Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow Will Rise Again Because He Has To

To anyone who hasn’t been keeping up with HBO’s biggest show in decades (maybe ever), Game of Thrones, please stop reading this and get caught up. In today’s digital world, it’s nearly impossible to avoid spoilers, and Game of Thrones has more twists in its plot than M. Knight Shyamalan’s entire movie catalog.

This week, more HBO brass commented on the demise of one of the few likable characters left on Game of Thrones. Executive vice president of programming Michael Ellenberg told a convention crowd that Jon Snow is “absolutely dead.” This is just a few weeks after HBO president of programming Michael Lombardo said something similar.

This should come as no surprise. Anyone who watched the season five finale saw him get gutted, and saw him bleed out on the cold ground of the night’s watch. We saw him die. We know he’s dead. The question is, will he be coming back? The answer to that question almost has to be an absolute “yes.”

First let’s tackle this in terms of the current “Game of Thrones” narrative. What heroes remain? Better yet, what heroes remain that are focused on taking back the Iron Throne? Daenerys Targaryen is halfway across the world building a new kingdom. She has an army now, but she’s had one for a couple seasons. The only current connection she has to King’s Landing is that Tyrion Lannister showed up on her doorstep. While she could be considered a heroine of the show, she’s still a far cry away from her former goal as ruler of the realms. Her journey has been sidetracked.

Sansa just escaped the ghastly clutches of the new and horrible Winterfell. She’s on the run with the brainwashed and broken Reek (Theon Greyjoy). She has to reunite with Littlefinger if she wants to gain any sense of power. Arya Stark is off worshiping the many-faced god, and could very well be literally blind because of it.

The Game of Thrones hero situation has gone from bad to worse to downright horrible throughout the show’s successful five seasons. Jon Snow was the shining light in the darkness for many fans. Without him, who’s left to root for? He was on his way to unite The Night’s Watch and the wildlings beyond the wall, which was a necessary move if either party wanted to stay among the living. And let’s talk about that now-iconic scene from the end of season five.

The Night’s King raises his new recruits

An undead army piled onto the battlefield, cutting down wildlings and Night’s Watch member alike. Both sides are nearly powerless to stop this new zombie apocalypse because…they’re already dead. That is, until Jon Snow takes a swing with his Valyrian Steel sword and poof: a white walker to crushed into thousands of pieces. That is the only silver lining of this battle. The Night’s King raises his new recruits in his undead army, and he and Jon Snow have the most epic staredown in high fantasy history.

Consider this scene. Now consider the prospect of Jon Snow actually being dead and never returning just two episodes later. It makes the battle and that final moment of tension completely worthless. There would be no follow-up. No revenge. No comeback story for Jon Snow. Who really wants the most memorable scene in Game of Thrones season five to be all for nothing? That’s what will happen if Jon Snow never returns to the show. If that happens, then the Night’s King has won.

Jon Snow has a mountain the size of the great wall of unfinished business to attend to. He has the new war against the White Walkers, he has the bond with the wildlings, he still has the Night’s Watch to save, and he now has an eventual showdown with the Night’s King. When he’s finished with that, there’s no doubt in my mind that the Iron Throne awaits him.

Melisandre is on her way to the Night’s Watch to find the chosen one, whom she mistakenly thought was Stannis Baratheon. Her mystical powers are well documented, as are the abilities to rise what has fallen. Jon Snow will be her next subject. Jon Snow will rise again.
If you want more practical evidence, just looks at photos from WatchersOnTheWall.com that show actor Kit Harington arriving in Belfast, the location in which Game of Thrones is shot. He’s coming back. The story depends on it.