Major hint that Bran will be King

[Darryk]

One major hint is that he's sitting on a chair the whole time.

[BlackLightning]

On 10/9/2020 at 5:42 AM, SeanF said:

Bran's becoming king might not be a  happy ending.

This is true.

But I doubt Martin would go in that direction. It's supposed to be a bittersweet ending. Bran in the books has a pure heart. A lot of the scenes that showed that in Clash and Storm were trimmed down.

I don't think there will be an Iron Throne -- or a Red Keep or a King's Landing -- at the end of the series. So, Bran being the King of the Graveyard They Call Westeros is going to look very different than, say, King Jaehaerys I.

[The Bard of Banefort]

On 9/17/2020 at 4:46 AM, Dalinar said:

My biggest issue with Bran becoming King is the following:

When once asked why he begun writing ASOIAF, GRRM said that he was allways dissatisfied with the ending of LotR, where Tolkien wrote about how Aragorn ruled good and wise for years after. He wanted to know what that meant. He wanted to write a story, about what makes a good king. GRRM answer to that is, it seems, an All-Knowing God-King with superpowers. Well, thanks Einstein. 

Rather than the "good story" nonsense, Bran's ascension to the throne will likely be the product of him playing a key role in protecting Westeros from the Others (as opposed to the show, where he was completely useless), and his sense of wisdom. Bran is extremely mature and wise beyond his years when presiding over Winterfell in ACOK, and Luwin's dying words were telling Bran that he is Ned Stark's "true son."

I thought for years that Bran would become king because of this (and because the story beginning with him), until GOT made him robotic and I concluded that my earlier prediction must have been wrong. Clearly I should have never trusted the show on anything.

I think Bran will probably be more of a stoic by the end of the series rather than the cold and uncaring God-King the show gave us. I do think it might be a reversal of LOTR with magic returning rather than disappearing, however.

[The Bard of Banefort]

23 hours ago, BlackLightning said:

This is true.

But I doubt Martin would go in that direction. It's supposed to be a bittersweet ending. Bran in the books has a pure heart. A lot of the scenes that showed that in Clash and Storm were trimmed down.

I don't think there will be an Iron Throne -- or a Red Keep or a King's Landing -- at the end of the series. So, Bran being the King of the Graveyard They Call Westeros is going to look very different than, say, King Jaehaerys I.

I like the idea of Harrenhal being the new capital in the end. I think it fits with the brooding nature of the (supposed) ending, and would be a satisfying conclusion to the Harrenhal curse.

[SeanF]

21 minutes ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

Rather than the "good story" nonsense, Bran's ascension to the throne will likely be the product of him playing a key role in protecting Westeros from the Others (as opposed to the show, where he was completely useless), and his sense of wisdom. Bran is extremely mature and wise beyond his years when presiding over Winterfell in ACOK, and Luwin's dying words were telling Bran that he is Ned Stark's "true son."

I thought for years that Bran would become king because of this (and because the story beginning with him), until GOT made him robotic and I concluded that my earlier prediction must have been wrong. Clearly I should have never trusted the show on anything.

I think Bran will probably be more of a stoic by the end of the series rather than the cold and uncaring God-King the show gave us. I do think it might be a reversal of LOTR with magic returning rather than disappearing, however.

Bran was such a nonentity on the show that you could make anything you wanted out of his story.  IMHO, it was a case of someone manipulating events to form a magical totalitarian state.

[BlackLightning]

On 12/20/2020 at 10:48 AM, The Bard of Banefort said:

I like the idea of Harrenhal being the new capital in the end. I think it fits with the brooding nature of the (supposed) ending, and would be a satisfying conclusion to the Harrenhal curse.

I agree.

Harrenhal, the new capital of the bowed, bent, broken and burnt Seven Kingdoms, with the Isle of Faces as Bran's "throne room."

And to be honest, Bran has a very strong claim to Harrenhal because the childless Lady Shella Whent is maternal great-aunt. In the best of days, he would've stood a very good chance (90%) of inheriting Harrenhal after his mother Catelyn.

I have a feeling that this Harrenhal curse may very well be broken by the end of the series...I don't know how or why but it seems to have been cursed by dragonfire. Which makes sense as Summerhall also seems to have a certain vibe and neither dragonfire nor wildfire is normal fire: it's magical. but not before Littlefinger kicks the bucket.

