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TL;DR:

  • HBO is developing a Game of Thrones spinoff centered on Jon Snow.
  • Some fans hope the Jon Snow sequel retcons Game of Thrones Season 8.
  • The series may expand upon Game of Thrones, but it seems unlikely it’d undo anything.
Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington as Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow in 'Game of Thrones' Season 8, which will be followed by a Jon Snow spinoff. They're walking next to one another, and they're in between two dragons.
Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington in ‘Game of Thrones’ | HBO

Game of Thrones became a cultural phenomenon when it first aired on HBO, but the series is notorious for its divisive ending. Season 8 left many disappointed in the show — though that didn’t stop them from returning to George R.R. Martin’s world in House of the Dragon. And the recently announced Jon Snow spinoff will bring viewers back to Westeros yet again. This time, they’ll explore what happens after Game of Thrones Season 8, and some are hoping the show will retcon its ending.

A Jon Snow spinoff is coming, but the plot remains a mystery

HBO has numerous Game of Thrones spinoffs in development, but its Jon Snow sequel will probably take fans closest to the original series. Announced by The Hollywood Reporter and confirmed on George R.R. Martin’s “Not a Blog,” the show will reveal what becomes of Kit Harington’s character after Game of Thrones Season 8.

The final season saw Jon exiled to the Wall for killing Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), but with the Night’s Watch disbanded, he winds up venturing beyond Castle Black with the Wildlings.

With that in mind, his spinoff is likely to take place primarily in the North — and there is no shortage of mysteries to uncover there. Of course, plot details about Jon’s show haven’t been confirmed. And some fans are hoping it will find a way to retcon Game of Thrones’ ending.

Some fans want the Jon Snow spinoff to retcon ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8

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Although the plot of HBO’s Jon Snow spinoff remains a mystery, Game of Thrones fans have ideas about what it could cover. And some of them are hoping it undoes a few unpopular developments from the final season.

In a Reddit thread speculating about the sequel, commenters suggested all kinds of ways the Jon Snow show could expand upon — or even retcon — Game of Thrones Season 8. Resurrecting characters like the Night King (Vladimír Furdík) and Daenerys Targaryen were among the ideas thrown out. Many fans were hoping that Jon would have the final showdown with the Night King rather than Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), and Dany’s death has proven controversial all around.

Some viewers also hoped to see Jon on the Iron Throne at the end of Game of Thrones, especially after his Targaryen ancestry was revealed. Several commenters suggested that the spinoff could reveal that Bran isn’t himself — or even that the Three-Eyed Raven has ill intentions. As such, Jon would need to return and reclaim his birthright.

Finally, a few Redditors joked that the spinoff could deliver an outrageous twist: that the final season all happened in someone’s mind. That’s the least likely to happen, but it’s fun to think about how the last season might play out differently.

Why the show will probably keep ‘Game of Thrones’ ending as is

Although HBO’s Jon Snow spinoff is poised to expand upon Game of Thrones Season 8, it’s not likely to undo anything significant. After all, both HBO execs and George R.R. Martin have defended the show’s final outing, even if the latter originally pushed for more seasons.

“We knew it was going to be divisive and, of course, you want all fans to be happy, but that’s never going to happen,” Casey Bloys, chief content officer at HBO, told The Hollywood Reporter. “There weren’t a lot of people walking around despondent or upset. It’s a take that reads well but probably doesn’t fully reflect viewer feelings.”

“The f***ing toxic internet and these podcasts out there saying that season eight left such a bad impression that people say, ‘Oh, I’m never going to watch them again,’” Martin added. “I don’t trust them anymore.”

To be fair, it would be jarring to unravel major events from the original series. So, the Jon Snow spinoff will pick up after Game of Thrones, potentially with a new premise — though that doesn’t mean it can never revisit old storylines.

We’ll have to wait and see exactly what Jon is up to in the sequel, but for now, fans can look to the past. House of the Dragon is airing its first season on HBO, and it promises a wild story from House Targaryen.

New episodes of House of the Dragon air on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.

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