Game Of Thrones Season 8 Finale: 10 Ups And 3 Downs From 'The Iron Throne'

8. Bran The Broken

Who will win the Iron Throne has been one of the defining questions of the entire series. And while the answer is actually no one (in a literal way rather than a Faceless Man kind of way), it's Bran Stark who ends up as the new King of Westeros.

Wait, what?

This is probably going to be the most divisive element of the episode, and mayhaps the entire series. After all, Bran is a character whose story has been very far removed from the political squabbles of the Seven Kingdoms, who has become the Three-Eyed Raven, whose powers are annoyingly underexplained, and who even skipped a season. And yet, it works.

It works because Bran doesn't want to rule; this isn't a completely happy ending for him. It works because he fits the theme of celebrating 'cripples, bastards, and broken things'. Because Bran is the first point-of-view character, and the first to come to George R.R. Martin's mind. His arc is filled with Fisher King imagery. Bran may or may not be a great King, but after so many rulers who have wanted something from the position (mostly power) and abused it, it's fitting to end with a King who simply doesn't 'want'.