Kit Harington’s Thoughts On Jon Snow’s Future

My friends, if you are not a book reader, and you do not want spoilers, please do not read the following article, or really, anything on Kit Harington’s interview with the UK’s Metro tabloid. No, I’m not even linking above the fold to this. It’s that big a spoiler.

Though before we go any further, I want to state for the record how impressed I have been with Game of Thrones fans when it comes to staying mum ofn certain subjects. Certain scenes from A Feast For Crows, for example, got spoiled early and often in headlines this past summer. But with a few exceptions, I’ve rarely seen any of the shockers from the end of A Dance with Dragons discussed. Perhaps people have learned the value of not telling the Unsullied anything, and enjoying the shock and awe that comes with the reveals on the show. But certain subjects, especially this one, have been almost completely absent throughout the last nine months, which is a credit to the fans.

I suppose it was too much to hope that no one would bring it up before the show aired. But finally someone did. And Kit Harington, who is a book reader, weighed in on what he thinks will happen in The Winds of Winter.

DO NOT GO FURTHER IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED. I AM SERIOUS.

The screaming banner headline in the Metro today gives it all away: Is Jon Snow dead in The Winds Of Winter? Look book readers–you know and I know that the Julius Caesar-style ending to Jon’s last chapter in A Dance with Dragons was a horrifying reminder of how characters cannot see how the choices they make seal their own fate. It was a moment that echoed Catelyn’s shock and horror in the Red Wedding chapter, or Ned’s arrest and beheading in the original Game of Thrones novel. Again, all of the decisions made sense inside the character’s head, while outside, those around him saw everything very differently. I have wondered if, this season, Jon Snow’s decisions will be as obviously foolhardy to the outside observer as Ned’s were back in Season 1.

But of course, as this is told from Jon’s POV, all we know is the knives came out, the stabbing happened and the man passed out. Is he dead? There has been no confirmation, no reports back to Lannisters, no instant chapters of someone else in the room to see the head fall from the shoulders. And I know that nearly all of my friends believe, with Ghost alive, nearby, and eminently wargable-into, that Jon Snow will not die, but somehow survive, or perhaps be reborn. The theories are as endless and varied, but all seem to believe that Jon cannot die. After all, the Dragon has Three Heads.

Harington, on the other hand, doesn’t subscribe to this theory. Perhaps it’s the trauma of living through a show where everybody does, but he’s pretty down on his prospects.

When asked if he was looking forward to finding out what happens to his character, he told us: “…I know roughly what happens…I couldn’t tell you if I’m even involved in Winds Of Winter.”

Well that’s depressing. Personally, I would be genuinely shocked if Harington’s character dies. Again, the dragon has three heads. Plus, even Martin teased, “Oh, you think he’s dead, do you?” which gave everyone hope. Though I will admit, I am banking on that stabbing going down in either episode 9 or 10 this season. And I hope every last Unsullied doesn’t see it coming, and has a Red Wedding-like reaction, despite the best efforts of Metro’s headline writers.

• Published on 04/02/2015 at 9:30 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 1:05 PM CDT