Jaime Lannister is known as the Kingslayer in Game of Thrones’ cast). Indeed, few characters undergo the kind of transformation he does, with hidden layers among his backstory few would have guessed at early on.
Of course, things were muddied by his controversial Martin had an overall plan for A Song of Ice and Fire, providing a structure for what then intended to be a trilogy of books. In it, Jaime was one of the most important players: a murderer, a rogue, and the man who would be king, even if it meant killing all who stood in his way.
What Happened To Jaime Lannister In George R.R. Martin's ASOIAF Outline
Who Else Did He Kill To Become King?
Martin’s original plan for A Song of Ice and Fire was structured around three overarching plot lines, which would make up the three books he intended to write:
- A Game of Thrones would focus on the war between the Starks and the Lannisters.
- A Dance with Dragons would then shift the story to center on Daenerys Targaryen’s invasion of Westeros.
- The Winds of Winter would bring everything together with a final battle against the real threat from the far north, the Others, aka the White Walkers.
At this point, it’s the vision for A Game of Thrones that Martin had developed most, and where his plans for Jaime really matter. Like in the finished novel and Game of Thrones season 1, Joffrey Baratheon becomes king after Robert Baratheon’s supposedly accidental death. When Joffrey is killed by Tyrion, however, Jaime takes the throne, killing those in his path. Martin wrote:
"Tyrion Lannister will continue to travel, to plot, and to play the game of thrones, finally removing his nephew Joffrey in disgust at the boy king's brutality. Jaime Lannister will follow Joffrey on the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, by the simple expedient of killing everyone ahead of him in the line of succession and blaming his brother Tyrion for the murders."
The big question from this version of the story is who did Jaime kill? The one clear answer is Joffrey and Sansa Stark’s son, with the outline having revealed they not only wed, but had a baby together who was heir to the Iron Throne. If Jaime was removing those before him in the line of succession, then he absolutely would’ve had to kill this boy. However, Martin suggests Jaime killed multiple people, so it presumably didn’t end there.
It’s possible Jaime killed Joffrey himself, and blamed it on Tyrion...
It’s possible Jaime killed Joffrey himself, and blamed it on Tyrion (interestingly, Tyrion being blamed for Joffrey’s death did make it into the story of A Storm of Swords, and Game of Thrones season 4, years later). Joffrey’s younger siblings, Tommen and Myrcella, aren’t mentioned, but it’s plausible they existed and Jaime killed them too (there’s no mention of Jaime being their real father at this point). Similarly, it’s quite likely that Jaime killed Stannis and Renly Baratheon as well.
Game Of Thrones: All 22 Kings And Queens Who Appeared In The Show
All the kings in Game of Thrones and the new rulers introduced in House of the Dragon show how contentious a position on the Iron Throne can be.
Though not in the line of succession, it also seems like Jaime killed Robb Stark, or at least played a key role in his defeat, as the war between the Lannisters and Starks was a big part of this and Ned was killed like in the final version.
“Robb will win several splendid victories, and maim Joffrey Baratheon on the battlefield, but in the end he will not be able to stand against Jaime and Tyrion Lannister and their allies. Robb Stark will die in battle, and Tyrion Lannister will besiege and burn Winterfell.”
Why Did George R.R. Martin’s Plan Change?
Martin's Not Much Of A Planner
Martin’s vision clearly changed a lot through the years, and the story grew larger than even he imagined. The core reason for this comes down to the author’s writing style, and the fact he doesn’t plan too much out in advance, but rather has a broad idea and then sees where the story and characters take him as he writes. As he described it to The Guardian back in 2011, he’s “much more of a gardener than an architect.”
The Kings & Queens Who Sat On The Iron Throne In Game Of Thrones |
|
|---|---|
Name |
Reign |
King Robert I Baratheon |
281–298 AC |
King Joffrey I Baratheon |
298–301 AC |
King Tommen I Baratheon |
301–303 AC |
Queen Cersei I Lannister |
303–305 |
So much of the story around the battle for the Iron Throne expanded, growing beyond Stark vs. Lannister into the War of the Five Kings, which isn’t mentioned in Martin’s outline. Jaime, meanwhile, develops into a more multi-faceted character with an arc of tragedy and redemption, and so making him a ruthless king wouldn’t have made as much sense.
