'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Finale Spoilers: Bran Theory May Redeem Daenerys

Bran Stark has been a bit of a wild card ever since becoming the Three-Eyed Raven. In Game of Thrones Season 8, he’s done a lot of creepy staring and made a few intriguing comments (his conversation with Tyrion about living in the past was a rare highlight), but for all his power, Bran hasn’t had much of an impact on the people and events happening around him — or has he?

Earlier this week, we covered a popular but questionable theory claiming that Bran actually warged into Drogon during the Battle of King’s Landing in Episode 5, forcing the dragon to destroy the city and kill innocent civilians against Dany’s wishes. Now, an even more ridiculous theory argues that Bran actually warged into Daenerys herself to ensure the future of Westeros. The weirdest part is, this theory actually sorta makes sense.

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Bran has primarily sent his consciousness into animals, warging into Ghost in Season 3 and, most recently, a flock of ravens during the Great Battle of Winterfell. The only human we’ve seen him warge into is Hodor, whose mind had already been weakened. So is it possible he somehow used that same power to control Daenerys all the way from Winterfell?

Before we get to the how, here’s the why, courtesy of redditor u/martyfavors](https://www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/boc8q6/got_how_it_ends/):

If Dany takes power, even as a leader who was considered overall benevolent, it’s a continuation of the current systems. So Bran … sees the human toll at King’s Landing as justified by ending the perpetual cycle of conquering and usurping.

This theory is a bit out there and should be taken with plenty of Bread and Salt, but u/martyfavors also makes some good points. The argument hinges on the fact that once Dany goes “Mad Queen,” we never see her face again — not even in the Episode 6 trailer. This might be because VFX budgets forced HBO to show Drogon from a distance rather than up close. Then again, maybe it was to hide her glossy, white eyes, which would have indicated she’s being controlled by the Three-Eyed Raven.

In a conversation with Tyrion during Episode 4, Bran says he doesn’t want to be Lord of Winterfell and that he doesn’t want much of anything these days. So why would he want Daenerys to destroy King’s Landing? Why does he care about the systems currently in place? While Bran may not be fully human anymore, the Three-Eyed Raven knows everything about the past. So if he sees history repeating itself, why not get involved?

The entirety of Game of Thrones has ultimately been about who will claim the Iron Throne and rule over Westeros. This has been Daenerys’ goal from the start even though there’s a high chance Jon will end up wearing the crown. As the Three-Eyed Raven, Bran might want to stop the path of recycled destruction and political scheming to start fresh, and he may have used Daenerys to do it.

Finding out that Bran controlled the Mother of Dragons at King’s Landing could certainly redeem her character. While the show has foreshadowed Daenerys’ journey to becoming the Mad Queen, many fans believe the storyline was unearned and underdeveloped. Additionally, the explanation for how Bran could have warged into Daenerys’ mind could be chalked up to her deteriorated mental state.

After losing two dragons and Missandei, and finding out she could be usurped as Queen of Westeros if Jon claimed his identity as Aegon Targaryen, it’s understandable that Daenerys’ mind is weakened from “grief and trauma.” This makes her an easier target for the Three-Eyed Raven. Of course, no one else in Westeros would know what Bran did, and the Breaker of Chains could still be tried for war crimes or killed.

The theory, however potentially plausible, hinges on the fact that Bran/Three-Eyed Raven wants these things to happen. As it stands, his character has become more of a quiet historian rather than an all-knowing advisor. It would also be a strange twist to learn that Daenerys’ actions weren’t her own and she was still punished for it. With one more episode left to go, Game of Thrones has a lot to wrap up, but Bran’s involvement in the plot may still prove vital.

Game of Thrones Season 8 finale airs on Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO.