Game of Thrones Had a Secret Targaryen That We’ve Known for Eight Seasons as…a Lannister

During the events of Game of Thrones, the political situation in Westeros is unstable, to say the least. With the death of King Robert Baratheon, many challengers revealed themselves to announce their claims on the Iron Throne — and while some of them belonged to the Baratheons and Lannisters, the ruling Houses, there was a twist.

Beyond the Narrow Sea, the last living Targaryen with a claim to the throne, a girl called Daenerys, was amassing power and armies to take over Westeros and restore her dynasty’s legacy. In the eyes of many, Daenerys was the rightful heir to the Iron Throne since Targaryens, unlike Baratheons, had ruled over the Seven Kingdoms for centuries.

But wait! There was a second Targaryen no one knew about. A secret Targaryen.

Way later in the show, we learn that the good old clueless Jon Snow has been, in fact, Aegon Targaryen all along — and he, not Daenerys, was the eldest heir of the former ruling dynasty. Fortunately for his…aunt and lover, Jon didn’t wish to become the new King of Westeros, but this potential competition still bugged Dany a lot.

But wait! There was another secret Targaryen, the third living heir of the Mad King!

Who was the ultimate secret Targaryen in Game of Thrones?

We all know and love this man for his wit and sharpness, and he’s been a fan favorite since the first episodes of the show. Enter Tyrion Lannister: the third child of Lord Tywin and Jaime and Cersei’s younger brother who was, in fact, neither of those things. Why? Because Tyrion was, in fact, a Targaryen, not a Lannister.

According to a popular fan theory, the Mad King — Aerys II Targaryen — forced himself upon Joanna, Tywin Lannister’s wife, and Tyrion was born as a result. George Martin ’s original books lowkey support this speculation by suggesting that the Mad King took “special interest” in Joanna on numerous occasions.

Furthermore, while in the show, Tyrion had blonde hair like his alleged siblings, he had a weird mix of black and blonde hair in the books, suggesting that he wasn’t a “pure” Lannister. As a friendly reminder, while all other Lannisters were blond like their father, the other secret Targaryen, Jon Snow, had black hair. Whoops.

Perhaps, the most solid bit of proof is the fact that Tyrion survived his rendez-vous with Dany’s dragons. Throughout the entire series, only three characters could live to tell the tale of spending time with the terrifying beasts one-on-one: Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow (Aegon Targaryen), and…Tyrion. Tyrion Targaryen, that is.

Did Tywin know about Tyrion’s true legacy?

Of course, the Lord of Casterly Rock and the Warden of the West was well aware of Tyrion’s origin. In fact, it was the real reason behind Tywin’s unhinged hatred toward his alleged son: he knew that Tyrion was the by-product of the Mad King’s vile actions. For that alone, Tywin Lannister hated Tyrion, and he even said it out loud.

On numerous occasions, Tywin told Tyrion that he was “no child of his” or that he “brought him up as his son.” That’s quite a specific wording, and it doesn’t originate from Tywin’s desire to distance himself from Tyrion. He uses these exact words because he’s absolutely convinced that he’s speaking to a Targaryen bastard.

Here’s the most straightforward confession Tywin made; it happened after the Battle of Blackwater Bay. “Men's laws give you the rightm to bear my name and display my colors, since I cannot prove that you are not mine,” the Lord of Casterly Rock told Tyrion. He wished he could prove the truth to the world, but he had to live with it.

What does this mean for Game of Thrones?

Unfortunately, Tyrion’s alleged origin had no effect on the show’s plot, and we’re unlikely to see this secret openly uncovered since Game of Thrones, well, ended. However, it’s more than possible that George Martin will explore this speculation further in the next A Song of Ice and Fire books. If they ever come out, of course.

While the series completely missed the opportunity to have literally any repercussions of either Jon Snow or Tyrion Lannister being secret Targaryens, we highly doubt that George Martin will ignore this subject. After all, there would’ve been no point in leaving so many obvious clues if they were to never come into play.

So while this revelation (or theory, if you’re still not convinced) turned out to be a wasted potential for Game of Thrones, it probably won’t be for A Song of Ice and Fire.