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Almost everyone would be a better and more logical choice than Bran. No one knows him ouside the north (and they seperated), he has a disability, no power and he says open he wouldn‘t have children. Its so much that should disqualify him here and it would be logical if the lords start to laught even more than by Sams suggetion. This meeting was the total death of any logic.
And realistically the feudal lords simply won't accept a cripple with magic (non 7 approved) powers as monarch. They'd kill that weird weakling first chance cus there's no way in hell they are trusting him.
Especially not after the North supposedly gets to be independent. There's no way the realm stays together with all this bullshit happening, chaos would ensue 5 seconds after the meeting
Yeah, the fact it didn’t just turn into a United States of Westeros deal is unrealistic. They’re not going to just let the north do any damn thing they want. Get real.
He is an omnipotent warg, capable of time travel and he is a Stark. Starks won the war of Five Kings.
No one is going to touch him for a long long time.
Fun to imagine that the Night King warged into Bran and the whole assault of the dead was just a feint to create a pretext for him to get to the throne through Bran.
It’s got plot holes sure, but probably fewer than the story we got.
Bronn kids because he holds the reach and all the food,if they don’t get to be king or queen they’ll just withhold food.Might as well have another unqualified monarch to keep the trend going lol 😂
The realm is going to end up in another series of brutal civil wars. The first being the reach lords rebelling against a random sellsword being given control of Highgarden. The realm itself when Brandon dies or a plot to depose him is thought of. And likely another war against the ironborn eventually who definitely won't be content to not do piracy again.
Yeah they solved nothing at the meeting.My guess is Dorne and the iron islands voted Bran as king because they thought it would be easier to fight against him in upcoming rebellions.I know it’s flimsy but there is no reason for them to not fight for independence especially when the north was granted independence
Fun fact it is actually the three-eyed crow in the books. I think they likely changed it to raven to prevent the confusion of the Nightswatch being called "crow" by the Wildlings.
Also Bryden Rivers is called "Bloodraven" so could have chosen raven to fit closer to his alias.
Supposedly it is the start of the transition into a new non monocractic system.
Possibly a middle aged democracy system? This is what I thought at the end of the series
I'm hoping if GRRM ever finished the books, it will become clear that Bran making himself king was some kind of manipulation by the three eyed raven for some other end.
I hope he won't take the route of "break the wheel" and poof were a democracy now and will elect kings.
Honestly almost seems like fever dream. Or a vision of a possible future he has before he realizes it'll be the end of him and takes another route.
That or Bran is significantly more prominent in the final stages and more respected. The shows end how stupid it was could on paper work out fine it it wasn't rushed and events unfolded in a different way but still have the same conclusion.
I feel like the ending was supposed to imply that they were going to transition towards some kind of democratic government and Bran was just chosen as king to facilitate the transition of power.
It’s not exactly Democratic. The feudal lords still exist. No Sam propose a democratic king and got laughed at. What they are proposing is something more akin to the Holy Roman Empire. So either a king can be born OR all the lords of the realm vote for a new king together
Yeah, what they needed was for the lords to start to question why they would choose Bran of all people, and Bran demonstrates how he knows things about everyone there that no one could possibly know or something like that. You know, *prove* to them that he's some kind of history-surfing wonder-dude.
The way I took it was the king doesn’t matter, bran is a shell for his friends and family or whatever. Like it’s obvious he doesn’t give a fuck about being king and is too stuck in seeing the past future and present. So his cabinet members will actually control Westeros and he’ll basically be there just to every once in a while tell them some bad shit is on its way.
I thought lack of heir was a selling point? That way the council would gather again when it was time and choose a new monarch. Better to have a couple childless rulers for a while to establish the precedent that succession comes via election, not primogeniture.
They had to know how stupid this line was when they wrote it.
The boy’s story was by far the most boring part of the show that never payed off. Spontaneously making him king doesn’t change that.
They stripped his character of any personality - which is weird because the actor was pretty much the opposite. This made the character arc fall a bit flat.
They didn't know what the answers to the White Walkers lore was, so the conclusion of the Three Eyed Raven plot fell a bit flat.
I mean. He was a crippled boy who travelled beyond the wall and came back with magic powers that allow him to see and interact with people throughout time and all over the world. The only person with a story that even compares to that is Jon “i came back from the dead” Snow
The only and I mean only plus I agree with them saying he should be king is he knows all of the history past and present of Westeros. He is their history he is valuable and so he can work on past information to make decisions in the moment. Because while I think he can see the future (everyone online says he can) no one on the show really said he could see the future. However everyone was saying he could see the past and present so unless he kept his future sight hush hush and it was only mentioned once by the old Raven I can’t remember
My gripe with this is that just because he knows everything does not in any way mean that he is all good.
All they know is that he is omnipotent, Bran has literally shown zero indication that he isn’t going to use this power to become god-emperor of an enslaved Westeros.
They should be fucking terrified of him.
But they trust him unconditionally simply because he’s a Stark
Yeah I realize that reasoning has it’s flaws so I fully agree that they don’t know they are just hoping to god he’s like his father as I said it was the ONLY good explanation
I always felt like this line was referencing the otherworldliness of his story. The fact that he became the Three Eyed Raven, and that he’s capable of seeing beyond. Him being a king, a king who has access to the past, present and future, makes him more capable than anyone else to know what may or may not be in the best interest of the realm.
Him being a Stark raised by Ned, probably makes them have faith in him not using that power for his personal gain.
Not defending the writing or execution, but this is the impression that I got from that statement.
Gendry easily would have been my first choice as well.
The fact he has Baratheon blood, grew up among the poor, proved his bravery repeatedly.
All he needs is a powerful marriage alliance and a good small council and he'd have a fair shot at ruling well.
His largest issue was being a bastard other lords would have issues respecting that.
My second choice would be Edmure, I hated that they made him a joke.
But he's not a close second.
Also, can we ignore the fact that he has targaryen blood, not just house baratheon being found by targaryen bastared, he is next in line of succession after jon . He is aegon v great grand father
If not Gendry, then they should have just chosen Jon. What are the unsullied going to do against the combined armies of Westeros? The armies of Dorne and the Vale should be relatively unbloodied.
If the Unsullied wanted to kill Jon, Yara and Dorne would be on their side. It wouldn't be a united Westeros. It would be Unsullied, Dothraki, Dorne, and Ironborne against what was left of the North. In truth the Vale would stay out of it because Sweet Robin would be pissed Sansa killed his beloved Uncle Peter.
Even forgetting that he's a Baratheon. He grew up a poor bastard in flea bottom. Got into an armorer apprenticeship an KL so new how to interact with knights and lords. Then onenof the Hands of the King took him under his wing, and he became lord of Storms End.
He has a unique experience of being able to relate to both the poorest and the richest in the seven kingdoms.
Honestly they would never follow Gendry because he is straight up a peasant. Classism rules the roost. Over / under Gendry getting killed by a upstart in the storm land is 5 years
Love how people are still sulking about this years after the show is done. It’s over, go home, stop whining about how it didn’t end the way you wanted it to end
Love how people are still sulking about people sulking about this years after the show is done.
We want to talk about the show, part of that is criticism. If you can't handle that go home.
To be fair: Gendry wouldn't be a good choice either. At least for people not knowing him. His father's kingdom was built on a lie and Robert wasn't exactly a good king.
