Few people fare entirely well in Game of Thrones' ending was a fitting one, at least, with Sansa ri to become Queen in the North, though whether that happens in the books remains to be seen.
Sansa's path in Game of Thrones fully diverged from the books in season 5, which took her to Winterfell to marry Ramsay Bolton. Still, things could've been very different for both books and show if George R.R. Martin had stuck to his original outline for ASOIAF, which he wrote back in 1993. It presented a very different idea for the series, including it just being a trilogy, and one major change for Sansa.
Sansa Stark Had Joffrey Baratheon's Son In The A Song Of Ice & Fire Outline
Sansa Was More Loyal To Joffrey Than In Game Of Thrones
Sansa was, of course, betrothed to Joffrey in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones for a long time, but never had to go through with marrying him. That was different in Martin's initial outline for the series, where they not only would've been wed, but she also would have had his son too:
"Each of the contending families will learn it has a member of dubious loyalty in its midst. Sansa Stark, wed to Joffrey Baratheon, will bear him a son, the heir to the throne, and when the crunch comes she will choose her husband and child over her parents and siblings, a choice she will later bitterly rue."
In the books and then show as-written, Sansa avoids marrying Joffrey when he instead weds Margaery Tyrell to seal an alliance between the crown and House Tyrell, following the Battle of the Blackwater. She does then go on to marry Tyrion, which seemingly wasn't part of Martin's plan. He notes that Tyrion does eventually grow close to both Arya and Sansa, but actually falls in love with the former.
Notable Differences In George R.R. Martin's Original ASOIAF Outline
- He had planned just three books: A Game of Thrones (focused on the Lannisters vs. the Starks); A Dance with Dragons (focused on Daenerys Targaryen's invasion of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros); and The Winds of Winter (focused on the final battle against the real threat, the Others, or White Walkers).
- Robb Stark would die on the battlefield, defeated by the forces of Jaime and Tyrion Lannister, though he would at least maim Joffrey.
- Catelyn Stark would flee to the Wall after Ned's death, along with Bran and Arya. Cat would eventually be killed by the Others.
- A love triangle formed involving Arya, Tyrion, and Jon Snow.
- Daenerys would eventually kill Khal Drogo to avenge Viserys' death.
- Jaime Lannister would become king after Joffrey, by killing everyone else in the line of succession.
In the books and show, Sansa does initially side with and defends Joffrey, until she comes to learn of just how cruel and sadistic he is. It sounds like she'd learn that same lesson and re-side with her remaining Stark family , but perhaps not until much later on.
How Sansa Having Joffrey's Son Would've Changed & Hurt Her ASOIAF Story
It's A Good Thing GRRM Changed His Plans
Though the plan may still have been for Sansa to turn away from the Lannisters, her having Joffrey's son - and heir - would further tether her to them, making it even more difficult for her to break free from their grasp. Similarly, Joffrey's cruelty would be even worse for Sansa if she had borne him a child, serving as a further reminder of it and yet giving her someone else to try to protect besides herself as well, an added burden that seems drastically unfair given how much he put her through.
There may also be another brutal twist in this, which is that it's quite possible Sansa's son would've been killed by Jaime...
There may also be another brutal twist in this, which is that it's quite possible Sansa's son would've been killed by Jaime, since he removes the line of succession in order to become king himself. That would potentially mean Sansa had a child with the person she thought she loved, discovered just what he was really like, tried to protect said child, and then lost her son anyway, with him killed by another family member.
Every Stark's Game Of Thrones Character Arc, Ranked Worst To Best
The Starks are some of the most compelling characters in Game of Thrones, but some of their character arcs are significantly better than others.
Martin's plan also doesn't seem to place as much importance on Sansa. It names five characters as being central to the story and surviving through to the end: Jon, Daenerys, Bran, Arya, and Tyrion. With so much having happened to Sansa, it's quite possible he also planned for her to be killed off earlier on, rather than surviving and becoming Queen in the North (which, while not confirmed, seems a decent possibility for the books now).
That would have impacted Sansa's Game of Thrones story too, and her actually marrying Joffrey and being even more loyal to him would've hurt her arc, making her less of a misguided young girl if she stuck with him for a lot longer. Sadly, Game of Thrones made its own mistakes with Sansa's story that weren't in the book - namely, the regrettable sexual assault story with Ramsay (in the books, she's still in the Vale at this point, and that story is given to Jeyne Poole, under the guise of being Arya), which was one of the show's lowest moments.
The Winds of Winter does not yet have a release date, though Martin still plans on writing it and one final A Song of Ice and Fire book, titled A Dream of Spring.
It's obviously hard to say where the books would've ended up with Martin's original outline: the reason things changed so much is that he isn't a writer who plans things out too much, but goes where the story takes him. As he describes it [via The Guardian], he's more of a gardener than an architect. Nonetheless, I think it's safe to say Sansa's book story - and most of her Game of Thrones arc - was much better off not having Joffrey's kid.
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Game Of Thrones
10/10- Release Date
- 2011 - 2019-00-00
- Showrunner
- David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
- Directors
- David Nutter, Alan Taylor, D.B. Weiss, David Benioff
Cast
Jon Snow
Isaac Hempstead WrightBrandon Bran Stark
WHERE TO WATCH
StreamingBUYBased on George R. R. Martin's ongoing A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama set in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos. It follows noble families like the Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryen vying for control of the Iron Throne while a rising threat from the undead looms in the North. The series received significant critical success and amassed a loyal fan base due to its high production values, sprawling sets, iconic characters, and shocking twists.
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- Created by
- George R.R. Martin
- First TV Show
- Game Of Thrones
- Cast
- Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Iain Glen, John Bradley, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Liam Cunningham, Gwendoline Christie, Aidan Gillen, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Rory McCann, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jerome Flynn, Rhys Ifans, Matt Smith, Graham McTavish, Fabien Frankel, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Emma D'Arcy, Matthew Needham, Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey
- TV Show(s)
- Game Of Thrones, House of the Dragon, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight
Game of Thrones is a multimedia franchise created by George R.R. Martin. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire is the basis for the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, which lasted for eight seasons. After the incredibly divisive final season of Game of Thrones, the series was followed up by the prequel series House of the Dragon, which also received critical acclaim.
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