[Mystical]

On 12/20/2020 at 5:47 PM, The Bard of Banefort said:

I thought for years that Bran would become king because of this (and because the story beginning with him), until GOT made him robotic and I concluded that my earlier prediction must have been wrong. Clearly I should have never trusted the show on anything.

And I never thought he would become king of Westeros because it doesn't make sense for what Westeros will be after everything is said and done...an apocalyptic wasteland. While a Fisherking is nice as a literary device, it doesn't fit with what Westeros will need once 2/3's of it's population is dead.

The only way I can see Bran becoming King is by mind-fucking everyone. There has to be a payoff/bigger reason for the fact that he mind rapes Hodor to the degree that he does.  Denying Hodor agency and free will despite the fact that Bran knows how horribly violated Hodor feels and doing it anyway. That's an erosion of morals and ethics (neither the Children nor BR/3EC discourage this behavior which is a big red flag) an a whole other level. This is the kind of stuff villains do. What makes it worse is that Hodor isn't some stranger. He's family and one of the most innocent people in this story: been with the Starks his whole life, a good person, mentally handicapped and literally carried Bran from Winterfell to beyond The Wall. How can you cage that person in their own mind, knowing that they suffer horrendously when you do that to them and all just so you can take a joyride in their body? Pure heart-ed Bran? I think not.

Funnily enough the show was better for Bran's character in that regard while still conveying how horribly Hodor feels about the loss of his free will. Bran only ever skinchanged into Hodor when it was literally life or death. And when Bran used Hodor's body to murder others, we saw how freaked and sad Hodor became when he saw blood on his hands not knowing what happened. But in the books, Bran sometimes does it for shits and giggles and for entirely selfish reasons while Hodor cowers in the corner of his own mind completely helpless. To me it's as uncomfortable as reading a rape scene, because that's what it essentially is.

[The Bard of Banefort]

20 minutes ago, Mystical said:

And I never thought he would become king of Westeros because it doesn't make sense for what Westeros will be after everything is said and done...an apocalyptic wasteland. While a Fisherking is nice as a literary device, it doesn't fit with what Westeros will need once 2/3's of it's population is dead.

The only way I can see Bran becoming King is by mind-fucking everyone. There has to be a payoff/bigger reason for the fact that he mind rapes Hodor to the degree that he does.  Denying Hodor agency and free will despite the fact that Bran knows how horribly violated Hodor feels and doing it anyway. That's an erosion of morals and ethics (neither the Children nor BR/3EC discourage this behavior which is a big red flag) an a whole other level. This is the kind of stuff villains do. What makes it worse is that Hodor isn't some stranger. He's family and one of the most innocent people in this story: been with the Starks his whole life, a good person, mentally handicapped and literally carried Bran from Winterfell to beyond The Wall. How can you cage that person in their own mind, knowing that they suffer horrendously when you do that to them and all just so you can take a joyride in their body? Pure heart-ed Bran? I think not.

Funnily enough the show was better for Bran's character in that regard while still conveying how horribly Hodor feels about the loss of his free will. Bran only ever skinchanged into Hodor when it was literally life or death. And when Bran used Hodor's body to murder others, we saw how freaked and sad Hodor became when he saw blood on his hands not knowing what happened. But in the books, Bran sometimes does it for shits and giggles and for entirely selfish reasons while Hodor cowers in the corner of his own mind completely helpless. To me it's as uncomfortable as reading a rape scene, because that's what it essentially is.

See, I think Hold the Door will be a huge wake-up call for Bran, and that it will be what shows him the responsibility he bears and just how much damage his actions can do. 

[Rose of Red Lake]

4 hours ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

See, I think Hold the Door will be a huge wake-up call for Bran, and that it will be what shows him the responsibility he bears and just how much damage his actions can do. 

I hope so. But the ending may be intended to leave us hanging with more questions about Bran being corrupted later on, with the only assurance we have being that he doesn’t want to rule and they put term limits on the office. I like the idea of King Bran because he’s so different than any of the other contenders.