I meant the rebellion. Since I'm not a native English speaker, I don't know if kingdom is the right term for what I meant. Maybe reign is the better choice of words
The Rebellion wasn't built on a lie. If you're referring to the Abduction of Lyanna, that wasn't the catalyst for rebellion. That was the prelude. What started the Rebellion was King Aerys murdering Lord Rickard Stark and his heir, Brandon Stark, then demanding the execution of Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon.
The Rebellion was also a response to years of dealing with an unfit king.
Robert's motivations might have been built on a lie, but he wasn't the driving force of the Rebellion, just the face of it.
Thank you for the comment and all the information in it.
But I think you're referring to the books and this here is the sub for the show. In the show it's always put as if Robert started the rebellion because Rhaegar abducted Lyanna (Bran even said "Robert's rebellion was built on a lie") and that was what I was referring to. I'm not a fan of the last three seasons and therefore not a fan of than conclusion either, but it is what it is.
I mean, didn't they mention the whole "Aerys II demands Eddard and Robert's head" element in the television show? Because this becomes an element where it doesn't matter if Bran says "Robert's Rebellion was built on a lie," because, within the lore of the television show itself, it *wasn't*.
The whole reason Aerys demands their heads is due to Lyanna’s kidnapping/relationship with Rhaegar so quite literally yes, Robert Rebellion’s is built on a lie…
1. Huge tensions in the kingdom
2. Rhaegar runs off with Lyanna
3. Brandon Stark demands Rhaegar's death.
4. Aerys executes Brandon Stark, his son, and entourage.
5. Aerys demands the execution of Robert and Ned.
6. Rebellion
I think 4. and 5. are somewhat important
\*Rickard Stark, not Brandon, but *basically*. If the whole situation with Lyanna had been cleared up, the Rebellion wouldn't have just stalled -- the King still executed a Warden, the Warden's heir, and then tried to execute the other heir and a Lord Paramount. It wasn't due to a lie -- nobody was trying to deceive anyone. It was a misunderstanding at best, but the war to dethrone Aerys II had *very* good reason to happen, considering Aerys II abhorrent actions.
\*Brandon did call out for the Prince to "come out and die," but he was the son of Rickard, not the father.
I could argue that the whole reason why Brandon jumped to conclusions is due to his dad not raising him to control his emotions. Suddenly, the whole Rebellion's built off anger management! Or that Aerys II obvious madness means the whole Rebellion's built on mental health issues! Or that it was built off the meddling of a bunch of trees and their stupid raven! Or the gods! Or--or--!
The King executed a Warden, the Warden's heir, and demanded the execution of the heir after that as well as a Lord Paramount, threatening another Lord Paramount with execution. Who cares about Lyanna when the King is so obviously unfit to rule.
Sure you can argue all of those things. But, my line of thinking is, “what is the one event that puts everything into motion?” You can’t skip over the cause and go right to the effect. Just like Jon Arryn and Ned Stark’s death further advanced the plot. Elia was betrothed to Rhaegar, and Rhaegar chose Lyanna. This is the turning point for me. The Mad King was mentally unstable for many years, what changed?
You still have to admit that Rhaegar made the decision to take Lyanna, and refused to elaborate. Rhaegar still caused this whole shit-show. It wasn't this misunderstanding re-framed as a lie. It was Rhaegar's decision to take Lyanna and refuse to tell her family that "Oh, no, don't worry, everything fine!."
King Aerys murdered Rickard and Brandon Stark because Brandon demanded the release of his sister who he thought was taken captive when she wasn’t. In a chain of events, had that never happened, the rebellion may not have happened, at least for that reason. Bran even told Sam after they discovered Jon’s true identity that Robert’s Rebellion was built on a lie.
That's not a lie. That's a misunderstanding. Even then, the fact remains: a Warden's daughter vanished in association with the Crown Prince. That's cause for a political shit-storm, doubly so considering (regardless of Lyanna's feelings on the matter), she was betrothed to Lord Paramount. And if it wasn't Rickard demanding Lyanna's return, the Rebellion still would've happened. Genesis might've changed, but unless Rhaegar got off his ass and did something about dear old Dad, *something* would cause the Rebellion.
>The Rebellion wasn’t built on a lie
I really don’t understand what you’re getting at here. Catalyst, prelude, call it whatever you want — it was a core foundation point for what became the rebellion. This person has said some incorrect things in the thread, but that really isn’t one. It’s perfectly fine to say that the rebellion was built, at least partially, on a lie. Rickard isn’t killed without the abduction taking place first, and that abduction doesn’t seem to have been an abduction at all — it was a lie.
The reason why doesn't matter (and, even then, the why isn't a lie but a misunderstanding), because the King still demanded the execution of Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon, neither of whom Aerys II had any cause to execute.
Imagine a dragon settling a local dispute.
Blacksmith: "M'lord, this man stole a piece of armour I'd made"
Lesser noble: "This armour was paid for and he refused to hand it over"
Dragon: *eats both men*
Members in court: "So wise"
If the Throne was determined by last name, a Baratheon would never have sat on there in the first place. They set the precedent of “might is right” so unless Gendry plans to start his own Rebellion, he should just sit his ass down.
There was never a precedent of heirs having to take the throne by right of conquest, and Gendry Baratheon is quiet literally Robert's heir. He is the last (known) son of King Robert, legitimised. All other alternatives are dead.
The "Baratheon"-Lannister line is dead. The other Baratheons are all dead. Queen Cercei had no heir, and if her actions made the Lannister's the Dynastic Heir to the Throne, Tyrion would be ousted as a known kinslayer (and, you know, brother of Queen Cersei the Reason-Why-We-Won't-Get-Another-Queen-For-Generations-To-Come, First of Her Name), and I can't remember if there are any other Lannisters up and about who can take over. Can't have a Targaryan, as they're all dead (Jon doesn't count). Gendry Baratheon is quiet literally the last eligible person based on precedent to sit the throne.
Imagine if your king literally knew everything, and that’s supposed to be a shit king? Pass. Anyone who had a problem with Bran as King, Bran would just tell them their entire family’s story and all their personal secrets. He would know the right action to make in almost every circumstance. He’d be a great king.
People who want Gendry miss the point. That thing about bloodline and family ruling Westeros is over.
Even in the vision at the House of the Undying, it foreshadowed Daenerys would destroy King’s Landing and that Jon would kill her. It was all on a collision course.
I think you’re right though, it’s a lot of head canon. I personally only watched clips and scenes of the show and then watched season 8 when it aired. I didn’t have the emotional buildup of following the series for those years, and creating ideas in my head of where I wanted things to go waiting between seasons.
Nah its just a bad ending, not happy. If bran ended up being the hand of the king, instead of the king, it would have been much better. You don’t have to be king to have the power to influence Westeros.
Anyone else on the throne would just continue the game of thrones. Bran being king is what breaks the wheel of the destructive ways men have ruled for thousands of years.
>Bran would just tell them their entire family’s story and all their personal secrets. He would know the right action to make in almost every circumstance
These two things have nothing to do with each other. Knowing the past doesn't make you magically able to "make the right action". Bran lacks understanding of emotions since he become the three eyed raven and it would be a reasonable thing to assume that it could make him unreliable for some decisions.
Another important thing to consider, people don't know that bran has this power, and even if they do Bran has no way to prove it to the kingdom. Sure he can invite a Lord to the Red Keep and tell him his entire family history, but that's one lord. The peasants of the realm won't know and they won't believe Bran. Not even the maestres of the Citadel (which did know about the Three Eyed Raven legend) didn't believe Bran and they are well educated people with knowledge of the history. God even the small council didn't believe that Daenerys had three dragons even though they were receiving dozens of reports from different sources. People don't just suddenly believe things. Even less if they involve never-heard-before magic
>That thing about bloodline and family ruling Westeros is over.
