The Iron Throne

*This page is about the episode. For the throne, see: Iron Throne*

"**The Iron Throne**" is the sixth and final episode of the eighth season of *Game of Thrones*. It is the seventy-third and final episode of the series overall. It premiered on May 19, 2019. It was written and directed by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss.

It is the ninth and final modified episode as part of this wiki's rewrite.

## Plot

The living make their last stand against the Night King.

## Summary (abridged)

* Daenerys emerges from rubble, injured but alive, finding herself alone in the Great Hall aside from Bran Stark seated on the Iron Throne. She finds Rhaegal deceased, having crushed Bran's defenders on his crash landing, as well as finding the primary entrance blocked by rubble, seemingly leaving her as the sole line of defence between the Dead and Bran Stark.
* The battle begins to draw to a close as the Night King enters the dead streets of King’s Landing, raising dead wherever he walks.
* The last of defenders retreat inside the Red Keep for a final stand.
* Jon meets the Night King in the courtyard and the two begin to duel for a second time.
* Jon lands several hits on the Night King, seemingly weakening him, but before long, the Night King knocks Longclaw from his hand and plunges his blade deep into Jon’s gut. Blood gushes from the wound, before Jon collapses to the floor, dying.
* Wights begin breaching the rooms containing the non-combatants, forcing those who can to take up arms to defend each other.
* Yara Greyjoy is killed fighting against wights, including one of her dead brother, Theon Greyjoy.
* The Night King and his generals enter the throne room, where Bran is still sitting on the Iron Throne while Daenerys waits in front of him, clutching a dragonglass tipped spear.
* Daenerys looks back at Bran and the Iron Throne with tears in her eyes, before charging at the Night King with her spear. The Night King easily parries and breaks the spear in half - before stabbing Daenerys through the heart and leaving her to die.
* The Night King approaches Bran.
* Simultaneously, Bran watches the beginnings of the duel between Rhaegar Targaryen and Robert Baratheon. His vision is interlaced with other visions he has seen from Robert’s Rebellion, including Rhaegar’s trips to the Isle of Faces and Jon Snow’s birth, as well as the duels between Jon and the Night King.
* The Night King climbs the steps to the Iron Throne, just as a mortally injured Jon Snow desperately dashes into the throne room. Knowing Daenerys nearly did the same, the Night King smugly touches the Iron Throne, and the metal begins to frost and crack on contact. In that moment, Bran latches on to the connection the Night King made to the Iron Throne; an object deeply interconnected with the blood of the dragon, and forces the Night King to warg back in time and into Rhaegar Targaryen at the climax of the duel on the Ruby Ford, with Bran himself warging into Robert Baratheon. The action completes the connection that the Night King had been attempting to forge twenty-four years earlier, and brings the Night King to his knees with both of his hands grasping the Iron Throne, fighting to escape Bran's entrapment. After a brief pause, Bran brings Robert's warhammer down on Rhaegar. The action is mirrored in the present and the Night King is thrown off the steps, shards of ice flying like the rubies from Rhaegar's breastplate, landing on the ground at the feet of a dumbfounded Jon Snow. Seizing the moment, Jon stabs the crippled Night King with Longclaw, finally ending the leader of the White Walkers.
* The White Walkers follow their leader in shattering where they stand, and the millions-strong army of the dead fall. Jon also collapses, weakly clutching his fatal wound. At the same time, Bran ceases to be the Three-Eyed Raven and regains his old personality. Bran tearfully crawls to his brother, embracing him in his dying breaths. The surviving defenders enter the Throne room to find Daenerys dead and Jon dying in Bran's arms. Arya joins her brother in embraces Jon as he dies in their arms. Finally, Bran plants a kiss on Jon's forehead.
* A mass funeral is held for the war’s fallen among the ruins of King’s Landing. Among the corpses burned are those of Theon, Jorah and Lyanna, who were turned into wights and marched south by the Night King after their deaths at Winterfell. After the funeral, Drogon, now the last of his species, leaves King's Landing and flies east across the Narrow Sea. Jon and Daenerys, the leaders of the Great War, are burned side-by-side.
* Several months later, Gendry has been proclaimed king and King’s Landing has begun rebuilding. A small tourney is held beneath the walls of King’s Landing, marking the first moment of celebration since the end of the Great War, and with the recently extinct House Targaryen being honoured. During the tourney, Arya ultimately decides to remain in King’s Landing and become Queen of the Seven Kingdoms by marrying Gendry.
* Sansa returns to Winterfell, adopting Ghost in light of Jon’s death. She watches over as her family’s home is rebuilt. Arya is crowned by Davos in the Red Keep.
* Grey Worm is reunited with Missandei, and the Unsullied depart Westeros, bound for Naath. Varys also leaves for Pentos, musing to Tyrion that while Daenerys was dead and he felt like he no longer had a place at court, he was at least confident that Gendry and Arya would be honourable and strong rulers capable of maintaining peace and justice in the Realm, and would carry forward Daenerys's legacy as best as they could.
* A small council meeting is held, including Bran as Hand of the King, Tyrion as Master of Coin, Brienne as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Davos as Master of Ships, and Samwell as Master of Laws. Gendry and Arya leave the meeting, and Tyrion walks to the window to brood over past events.

## Appearances

### First

* Ser Garlan Hightower
* Lord Baelor Hightower
* Prince Manfrey Martell
* Ser Aemon Estermont
* Lord Eldon Estermont

### Deaths

* Commander Addam Marbrand
* Queen Yara Greyjoy
* Queen Daenerys I Targaryen
* Prince Rhaegar Targaryen *(In vision)*
* Night King
* Jon Snow
* Ellaria Sand
* White Walkers
* Wights
* Many Lannister soldiers
* Many Baratheon soldiers
* Many Tully soldiers
* Many Arryn knights of the Vale
* Many Stark soldiers
* Many wildings
* Many Unsullied
* Many Dothraki
* Many Golden Company sellswords
* Many citizens of King's Landing

## Events

* Battle of King's Landing
* Battle of the Trident *(In vision)*
* White Wedding
* Execution of Ellaria Sand *(implied)*
* Treaty of Long Lake *(implied)*

## See also

* The Iron Throne on Wiki of Westeros
* The Iron Throne on Wikipedia
* The Iron Throne on IMDb