Game Of Thrones: 10 Reasons That Character Isn't Really Dead

Let’s talk about Jon’s parents. In both the book and the show, the mystery of who Jon Snow’s real mother is has become a pretty huge open question. Back in Season 1, Ned promised to tell Jon about his mother the next time they saw each other, but obviously that never happened.

There’s a massively popular theory that Jon Snow is actually the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. Yes, that would mean that Jon is actually a Targaryen himself, which would be a pretty huge deal for the future of the show.

When showrunners David Benoif and Dan Weiss wanted to adapt George R.R. Martin’s books into Game of Thrones, he gave them a test by asking them who Jon Snow’s parents are. If they figured it out, he'd know the series was in capable hands. They answered correctly, and the rest was history.

The point is, George R.R. Martin clearly considers the identify of Jon’s parents to be hugely significant. If Jon is really dead, it has no significance at all. What does it matter who his parents are if he’s gone for good? And how would viewers find out that information if he’s dead? The story has emphasized this mystery way too hard for it not to pay off in a massive way, and it can’t pay off if he's not around.