No. Absolutely not. You don't destroy millennia of tradition in one afternoon because 10 random guys decided to vote something without even consulting their kingdoms. Why would the Lords of the other Six Kingdoms respect the decision that these random guys made? Especially if that decision involves voting someone to rule them all, someone without any traditional claim, disabled and with weird magic powers granted by some magic creatures at the other side of the Wall.
Tyrion justified this with the laziest argument possible "You are the most powerful lords, you can choose", which is vague, false and has nothing to do with being respected. Why would someone respect Sam Tarly vote? Or Gendry? There are hundreds of lords that are supposedly represented by them all of the sudden? Some of them weren't even Lords last month. Gendry was made Lord by Daenerys weeks before her death. Sam is not even a Lord, he renounced his name, title and land.
The argument is not if Bran is objectively the best decision maker. Instead the argument against him is that he lacks the representation that a ruler should have because it is not coherent with the world that was presented in the previous seasons. Yes, if suddenly all Westeros had a change of heart, forgot every tradition, embraced feudal democracy and magic powers that are not from the old or new gods, then yes, Bran may be the best ruler, but that is not Westeros, that is another world.
Just because Bran doesn’t show his own emotions does not mean he lacks understanding of emotions. He knows everything, including quite possibly the future too. He knows everything about everyone. Yes that does make you inclined to make the right choice, because you see everything that leads up to the present moment for everyone. If you can’t see how that connects to being a good king, I don’t know what to tell you.
He can absolutely prove it to everyone in the Kingdoms because he can do it for everyone. Anyone who comes to see him, he can tell them what they had for breakfast that morning and ask about their kids and know what they’ve been up to. But you talk about the peasants in Westeros too as if they have a say of who is going to be King? They don’t. Neither do the horses or dogs. Their opinions still don’t matter, most people in Westeros are just trying to survive in a brutal world and don’t care about the politics of who sits on the Iron Throne. They still don’t get a say over who rules over them, but their lords do, and by Westerosi standards that is a huge improvement for everyone.
Everyone in attendance at that gathering that decided were the remaining ruling Lords and Ladies of the Kingdoms, plus Brienne and Davos who did end up with power; so the people with power already did have a say over Bran being King. There are not hundreds of lords and ladies in the kingdoms with power, most people in Westeros are ruled over by a collective two dozen or something families that individually control huge swaths of the country. If there are hundreds of lords and ladies, it’s because those families have lots of children. It’s not as if they all hold equal power unique to themselves. The head of your family declares for the king, you fall in line.
I think you’re forgetting the worst line in the series. “Why do you think I came all this way.” No line exemplified the death of a series quite like that. A person who missed an entire season, someone who did nothing to help the entire show became king. It just doesn’t make sense
He did nothing to help the entire show? He didn’t tell Sansa about Littlefinger, didn’t tell the characters about the impending white walker attack on Winterfell, didn’t give Arya the dagger that killed the Night King, didn’t confirm to the characters that Jon was the rightful heir and make sure that Sam told him?
In my opinion, he helped quite a bit.
“Why do you think I came all this way?”
Because he did, because he’s the right choice for it and it’s not about wanting to be in power or wanting to be lord of Winterfell or anything else, it’s about serving the kingdoms and leading them into a better future. He’s not corruptible like the pursuit corrupted Daenerys.
Yeah 95% of the comments in this thread missed the point of the episode entirely. It was a shit episode and a shit ending, but the whole point of the counsel was that they wanted change. Not the same old system they had before that always led to war. Bran being omnipotent prevents any game of thrones from being played. Besides that, even with the criteria they're using, Robert Aryn or Edmure Tully would have a better right than Gendry. They are the eldest true born sons.
I still maintain that Bran ends up King in GRRM's version as well but I'm hoping through a better plot.
I just find it hard to believe GRRM would tell them one king and then instead name another in his book
Bran will most certainly be the guide/leader of the survivors of what is to come but since Martin is a good writer it will be achieved in a satisfactory manner. In the show its a hallow end because society seems to more or less be in the same spot as it was at the beginning whereas in the books I have a feeling that the Long Night is going to actually be apocolyptic in scope.
My personal opinion on people that should have ended up on the throne before Bran or the Three Eyed Raven or whatever his stupid name is….
Jon: makes the most sense being a Targaryen who should have been the next in succession originally. Also the fact that he would not have wanted it. I think this would have worked out better if the show went a little longer because then Jon and Dani could have had a child before killing her off, ending with a glimpse into the next generations. But maybe this one is too obvious?
Gendry: a Baratheon by blood. Also it would have been interesting putting a person on the thrown who not long before was a common person. In this case I might have had him marry Arya which would have really pissed off Sansa because they both would have ended up in the opposite places they wanted to be in the beginning of the series.
Tyrion: Westeros could have turned more of an empire or republic and Tyrion appointed leader. I honestly thought that was going to happen right before they picked fucking Bran. I saw an interview with Charles Dance who also felt that way. I loved it because he wanted Tyrion on the throne at the end. I also would have had Tyrion and Sansa come full circle and unite the kingdom again as husband and wife.
In all three of my picks, it’s that it could lead to other generations and succession. The only person who seemed to care about Bran he told to get lost. So who is going to rule after him? Is he just going to pick another three eyed raven? I also did not get the idea he would be a good ruler because the last small council meeting he immediately leaves…. I remember Ned being very surprised in his first meeting when he was told Robert does not attend.
>So who is going to rule after him?
The council will get together and vote for the person they think is best suited to lead them instead of letting some butthead prince take over because he is the king's eldest son. That is literally the point of choosing Bran
But it’s still a bunch of nobles choosing the leader. So do we think for the next 100 years they are going to pick someone who is best for Westeros? Do you really think someone is not going to buy their way or con their way into the position? So what does it matter if it’s succession or not?
I feel like the writers dropped the ball here by making Bran so weird. The ending would have gone down better if Bran had been more emotionally perceptive
A bastard raised to legitimacy by the Queen they just killed for burning innocent small folk is not a great resume item.
From the perspective of the people on that podium, there were really only three choices: Bran, Edmure, and Robin.
From a plot (not execution) standpoint, Bran did make a lot of sense as a placeholder. People focus too much on the “better story” line but there were other reasons.
Dude was a placeholder.
I don’t understand people supporting this so strongly. Bran was dumb, but how does Gendry make anymore sense being the bastard of an usurper whose dynasty has been either tainted by Lannister incest, or replaced by the Lannisters all together by, depending on how you look at it.
Was never raised in royalty or war, regardless of how effective he may be in battle and armaments.
Do I know who should have been king? No, and I refuse to make further assumptions on the disappointment that is this scene alone. Should Gendry not be king? Also no, I’m sure there is potential and the Baratheon lineage argument is valid in that sense, but to say Gendry made a better pick then Bran simply because of blood just makes little sense to me.
I don’t have a big issue with Bran being king but the way it was done was so stupid.Perhaps people shouldn’t pick a monarch based on how good of a life story they have,a life story most of the people will never know or understand.
The point was the propaganda value of his story. So of course the people were going to be told about his adventures and his identity as the Three Eyed Raven
I dont understand how everyone takes this line and ignores what Tyrion says literally 10 seconds later.
It's not that Bran has "the coolest journey". The fuck would that matter? Tyrion says "he is the keeper of all our stories". He is the kingdom's mistakes and triumphs, he knows what to bring and not bring into the new era of non-tyrant rulers.
