SOME PARTS MAKE SENSE (BUT ONLY SOME)



The idea of Drogon carrying off Dany to be brought back to life by Red Priests has considerable issues, but there are elements of the theory that hold water if we adjust them a little bit. In the context of Game of Thrones, it makes sense that Drogon would’ve carried her off to a place of significance - imbuing him with enough intelligence to make that place Volantis, specifically to the Red Priests, seems highly unlikely, but Volantis isn’t far from Valyria. Thematically, that destination makes far more sense.

It’s believable in a fantasy context that Drogon would’ve been drawn to Valyria given its position as the birthplace of dragons and the people who would eventually learn to master them. From a spiritual standpoint, there’s a beautiful symmetry in the last dragon bringing the last Targaryen to their mutual homeland as a final resting place. The show even associates Drogon with Valyria in season 5 when he’s seen by Jorah and Tyrion flying above as they row through the eerie ruins. The idea of an enterprising Red Priest hearing the news of Dany’s death, seeing Drogon fly above, and following them in the hopes of bringing her back to life is still fan fiction given the finality of Game of Thrones’ ending, but even as fan fiction, it makes more sense than Drogon knowing to get Daney to a Red Priest.

As for the books, it’s possible the Red Priests become a considerable part of Dany’s entourage before she goes to Westeros and move to bring her back if and when she’s killed there. Or perhaps one of their lieutenants attempts to get her to Volantis via Drogon in a last-ditch attempt to save her if she’s killed before the end of the Long Night and there’s still a chance she’s Azor Ahai. But in both Game of Thrones and the books, the idea of Dany being resurrected after her death still doesn’t make enough sense for us to believe it’s going to happen in any form. Not only would it be the fourth resurrection in a series that tried hard to be as judicious as possible with its magic, it would fly in the face of the finality of Dany’s death and the narrative implications therein.

An interpretation of Martin positioning Dany as protagonist is that he did so in order to spell out how easily power can corrupt even the most heroic and well-intentioned people. It’s a theme we see throughout fantasy, not the least of which is one of Martin’s biggest influences, Lord of the Rings. Dany’s death in Game of Thrones was meant to be tragically symbolic of that idea and her resurrection - even the possibility of it - undermines one of the most important narrative arcs in the story. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what context we couch it in, this theory isn’t much more than wishful thinking.