think they choose Bronn as master of coin , because now he is controlling the richest region (since there are no active gold mines left in Westerlands) in Westeros as the Lord of the Highgarden, it's the best choice, both putting your own man out there and borrowing money from him easily if it's necessary.

[A Dance with Davos]

Tyrion and Sansa seemed the best choice. That is essentially what happened anyway. Bran doesn't seem to care at all which isn't a good thing. He shows up to the council for a minute and then leaves?? He's basically Joffrey or Robert minus the cruelty or whoring.

 

Tyrion and Sansa are still married. As far as succession goes isn't Tyrion technically king? Sansa being Queen keeps the North happy and Tyrion is basically actively ruling already.

I really do wonder if Bran will be king in the books.

[Chris is my name]

Honestly I think the potential merits of Bran's rule are completely moot: it is based on the knowledge and bias that we have as viewers.

Are we expected to believe that everyone just plainly accepts that this boy is a benevolent and omniscient being? They spent no time whatsoever establishing why this claim should be taken at all seriously by the characters in the show.

[A Time for Starks]

Bran should have been Master of Whisperers.  That would have been the perfect role for him as he knows all.  But to be king?  To me Bran is not a king.  He doesn't inspire love.  He doesn't inspire fear.  He doesn't inspire... well anything really.  He's not a leader.

[Damon_Tor]

11 hours ago, Cron said:

Incredibly wise and knowledgeable, consummate good (I can't recall ever seeing or reading even the faintest hint of darkness or badness in him; he was always clearly one of the most "pure good" characters in the story), and since he doesn't "want" anymore, he is, presumably, incapable of being corrupted. 

Except for when he forcibly took over his friends' body because he was bored and wanted to go splunking. An act he acknowledged filled his friend with horror, an act directly compared to rape.

He is totally detatched from humanity: lives are meaningless to Bran. What does he value anymore? Do we know? The Tree-Eyed Raven isn't human: Bloodraven had been a human before he took on that mantle, but at some point that entity was formed by the Children of the Forest. It is an alien intelligence to which Bran is simply a host. And he even admits he is not Bran anymore.

And if you rewatch the past season, the only way to interpret some of his actions (specifically insisting Sam tell Jon who he really is precisely when Sam is angriest at Daenerys, and also making sure Jaime was alive so that Tyrion spends time in prison to "reflect") were to ensure this outcome, him in direct control of humanity. And since D&D were clear in behind the episode that Daenerys would not have gone mad without the estrangement and anxiety between her an Jon, we have to conclude that Bran knowingly caused the destruction of King's Landing in order to come to power.

This is Seven Times Never Kill Man. Classic GRRM ending, where the evil alien intelligence successfully subverts human culture to take control.

[StoneColdJorahMormont]

3 hours ago, Apoplexy said:

Jon or Sansa would be much better. Bran made Bronn the master of coin.. Really? And not master of war or anything?

Bronn placed as the Master of Coin makes sense to me, he came from nothing and appreciates the value of money where others before him squandered it on overly extravagant things or being forced by the King to spend when they suggested it wasn't a good idea.

With Bran looking to be more of a symbol than actually having anything to do with the running of Westeros... there wont be that pressure from above to spend lavishly.

The Brothel thing was obviously Bronn being Bronn.. said jokingly as they were all having light hearted banter ( hate that word btw).

 

[Larger than Average Finger]

3 hours ago, Apoplexy said:

Jon or Sansa would be much better. Bran made Bronn the master of coin.. Really? And not master of war or anything?

I saw the Council as Tyrions doing.

[darmody]

1 hour ago, Cron said:

If I lived in Westeros, I'd be VERY comfortable with Bran as king (far more so than I would be with any other character we know, including Jon, for sure)

We know a huge part of Bran's backstory, and to my memory he has never given the slightest indication of being anything other than good, compassionate, gentle and peaceful.

Aside from disappearing for an entire season, Bran seemed like a different character when he popped up at Winterfell in season Seven. I don't know what he thought, why he did anything, whether he was even human anymore. I don't know what a three-eyed raven is. They never really told us. 

[David Selig]

Wait, since when is staring into the distance and mutering nonsense a sign that you are "incredibly wise"?

Realistically he shouldn't last on the the Throne more than a few months. He has no power base, his "election" was a contrived nonsense, nobody except his family has a reason to support him and they are too far away and in a different realm now.

[olibar]

Bran was playing the Game of Thrones way harder than anyone understood and has tricked Westeros into basically putting Skynet/The Architect in charge.  Looks like Tyrion has made yet another world ending mistake while trying to do good.  I mean, they talk about succession but won't Bran live for hundreds of years or perhaps forever if a successor is never born?

Sure, it seems like a great idea to have an all-knowing, emotionless leader make all your decisions for you, right up to the point where they decide that the only solution for the problem of human suffering is to kill all the humans.  

And isn't the Three Eyed Raven thing a Children of the Forest creation?  If so, was this their ultimate plot to finally kick humans off Westeros?