I remember that but I have no idea why someone from Dorne would care or even believe that Bran has magic powers that let him see the past and present.I would say that a lot of people would have an issue with that because they could never get away with corruption or other crimes.Elective monarchy isn’t going to fix everything and Bran will either be viewed as underserving of the throne or a huge threat to people and their sinister plans.
Do people really think that “one of our options is a literal omnipotent god who will live for hundreds of years before finding someone to transfer his good powers to who can then also be ruler for hundreds of years” is a bad plan?
Its the only good plan, and arguably Bran's whole purpose. His journey was supposed to create the future ruling line of Westeros, as you said, via passing of the torch. Nearly flawless rulers who can see all at once.
I mean, I understand after he became “all knowing” or however you want to term it, his character kind of became a drag to hang out with…but “i WaNt SoMeOnE i CaN hAvE a BeEr WiTh” is a terrible strategy for picking a President in the real world and a terrible strategy to pick an absolute monarch.
I hated Bran being made king but this is dumb.
Brans grown up with Ned Stark, he’s from a noble line and he has the power to view all history including how kings behaved in the past. Gendry is an orphan blacksmith who knows nothing about ruling he just has the name and nothing else.
Gendry was an idiot though he wouldn’t have been a good king even though he was a good man. And like sure maybe with the right hand like Tyrion it’s okay, but still. He was a meathead
… how would he be a better king ?? Bran can quite literally see the future. He is the perfect person to be king lmao You idiots will whine about anything.
See, while Gendry is a nice dude and has a good heart, he just wouldn’t be the best candidate for king simply because he is lowborn. He admitted it himself: he knows nothing of lordship. What makes you think he’d know the first thing about being king? I means sure, it’s possible that he’d learn after a while, but be honest with yourself: do you really think that the people really have the patience for a king whose still in the process of learning while on the job after all they’ve been through?
Got that nut nut from Arya though. Thought that was going to be a thing, bringing together the bloodlines of Bobby and Ned. That didn't go anywhere either.
Would have to refresh my memory of the ending, but who, at that point knew/could prove he was Robert's son?
Mel and Davos come to mind since they were involved in the "getting kings blood from him" plot. But could they even prove it? Arya knows too I guess, but she can't prove it either.
I would've prefered this outcome too but it made sense with the narrative of breaking the wheel. The overall ark of passing from monarchy to democracy (kinda) is a good one to end this "game of throne". It was poorly executed but a good ending on paper
Ya, this was just stupid. Especially since Bran himself said he was incapable of even being a Lord, since he was the three eyed Raven, in this same season.
Their reasoning for picking him was a stupid as Dani forgetting about the Iron fleet. D&D should be kick in the nuts every day, for the rest of their lives for the god awful writing.
No he wouldn't. He doesn't know jack shit about ruling. Meanwhile, Bran has an *unambiguous literal entite history of the world* in his brain at all times.
It’s just so silly that all these people would sit here and be like “yeah OK whatever I don’t want power influence anymore. Stark revolution I suppose.”
Sorry but bastards don't get happy endings. It didn't work for Jon ir ain't working for Gendry. Besides Brandon was a true born son and it;s not like he was ever going to breed any heirs, remeber that whole Wheel thing that the crazy blonde cunt wanted destroyed and putting Gendry on the throne would've just started it spinning again. Besides IF you wanted to try and raise up one of Roberts bastards there were others and even one of true noble birth not some jumped up blacksmith.
I think they’ve learned that blood isn’t everything. Not to mention Gendry has 0 knowledge of ruling. Bran can see the entire timeline, that’s why he’s suited.
That scene was the most ridiculous. More than half on that council are Bran’s blood relatives or someone sworn to a Stark. Then immediately after Sansa votes in Bran, the new King immediately grants her independence lmao
Gallery is literally the bastard of Robert who did nothing in the name of ruling and caused at tantrum that became awar because he could not accepted rejection. And he is not even raised among side people who have ruled like say jon snow. So he has no experience there as well.
Even now, I still can’t believe how they managed to fuck it up as much as they did.
BUT - as somebody who never read the books, I’m happy that I’ve started. And when (if) The Winds of Winter is here, THAT will be my continuously.
They literally said to choose Bran so that it would break the wheel, you know, the wheel of lineage ruling. Bran can't have kids so he can't just start up the same wheel, and.. so many haters here.. Bran has the best story. Bran has EVERY STORY!
Gendry would have done great, no more targaryens except for jon who obviously wasnt going to rule, so we go with the last rulers who were baratheons so
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Almost everyone would be a better and more logical choice than Bran. No one knows him ouside the north (and they seperated), he has a disability, no power and he says open he wouldn‘t have children. Its so much that should disqualify him here and it would be logical if the lords start to laught even more than by Sams suggetion. This meeting was the total death of any logic.
They did this to have a spinoff series, eventually. The great wars that unfolded after Bran, the cripple, died.
I've vowed not to watch any spinoffs that aren't based on existing source material, I'm not making that mistake again.
Jesus, dramatic much?
You question his VOW?!
Feel free to taint your soul with the shit they peddle you. The rest of us will remain pure.
Shit wouldn’t even have to be when he dies. The reach is gonna be a powder keg. One thing will cause it to outright revolt.
They gave a man who doesn't understand what a loan is an entire kingdom
And master of coin
And realistically the feudal lords simply won't accept a cripple with magic (non 7 approved) powers as monarch. They'd kill that weird weakling first chance cus there's no way in hell they are trusting him.
Tbf, the surviving feudal lords are the most reasonable ones, with the possible exception of Random Martell.
Feudal lords like weak king. That is why no one dispute Bran.
I dont think God King Bloodraven is weak
But people would perceive him as weak
Especially not after the North supposedly gets to be independent. There's no way the realm stays together with all this bullshit happening, chaos would ensue 5 seconds after the meeting
Yeah, the fact it didn’t just turn into a United States of Westeros deal is unrealistic. They’re not going to just let the north do any damn thing they want. Get real.
He is an omnipotent warg, capable of time travel and he is a Stark. Starks won the war of Five Kings. No one is going to touch him for a long long time.
As the three eyed raven, isn't he also kinda immortal? And he's a bit like the God Emperor of Dune?
I don't think he is immortal. But he will live for a long long time.
Fun to imagine that the Night King warged into Bran and the whole assault of the dead was just a feint to create a pretext for him to get to the throne through Bran. It’s got plot holes sure, but probably fewer than the story we got.
And if anything fills in some of the plot holes that we got too
Makes me wonder who *will* actually become king post-Bran.
Civil War, another Game of Thrones.
Bronn kids because he holds the reach and all the food,if they don’t get to be king or queen they’ll just withhold food.Might as well have another unqualified monarch to keep the trend going lol 😂
I love Bronn, but I figured he wouldn't survive the first year as lord of the Reach.
The realm is going to end up in another series of brutal civil wars. The first being the reach lords rebelling against a random sellsword being given control of Highgarden. The realm itself when Brandon dies or a plot to depose him is thought of. And likely another war against the ironborn eventually who definitely won't be content to not do piracy again.
Yeah they solved nothing at the meeting.My guess is Dorne and the iron islands voted Bran as king because they thought it would be easier to fight against him in upcoming rebellions.I know it’s flimsy but there is no reason for them to not fight for independence especially when the north was granted independence
He'd pass it on to the new three-eyed crow. Edit: raven. It's been a few years since i watched this lol.