[Mystical]

4 hours ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

See, I think Hold the Door will be a huge wake-up call for Bran, and that it will be what shows him the responsibility he bears and just how much damage his actions can do. 

But it doesn't erase his actions. When you murder someone, that person is still dead. When you rape someone, that person was still raped. Nothing can change that. So while Bran might see the error of his ways someday (and that's a big if), it doesn't erase what happened. Besides you don't just develop morality or ethics or empathy for that matter, you are taught those things. Bran should already know it's wrong and seeing what it does to Hodor should stop him cold. But it doesn't (kinda goes well with all the demonic/evil symbolism with him). And if he is to have any hope at all, then he needs to get the hell away from the Children and the 3EC or it's just going to get darker.

He's certainly not someone currently I would want anywhere near a position of power considering how he abuses the powers he does have. He's like all the other shitty Lords/Kings, someone who abuses the innocent for their own advantage and amusement.

[The Bard of Banefort]

7 hours ago, Mystical said:

But it doesn't erase his actions. When you murder someone, that person is still dead. When you rape someone, that person was still raped. Nothing can change that. So while Bran might see the error of his ways someday (and that's a big if), it doesn't erase what happened. Besides you don't just develop morality or ethics or empathy for that matter, you are taught those things. Bran should already know it's wrong and seeing what it does to Hodor should stop him cold. But it doesn't (kinda goes well with all the demonic/evil symbolism with him). And if he is to have any hope at all, then he needs to get the hell away from the Children and the 3EC or it's just going to get darker.

He's certainly not someone currently I would want anywhere near a position of power considering how he abuses the powers he does have. He's like all the other shitty Lords/Kings, someone who abuses the innocent for their own advantage and amusement.

No, it doesn't erase his actions. But it does go a long way in preventing him from becoming a manipulative god-king.

[BlackLightning]

On 12/23/2020 at 9:56 AM, Rose of Red Lake said:

I hope so. But the ending may be intended to leave us hanging with more questions about Bran being corrupted later on, with the only assurance we have being that he doesn’t want to rule and they put term limits on the office. I like the idea of King Bran because he’s so different than any of the other contenders.

Yeah but if King Bran is basically an amoral, omnipotent version of Professor X then we have a major problem.

That's not a bittersweet. It's the kind of ending you put at the end of a horror movie in which the bad guy(s) win and the heroes lose...badly. And yes, I said horror movie. Not a regular movie. A horror movie.

Have you all seen the movie Hereditary? If you haven't, watch it. It's a great movie but by the end of it you'll see why I (and many others) find the idea of an smugly amoral, emotionally devoid, computerized King Bran to be absolutely horrifying. If you have, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

There are a lot of similarities between the story in Hereditary and Bran's story-arc. Uncomfortable similarities yes but it's all very uncanny. I don't want to spoil a great movie but maybe the plot of Hereditary is what the Children or Bloodraven want to do with Bran. Maybe Bran escapes. Maybe he doesn't. Maybe Bran escapes and loses anyways.

Chilling.

On 12/23/2020 at 5:38 PM, The Bard of Banefort said:

No, it doesn't erase his actions. But it does go a long way in preventing him from becoming a manipulative god-king.

Agreed.

The same applies to Arya and, to a lesser extent, Sansa.

They are headed down a much darker route in the books than where Daenerys ended up in the show. Although Martin clearly intends on keeping the Stark children under the thumbs of the Faceless Men, Littlefinger and the Three-Eyed Crow so that the kids can power-up and grow, the time will come where the kids will figure out the truth of their situation and have to break free.

If they don't (or rather, choose not to) break free then they will be evil.

I think the point that GRRM is making is that the honor, mercy, justice, truthfulness and loving goodness of Ned, Catelyn, Robb, and Edmure is unproductive at best and self-destructively bad at worse when it's not balanced or informed by secrecy, unconventionality, detachment and a willingness to deceive, commit violence and be manipulative...all traits of Littlefinger, Cersei, Tywin, Roose, Ramsay, the Faceless Men and arguably the Three-Eyed Raven

Dany and Jon are currently struggling to balance the ice and the fire: methinks that they will die before they can strike a balance. Tyrion seems like he has already given up and embraced the worst of both worlds. Stannis will soon to be a complete failure as he comes across as inflexible AND as someone who leaps from one extreme to another and back again.