Game Of Thrones Shows Signs Of The Plan For Jaime To Be King
There Are Subtle Hints In The Book And Show
Jaime obviously doesn’t become king, but there are still a few signs and scraps of that story visible in A Game of Thrones and, subsequently, Game of Thrones season 1. This Jaime is a much more ruthless version, set up as one of the main villains right from the very beginning as he pushes Bran Stark from the tower. He’s a major antagonist to Ned Stark, facing off with him in King’s Landing, and later does battle against Robb too, although he obviously doesn’t defeat him. Despite what Jaime became, it’s not as difficult to imagine that early version staying closer to the outline.
Martin plans to write two more books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series: The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring.
There are other subtle hints too. Ned recalls finding Jaime sitting on the Iron Throne after killing King Aerys II Targaryen during Robert’s Rebellion, which could’ve been foreshadowing. Jaime is also said to look like exactly what a king should be, as per the thoughts of Jon Snow in the first book. The book also sees Jaime controversially named Warden of the East, when he was already in line to become Warden of the West after Tywin Lannister. Those two positions would’ve given him a lot of political influence and military power, so he could have been setting up a play to become king.
Cersei Took Some Of Jaime’s Original Game Of Thrones Story
Her Becoming Queen Echoed The Plan For King Jaime
It’s not clear whether Cersei existed when Martin created his first structure for the book, though since Bran’s coma is mentioned, then it’s a reasonable assumption that she was there, but gained greater prominence as the story went along. And with that, what feels notable - both in the books and even more so in the show - is how she took on the worst traits that were originally Jaime’s.
Game Of Thrones: 25 Most Powerful Characters, Ranked
Game of Thrones has seen some awesome magic s, swordsmen, and politicians alike. But who are the most powerful characters in the series?
She becomes much more involved in the wars that play out, increasingly hungry for power, and will do absolutely anything to take and keep it. That, in Game of Thrones, actually does lead to her becoming queen. That’s a bit less likely to happen in the books, where Cersei isn’t as smart nor as important to the overall story.
It’s hard to imagine her vs. Daenerys is the final conflict, since Young Griff, ostensibly Aegon Targaryen (son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell), is poised to take the Iron Throne before Dany arrives in Westeros. Nonetheless, parts of Jaime do exist within Cersei, and show how Martin’s original vision lingers throughout A Song of Ice and Fire and into Game of Thrones.
-
Game Of Thrones
10/10- Release Date
- 2011 - 2019-00-00
- Showrunner
- David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
- Directors
- David Nutter, Alan Taylor, D.B. Weiss, David Benioff
Cast
Jon Snow
Isaac Hempstead WrightBrandon Bran Stark
WHERE TO WATCH
StreamingBUYBased on George R. R. Martin's ongoing A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama set in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos. It follows noble families like the Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryen vying for control of the Iron Throne while a rising threat from the undead looms in the North. The series received significant critical success and amassed a loyal fan base due to its high production values, sprawling sets, iconic characters, and shocking twists.
-
- Created by
- George R.R. Martin
- First TV Show
- Game Of Thrones
- Cast
- Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Iain Glen, John Bradley, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Liam Cunningham, Gwendoline Christie, Aidan Gillen, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Rory McCann, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jerome Flynn, Rhys Ifans, Matt Smith, Graham McTavish, Fabien Frankel, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Emma D'Arcy, Matthew Needham, Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey
- TV Show(s)
- Game Of Thrones, House of the Dragon, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight
Game of Thrones is a multimedia franchise created by George R.R. Martin. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire is the basis for the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, which lasted for eight seasons. After the incredibly divisive final season of Game of Thrones, the series was followed up by the prequel series House of the Dragon, which also received critical acclaim.
Your comment has not been saved