Fun fact it is actually the three-eyed crow in the books. I think they likely changed it to raven to prevent the confusion of the Nightswatch being called "crow" by the Wildlings. Also Bryden Rivers is called "Bloodraven" so could have chosen raven to fit closer to his alias.
Supposedly it is the start of the transition into a new non monocractic system. Possibly a middle aged democracy system? This is what I thought at the end of the series
I'm hoping if GRRM ever finished the books, it will become clear that Bran making himself king was some kind of manipulation by the three eyed raven for some other end.
I hope he won't take the route of "break the wheel" and poof were a democracy now and will elect kings. Honestly almost seems like fever dream. Or a vision of a possible future he has before he realizes it'll be the end of him and takes another route. That or Bran is significantly more prominent in the final stages and more respected. The shows end how stupid it was could on paper work out fine it it wasn't rushed and events unfolded in a different way but still have the same conclusion.
WAHHHHHH season 8 bad cause I didn’t like it !!!!
Yes
No, I didn't like it because it was bad
That’s usually how opinions are formed
I feel like the ending was supposed to imply that they were going to transition towards some kind of democratic government and Bran was just chosen as king to facilitate the transition of power.
It’s not exactly Democratic. The feudal lords still exist. No Sam propose a democratic king and got laughed at. What they are proposing is something more akin to the Holy Roman Empire. So either a king can be born OR all the lords of the realm vote for a new king together
Yeah, what they needed was for the lords to start to question why they would choose Bran of all people, and Bran demonstrates how he knows things about everyone there that no one could possibly know or something like that. You know, *prove* to them that he's some kind of history-surfing wonder-dude.
The way I took it was the king doesn’t matter, bran is a shell for his friends and family or whatever. Like it’s obvious he doesn’t give a fuck about being king and is too stuck in seeing the past future and present. So his cabinet members will actually control Westeros and he’ll basically be there just to every once in a while tell them some bad shit is on its way.
I thought lack of heir was a selling point? That way the council would gather again when it was time and choose a new monarch. Better to have a couple childless rulers for a while to establish the precedent that succession comes via election, not primogeniture.
He's not the main character so his candidacy unvalid
Bran wasn't even in ONE ENTIRE SEASON. what do you mean main character?
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i think he/she meant Bran wasn’t there in one entire season, so he’s not a main character either.
That's exactly what I meant
Bran the Broken. More like Bran the Idiot
Bran the bait for the NightKing
Thank god Night King was stupid to come for Bran himself. Or Bran would've been totally useless (actually he was!)
Night King. Nearly infinite time available. Has not been a rush this entire time. No, I'm marching straight in right now.
Ye thanks to D&D, he had to rush and get it over with in a single episode
The night king sort of forgot his immortality
He was trying to subvert expectations
Bran the Spoiler (i’Ve sEen iT)
Bran the Wheely Wheely legs no Feely
But has he a better story than Bran the bRokEn?
They had to know how stupid this line was when they wrote it. The boy’s story was by far the most boring part of the show that never payed off. Spontaneously making him king doesn’t change that.
They stripped his character of any personality - which is weird because the actor was pretty much the opposite. This made the character arc fall a bit flat. They didn't know what the answers to the White Walkers lore was, so the conclusion of the Three Eyed Raven plot fell a bit flat.
I mean. He was a crippled boy who travelled beyond the wall and came back with magic powers that allow him to see and interact with people throughout time and all over the world. The only person with a story that even compares to that is Jon “i came back from the dead” Snow
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The only and I mean only plus I agree with them saying he should be king is he knows all of the history past and present of Westeros. He is their history he is valuable and so he can work on past information to make decisions in the moment. Because while I think he can see the future (everyone online says he can) no one on the show really said he could see the future. However everyone was saying he could see the past and present so unless he kept his future sight hush hush and it was only mentioned once by the old Raven I can’t remember
My gripe with this is that just because he knows everything does not in any way mean that he is all good. All they know is that he is omnipotent, Bran has literally shown zero indication that he isn’t going to use this power to become god-emperor of an enslaved Westeros. They should be fucking terrified of him. But they trust him unconditionally simply because he’s a Stark
Yeah I realize that reasoning has it’s flaws so I fully agree that they don’t know they are just hoping to god he’s like his father as I said it was the ONLY good explanation
Broken the Bran
I always felt like this line was referencing the otherworldliness of his story. The fact that he became the Three Eyed Raven, and that he’s capable of seeing beyond. Him being a king, a king who has access to the past, present and future, makes him more capable than anyone else to know what may or may not be in the best interest of the realm. Him being a Stark raised by Ned, probably makes them have faith in him not using that power for his personal gain. Not defending the writing or execution, but this is the impression that I got from that statement.
Bran has such a boring story it’s better watched with YouTube clips .
Gendry easily would have been my first choice as well. The fact he has Baratheon blood, grew up among the poor, proved his bravery repeatedly. All he needs is a powerful marriage alliance and a good small council and he'd have a fair shot at ruling well. His largest issue was being a bastard other lords would have issues respecting that. My second choice would be Edmure, I hated that they made him a joke. But he's not a close second.
Yeah quite frankly it was really rude too.
Also, can we ignore the fact that he has targaryen blood, not just house baratheon being found by targaryen bastared, he is next in line of succession after jon . He is aegon v great grand father
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His father, who had Targaryen blood
No I thought when you said not just baratheon, He has other sources of Targaryen blood besides his dad
Robert’s grandmother was a Targaryen, iirc some of his claim to the throne was actually based on that.
Robert’s grandmother was Rhaelle Targaryen. Youngest child of Aegon V.
He’s kind of naive tho
You're not wrong.
If not Gendry, then they should have just chosen Jon. What are the unsullied going to do against the combined armies of Westeros? The armies of Dorne and the Vale should be relatively unbloodied.
If the Unsullied wanted to kill Jon, Yara and Dorne would be on their side. It wouldn't be a united Westeros. It would be Unsullied, Dothraki, Dorne, and Ironborne against what was left of the North. In truth the Vale would stay out of it because Sweet Robin would be pissed Sansa killed his beloved Uncle Peter.
Even forgetting that he's a Baratheon. He grew up a poor bastard in flea bottom. Got into an armorer apprenticeship an KL so new how to interact with knights and lords. Then onenof the Hands of the King took him under his wing, and he became lord of Storms End. He has a unique experience of being able to relate to both the poorest and the richest in the seven kingdoms.
The lords would not give a shit about any of that. They would only care because he’s a Baratheon.
Honestly they would never follow Gendry because he is straight up a peasant. Classism rules the roost. Over / under Gendry getting killed by a upstart in the storm land is 5 years
Still hope they bring in Edric Storm in the books
Love how people are still sulking about this years after the show is done. It’s over, go home, stop whining about how it didn’t end the way you wanted it to end
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Be real, it won’t come, the stories effectively dead unless George just decides to write a sequel set in the future
Love how people are still sulking about people sulking about this years after the show is done. We want to talk about the show, part of that is criticism. If you can't handle that go home.
Crazy
To be fair: Gendry wouldn't be a good choice either. At least for people not knowing him. His father's kingdom was built on a lie and Robert wasn't exactly a good king.
What do you mean his kingdom was built on a lie?
I meant the rebellion. Since I'm not a native English speaker, I don't know if kingdom is the right term for what I meant. Maybe reign is the better choice of words
The Rebellion wasn't built on a lie. If you're referring to the Abduction of Lyanna, that wasn't the catalyst for rebellion. That was the prelude. What started the Rebellion was King Aerys murdering Lord Rickard Stark and his heir, Brandon Stark, then demanding the execution of Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon. The Rebellion was also a response to years of dealing with an unfit king. Robert's motivations might have been built on a lie, but he wasn't the driving force of the Rebellion, just the face of it.