I think Sansa, Arya and Bran will perfect the equation (one way or another) and live to tell the tale. Particularly Bran.

On 12/23/2020 at 10:15 AM, Mystical said:

But it doesn't erase his actions. When you murder someone, that person is still dead. When you rape someone, that person was still raped. Nothing can change that. So while Bran might see the error of his ways someday (and that's a big if), it doesn't erase what happened. Besides you don't just develop morality or ethics or empathy for that matter, you are taught those things. Bran should already know it's wrong and seeing what it does to Hodor should stop him cold. But it doesn't (kinda goes well with all the demonic/evil symbolism with him). And if he is to have any hope at all, then he needs to get the hell away from the Children and the 3EC or it's just going to get darker.

He's certainly not someone currently I would want anywhere near a position of power considering how he abuses the powers he does have. He's like all the other shitty Lords/Kings, someone who abuses the innocent for their own advantage and amusement.

Agreed.

Bran is worst than the other shitty lords and kings because he has magical superpowers that allow him to do way more damage than all of them.

[SeanF]

On 1/6/2021 at 6:38 AM, BlackLightning said:

Yeah but if King Bran is basically an amoral, omnipotent version of Professor X then we have a major problem.

That's not a bittersweet. It's the kind of ending you put at the end of a horror movie in which the bad guy(s) win and the heroes lose...badly. And yes, I said horror movie. Not a regular movie. A horror movie.

Have you all seen the movie Hereditary? If you haven't, watch it. It's a great movie but by the end of it you'll see why I (and many others) find the idea of an smugly amoral, emotionally devoid, computerized King Bran to be absolutely horrifying. If you have, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

There are a lot of similarities between the story in Hereditary and Bran's story-arc. Uncomfortable similarities yes but it's all very uncanny. I don't want to spoil a great movie but maybe the plot of Hereditary is what the Children or Bloodraven want to do with Bran. Maybe Bran escapes. Maybe he doesn't. Maybe Bran escapes and loses anyways.

Chilling.

Agreed.

The same applies to Arya and, to a lesser extent, Sansa.

They are headed down a much darker route in the books than where Daenerys ended up in the show. Although Martin clearly intends on keeping the Stark children under the thumbs of the Faceless Men, Littlefinger and the Three-Eyed Crow so that the kids can power-up and grow, the time will come where the kids will figure out the truth of their situation and have to break free.

If they don't (or rather, choose not to) break free then they will be evil.

I think the point that GRRM is making is that the honor, mercy, justice, truthfulness and loving goodness of Ned, Catelyn, Robb, and Edmure is unproductive at best and self-destructively bad at worse when it's not balanced or informed by secrecy, unconventionality, detachment and a willingness to deceive, commit violence and be manipulative...all traits of Littlefinger, Cersei, Tywin, Roose, Ramsay, the Faceless Men and arguably the Three-Eyed Raven

Dany and Jon are currently struggling to balance the ice and the fire: methinks that they will die before they can strike a balance. Tyrion seems like he has already given up and embraced the worst of both worlds. Stannis will soon to be a complete failure as he comes across as inflexible AND as someone who leaps from one extreme to another and back again.

I think Sansa, Arya and Bran will perfect the equation (one way or another) and live to tell the tale. Particularly Bran.

Agreed.

Bran is worst than the other shitty lords and kings because he has magical superpowers that allow him to do way more damage than all of them.

I agree Bran becoming king might be a horrific ending.  He might be omniscient, and the idea or a ruler able to observe his subjects 24/7 is not good.  
 

Or, he may possess a more limited kind of presience, so that he can spy on anyone he wants, but not upon everyone, and work out various probabilities, without knowing precisely what the outcome would be.  The latter would be an ideal driver towards totalitarianism, as he’d essentially be flipping through recordings, and would need an extensive spy network to feed him information.

[Davos Dayne]

Actualy if you think about it like this If Jon is Deanerys Heir and as we saw with cersei mothers of the King can be a sucsesor in the event of the king dying childess and seeing as Lyanas dead so that would role to Ned who is also dead then to robb who is also dead leaving Bran as the closest linving male heir