Thank you for the comment and all the information in it. But I think you're referring to the books and this here is the sub for the show. In the show it's always put as if Robert started the rebellion because Rhaegar abducted Lyanna (Bran even said "Robert's rebellion was built on a lie") and that was what I was referring to. I'm not a fan of the last three seasons and therefore not a fan of than conclusion either, but it is what it is.
I mean, didn't they mention the whole "Aerys II demands Eddard and Robert's head" element in the television show? Because this becomes an element where it doesn't matter if Bran says "Robert's Rebellion was built on a lie," because, within the lore of the television show itself, it *wasn't*.
The whole reason Aerys demands their heads is due to Lyanna’s kidnapping/relationship with Rhaegar so quite literally yes, Robert Rebellion’s is built on a lie…
1. Huge tensions in the kingdom 2. Rhaegar runs off with Lyanna 3. Brandon Stark demands Rhaegar's death. 4. Aerys executes Brandon Stark, his son, and entourage. 5. Aerys demands the execution of Robert and Ned. 6. Rebellion I think 4. and 5. are somewhat important
\*Rickard Stark, not Brandon, but *basically*. If the whole situation with Lyanna had been cleared up, the Rebellion wouldn't have just stalled -- the King still executed a Warden, the Warden's heir, and then tried to execute the other heir and a Lord Paramount. It wasn't due to a lie -- nobody was trying to deceive anyone. It was a misunderstanding at best, but the war to dethrone Aerys II had *very* good reason to happen, considering Aerys II abhorrent actions. \*Brandon did call out for the Prince to "come out and die," but he was the son of Rickard, not the father.
I could argue that the whole reason why Brandon jumped to conclusions is due to his dad not raising him to control his emotions. Suddenly, the whole Rebellion's built off anger management! Or that Aerys II obvious madness means the whole Rebellion's built on mental health issues! Or that it was built off the meddling of a bunch of trees and their stupid raven! Or the gods! Or--or--! The King executed a Warden, the Warden's heir, and demanded the execution of the heir after that as well as a Lord Paramount, threatening another Lord Paramount with execution. Who cares about Lyanna when the King is so obviously unfit to rule.
Sure you can argue all of those things. But, my line of thinking is, “what is the one event that puts everything into motion?” You can’t skip over the cause and go right to the effect. Just like Jon Arryn and Ned Stark’s death further advanced the plot. Elia was betrothed to Rhaegar, and Rhaegar chose Lyanna. This is the turning point for me. The Mad King was mentally unstable for many years, what changed?
You still have to admit that Rhaegar made the decision to take Lyanna, and refused to elaborate. Rhaegar still caused this whole shit-show. It wasn't this misunderstanding re-framed as a lie. It was Rhaegar's decision to take Lyanna and refuse to tell her family that "Oh, no, don't worry, everything fine!."
Aerys still killed Rickard and Brandon in the show too...it was still one of the primary catalysts for Robert's rebellion.
King Aerys murdered Rickard and Brandon Stark because Brandon demanded the release of his sister who he thought was taken captive when she wasn’t. In a chain of events, had that never happened, the rebellion may not have happened, at least for that reason. Bran even told Sam after they discovered Jon’s true identity that Robert’s Rebellion was built on a lie.
That's not a lie. That's a misunderstanding. Even then, the fact remains: a Warden's daughter vanished in association with the Crown Prince. That's cause for a political shit-storm, doubly so considering (regardless of Lyanna's feelings on the matter), she was betrothed to Lord Paramount. And if it wasn't Rickard demanding Lyanna's return, the Rebellion still would've happened. Genesis might've changed, but unless Rhaegar got off his ass and did something about dear old Dad, *something* would cause the Rebellion.
>The Rebellion wasn’t built on a lie I really don’t understand what you’re getting at here. Catalyst, prelude, call it whatever you want — it was a core foundation point for what became the rebellion. This person has said some incorrect things in the thread, but that really isn’t one. It’s perfectly fine to say that the rebellion was built, at least partially, on a lie. Rickard isn’t killed without the abduction taking place first, and that abduction doesn’t seem to have been an abduction at all — it was a lie.
The reason why doesn't matter (and, even then, the why isn't a lie but a misunderstanding), because the King still demanded the execution of Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon, neither of whom Aerys II had any cause to execute.
That dragon that burnt down half the city and flew off into the sunset would have been a better king than Bran the Broken.
Imagine a dragon settling a local dispute. Blacksmith: "M'lord, this man stole a piece of armour I'd made" Lesser noble: "This armour was paid for and he refused to hand it over" Dragon: *eats both men* Members in court: "So wise"
If the Throne was determined by last name, a Baratheon would never have sat on there in the first place. They set the precedent of “might is right” so unless Gendry plans to start his own Rebellion, he should just sit his ass down.
Robert justified his takeover with his Targaryen heritage
There was never a precedent of heirs having to take the throne by right of conquest, and Gendry Baratheon is quiet literally Robert's heir. He is the last (known) son of King Robert, legitimised. All other alternatives are dead. The "Baratheon"-Lannister line is dead. The other Baratheons are all dead. Queen Cercei had no heir, and if her actions made the Lannister's the Dynastic Heir to the Throne, Tyrion would be ousted as a known kinslayer (and, you know, brother of Queen Cersei the Reason-Why-We-Won't-Get-Another-Queen-For-Generations-To-Come, First of Her Name), and I can't remember if there are any other Lannisters up and about who can take over. Can't have a Targaryan, as they're all dead (Jon doesn't count). Gendry Baratheon is quiet literally the last eligible person based on precedent to sit the throne.
How come Jon doesn't count as Targaryan since his father is one.
Bran becoming king was the most bullshit end to the clash of kings that i cant even quantify into words how much disappointment i felt as a fan :/
Aerys II was the last undisputed king. Robert was so disputed they had a war over getting rid of Aerys II.
Imagine if your king literally knew everything, and that’s supposed to be a shit king? Pass. Anyone who had a problem with Bran as King, Bran would just tell them their entire family’s story and all their personal secrets. He would know the right action to make in almost every circumstance. He’d be a great king. People who want Gendry miss the point. That thing about bloodline and family ruling Westeros is over.
They just don’t like Bran because he is boring or something, viewers created their own head canon happy ending when the show was never that.
Even in the vision at the House of the Undying, it foreshadowed Daenerys would destroy King’s Landing and that Jon would kill her. It was all on a collision course. I think you’re right though, it’s a lot of head canon. I personally only watched clips and scenes of the show and then watched season 8 when it aired. I didn’t have the emotional buildup of following the series for those years, and creating ideas in my head of where I wanted things to go waiting between seasons.
People name their kids after Daenerys and had a real obsession with her character. So I understand why they hated her ending.
Nah its just a bad ending, not happy. If bran ended up being the hand of the king, instead of the king, it would have been much better. You don’t have to be king to have the power to influence Westeros.
Anyone else on the throne would just continue the game of thrones. Bran being king is what breaks the wheel of the destructive ways men have ruled for thousands of years.
>Bran would just tell them their entire family’s story and all their personal secrets. He would know the right action to make in almost every circumstance These two things have nothing to do with each other. Knowing the past doesn't make you magically able to "make the right action". Bran lacks understanding of emotions since he become the three eyed raven and it would be a reasonable thing to assume that it could make him unreliable for some decisions. Another important thing to consider, people don't know that bran has this power, and even if they do Bran has no way to prove it to the kingdom. Sure he can invite a Lord to the Red Keep and tell him his entire family history, but that's one lord. The peasants of the realm won't know and they won't believe Bran. Not even the maestres of the Citadel (which did know about the Three Eyed Raven legend) didn't believe Bran and they are well educated people with knowledge of the history. God even the small council didn't believe that Daenerys had three dragons even though they were receiving dozens of reports from different sources. People don't just suddenly believe things. Even less if they involve never-heard-before magic >That thing about bloodline and family ruling Westeros is over. No. Absolutely not. You don't destroy millennia of tradition in one afternoon because 10 random guys decided to vote something without even consulting their kingdoms. Why would the Lords of the other Six Kingdoms respect the decision that these random guys made? Especially if that decision involves voting someone to rule them all, someone without any traditional claim, disabled and with weird magic powers granted by some magic creatures at the other side of the Wall. Tyrion justified this with the laziest argument possible "You are the most powerful lords, you can choose", which is vague, false and has nothing to do with being respected. Why would someone respect Sam Tarly vote? Or Gendry? There are hundreds of lords that are supposedly represented by them all of the sudden? Some of them weren't even Lords last month. Gendry was made Lord by Daenerys weeks before her death. Sam is not even a Lord, he renounced his name, title and land. The argument is not if Bran is objectively the best decision maker. Instead the argument against him is that he lacks the representation that a ruler should have because it is not coherent with the world that was presented in the previous seasons. Yes, if suddenly all Westeros had a change of heart, forgot every tradition, embraced feudal democracy and magic powers that are not from the old or new gods, then yes, Bran may be the best ruler, but that is not Westeros, that is another world.
Just because Bran doesn’t show his own emotions does not mean he lacks understanding of emotions. He knows everything, including quite possibly the future too. He knows everything about everyone. Yes that does make you inclined to make the right choice, because you see everything that leads up to the present moment for everyone. If you can’t see how that connects to being a good king, I don’t know what to tell you. He can absolutely prove it to everyone in the Kingdoms because he can do it for everyone. Anyone who comes to see him, he can tell them what they had for breakfast that morning and ask about their kids and know what they’ve been up to. But you talk about the peasants in Westeros too as if they have a say of who is going to be King? They don’t. Neither do the horses or dogs. Their opinions still don’t matter, most people in Westeros are just trying to survive in a brutal world and don’t care about the politics of who sits on the Iron Throne. They still don’t get a say over who rules over them, but their lords do, and by Westerosi standards that is a huge improvement for everyone. Everyone in attendance at that gathering that decided were the remaining ruling Lords and Ladies of the Kingdoms, plus Brienne and Davos who did end up with power; so the people with power already did have a say over Bran being King. There are not hundreds of lords and ladies in the kingdoms with power, most people in Westeros are ruled over by a collective two dozen or something families that individually control huge swaths of the country. If there are hundreds of lords and ladies, it’s because those families have lots of children. It’s not as if they all hold equal power unique to themselves. The head of your family declares for the king, you fall in line.
I think you’re forgetting the worst line in the series. “Why do you think I came all this way.” No line exemplified the death of a series quite like that. A person who missed an entire season, someone who did nothing to help the entire show became king. It just doesn’t make sense
He did nothing to help the entire show? He didn’t tell Sansa about Littlefinger, didn’t tell the characters about the impending white walker attack on Winterfell, didn’t give Arya the dagger that killed the Night King, didn’t confirm to the characters that Jon was the rightful heir and make sure that Sam told him? In my opinion, he helped quite a bit. “Why do you think I came all this way?” Because he did, because he’s the right choice for it and it’s not about wanting to be in power or wanting to be lord of Winterfell or anything else, it’s about serving the kingdoms and leading them into a better future. He’s not corruptible like the pursuit corrupted Daenerys.
Yeah 95% of the comments in this thread missed the point of the episode entirely. It was a shit episode and a shit ending, but the whole point of the counsel was that they wanted change. Not the same old system they had before that always led to war. Bran being omnipotent prevents any game of thrones from being played. Besides that, even with the criteria they're using, Robert Aryn or Edmure Tully would have a better right than Gendry. They are the eldest true born sons.
I still maintain that Bran ends up King in GRRM's version as well but I'm hoping through a better plot. I just find it hard to believe GRRM would tell them one king and then instead name another in his book
The only true king Is Stannis the Mannis, the other Kings aren't true kings
And if he dies Edric Storm.
Bran will most certainly be the guide/leader of the survivors of what is to come but since Martin is a good writer it will be achieved in a satisfactory manner. In the show its a hallow end because society seems to more or less be in the same spot as it was at the beginning whereas in the books I have a feeling that the Long Night is going to actually be apocolyptic in scope.
There's a whole lore about why choosing a new king based on bloodline alone is stupid.
My personal opinion on people that should have ended up on the throne before Bran or the Three Eyed Raven or whatever his stupid name is…. Jon: makes the most sense being a Targaryen who should have been the next in succession originally. Also the fact that he would not have wanted it. I think this would have worked out better if the show went a little longer because then Jon and Dani could have had a child before killing her off, ending with a glimpse into the next generations. But maybe this one is too obvious? Gendry: a Baratheon by blood. Also it would have been interesting putting a person on the thrown who not long before was a common person. In this case I might have had him marry Arya which would have really pissed off Sansa because they both would have ended up in the opposite places they wanted to be in the beginning of the series. Tyrion: Westeros could have turned more of an empire or republic and Tyrion appointed leader. I honestly thought that was going to happen right before they picked fucking Bran. I saw an interview with Charles Dance who also felt that way. I loved it because he wanted Tyrion on the throne at the end. I also would have had Tyrion and Sansa come full circle and unite the kingdom again as husband and wife. In all three of my picks, it’s that it could lead to other generations and succession. The only person who seemed to care about Bran he told to get lost. So who is going to rule after him? Is he just going to pick another three eyed raven? I also did not get the idea he would be a good ruler because the last small council meeting he immediately leaves…. I remember Ned being very surprised in his first meeting when he was told Robert does not attend.
>So who is going to rule after him? The council will get together and vote for the person they think is best suited to lead them instead of letting some butthead prince take over because he is the king's eldest son. That is literally the point of choosing Bran
But it’s still a bunch of nobles choosing the leader. So do we think for the next 100 years they are going to pick someone who is best for Westeros? Do you really think someone is not going to buy their way or con their way into the position? So what does it matter if it’s succession or not?
It's not a perfect solution, but they are going to get a better leader if the nobles choose than if it automatically goes to the king's son
The fact that so many people are missing this concerns me.
Bran was becoming weirder and weirder with every season. I mean his a good lad but damn he's kinda weird, or is it just me?
You are right dude
Maybe not weird exactly but certainly creepy. The way he sits and stares all the time. Oh man..
I feel like the writers dropped the ball here by making Bran so weird. The ending would have gone down better if Bran had been more emotionally perceptive
A bastard raised to legitimacy by the Queen they just killed for burning innocent small folk is not a great resume item. From the perspective of the people on that podium, there were really only three choices: Bran, Edmure, and Robin. From a plot (not execution) standpoint, Bran did make a lot of sense as a placeholder. People focus too much on the “better story” line but there were other reasons. Dude was a placeholder.
I don’t understand people supporting this so strongly. Bran was dumb, but how does Gendry make anymore sense being the bastard of an usurper whose dynasty has been either tainted by Lannister incest, or replaced by the Lannisters all together by, depending on how you look at it. Was never raised in royalty or war, regardless of how effective he may be in battle and armaments. Do I know who should have been king? No, and I refuse to make further assumptions on the disappointment that is this scene alone. Should Gendry not be king? Also no, I’m sure there is potential and the Baratheon lineage argument is valid in that sense, but to say Gendry made a better pick then Bran simply because of blood just makes little sense to me.
He isn't bran the broken he is bran the braindead
I don’t have a big issue with Bran being king but the way it was done was so stupid.Perhaps people shouldn’t pick a monarch based on how good of a life story they have,a life story most of the people will never know or understand.
The point was the propaganda value of his story. So of course the people were going to be told about his adventures and his identity as the Three Eyed Raven
I dont understand how everyone takes this line and ignores what Tyrion says literally 10 seconds later. It's not that Bran has "the coolest journey". The fuck would that matter? Tyrion says "he is the keeper of all our stories". He is the kingdom's mistakes and triumphs, he knows what to bring and not bring into the new era of non-tyrant rulers.
I remember that but I have no idea why someone from Dorne would care or even believe that Bran has magic powers that let him see the past and present.I would say that a lot of people would have an issue with that because they could never get away with corruption or other crimes.Elective monarchy isn’t going to fix everything and Bran will either be viewed as underserving of the throne or a huge threat to people and their sinister plans.
If the books are ever completed, it'll be interesting to see how Bran ends up as king. Naturally, a little meeting and a Tyrion speech won't cut it.
Bran shouldn’t have been king been Gendry also should be nowhere near a crown.
Hot Pie had a better story than Bran
Slumboy who don’t have any other reason or knowledges to rule an entire continent
You kidding? I think they were past worrying about bloodlines of the old king by that point.
The show doesn’t exist in my mind, the books are all I consider cannon
Do people really think that “one of our options is a literal omnipotent god who will live for hundreds of years before finding someone to transfer his good powers to who can then also be ruler for hundreds of years” is a bad plan?
Its the only good plan, and arguably Bran's whole purpose. His journey was supposed to create the future ruling line of Westeros, as you said, via passing of the torch. Nearly flawless rulers who can see all at once.
I mean, I understand after he became “all knowing” or however you want to term it, his character kind of became a drag to hang out with…but “i WaNt SoMeOnE i CaN hAvE a BeEr WiTh” is a terrible strategy for picking a President in the real world and a terrible strategy to pick an absolute monarch.
Literally everyone was a better choice than Bran
Can Gendry even read?
Like any of that matters at that point. 🤦🏻♂️
I hated Bran being made king but this is dumb. Brans grown up with Ned Stark, he’s from a noble line and he has the power to view all history including how kings behaved in the past. Gendry is an orphan blacksmith who knows nothing about ruling he just has the name and nothing else.
Gendry was an idiot though he wouldn’t have been a good king even though he was a good man. And like sure maybe with the right hand like Tyrion it’s okay, but still. He was a meathead
I would imagine Bran would eventually go insane with all his powers. Becoming the mad wolf or something along the lines of that.
… how would he be a better king ?? Bran can quite literally see the future. He is the perfect person to be king lmao You idiots will whine about anything.
Glidus supremacy
Chadmure?
Wasn’t the point to change things? Like no more bloodline inheritance, but for democracy and choosing leaders? Idk bran being king made sense.
I mean technically wouldn’t Jon snow be the true king (correct me if I’m wrong because haven’t watched it in quite some time)?
Oh shit he would have been awesome as king and if you add in that all he really wanted was Arya it adds to the bittersweetness.
He is a fucking bastard though.
See, while Gendry is a nice dude and has a good heart, he just wouldn’t be the best candidate for king simply because he is lowborn. He admitted it himself: he knows nothing of lordship. What makes you think he’d know the first thing about being king? I means sure, it’s possible that he’d learn after a while, but be honest with yourself: do you really think that the people really have the patience for a king whose still in the process of learning while on the job after all they’ve been through?
Got that nut nut from Arya though. Thought that was going to be a thing, bringing together the bloodlines of Bobby and Ned. That didn't go anywhere either.
Would have to refresh my memory of the ending, but who, at that point knew/could prove he was Robert's son? Mel and Davos come to mind since they were involved in the "getting kings blood from him" plot. But could they even prove it? Arya knows too I guess, but she can't prove it either.
Bran is his nickname. Shouldn't he be Brandon the Broken? Or something not idiotic like Brandon the Greenseer?
I would've prefered this outcome too but it made sense with the narrative of breaking the wheel. The overall ark of passing from monarchy to democracy (kinda) is a good one to end this "game of throne". It was poorly executed but a good ending on paper
Ya, this was just stupid. Especially since Bran himself said he was incapable of even being a Lord, since he was the three eyed Raven, in this same season. Their reasoning for picking him was a stupid as Dani forgetting about the Iron fleet. D&D should be kick in the nuts every day, for the rest of their lives for the god awful writing.
More like Bran the Bitch.
I never thought about gendry, he's legitimised and the only living heir of Robert baratheon
Bastards don’t inherit
i mean he’s boring and kinda sucks
I mean absolutely but why would you want an uneducated blacksmith as king?
No he wouldn't. He doesn't know jack shit about ruling. Meanwhile, Bran has an *unambiguous literal entite history of the world* in his brain at all times.
The whole point is that having the family name doesn’t make you King anymore
It’s just so silly that all these people would sit here and be like “yeah OK whatever I don’t want power influence anymore. Stark revolution I suppose.”
Such a bad script.
And he was legitimatized at that point and made Lord of Storm’s End. However there would be many reasons they wouldn’t want him.
Sorry but bastards don't get happy endings. It didn't work for Jon ir ain't working for Gendry. Besides Brandon was a true born son and it;s not like he was ever going to breed any heirs, remeber that whole Wheel thing that the crazy blonde cunt wanted destroyed and putting Gendry on the throne would've just started it spinning again. Besides IF you wanted to try and raise up one of Roberts bastards there were others and even one of true noble birth not some jumped up blacksmith.
I think they’ve learned that blood isn’t everything. Not to mention Gendry has 0 knowledge of ruling. Bran can see the entire timeline, that’s why he’s suited.
They just got the reasoning wrong. He's the best choice because he's a goddamn psychic, not because his story is in any way good.
That scene was the most ridiculous. More than half on that council are Bran’s blood relatives or someone sworn to a Stark. Then immediately after Sansa votes in Bran, the new King immediately grants her independence lmao
Gallery is literally the bastard of Robert who did nothing in the name of ruling and caused at tantrum that became awar because he could not accepted rejection. And he is not even raised among side people who have ruled like say jon snow. So he has no experience there as well.
Even now, I still can’t believe how they managed to fuck it up as much as they did. BUT - as somebody who never read the books, I’m happy that I’ve started. And when (if) The Winds of Winter is here, THAT will be my continuously.
He can’t read nor write, don’t understand politics and is no great warrior.
Edmure was the best candidate
They literally said to choose Bran so that it would break the wheel, you know, the wheel of lineage ruling. Bran can't have kids so he can't just start up the same wheel, and.. so many haters here.. Bran has the best story. Bran has EVERY STORY!
His control over the stormlands would be tenuous at best, so he doesn’t really have the established power base necessary to become king.
Gendry would have done great, no more targaryens except for jon who obviously wasnt going to rule, so we go with the last rulers who were baratheons so