Game Of Thrones Ending To Include Big Shocking Moment

Game of Thrones fans were shocked when they finally learned the origin of Hodor’s name and condition in the most recent episode of Game of Thrones, “The Door,” but showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have known the reveal was coming for years, ever since they sat down with A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin in Sante Fe and had him sketch out his plans for the remainder of his beloved fantasy saga. Within that outline, Martin revealed what Weiss and Benioff describe as “three holy sh– moments.”

The first of these moments was Stannis burning Shireen as a sacrifice to the Lord of Light, as seen in Game of Thrones Season 5. The second reveal was Hodor’s origin story, which Martin says he’s known since he first introduced the character in A Game of Thrones. And the third moment…

“… is from the very end…,” Benioff teased to Entertainment Weekly.

While two those three big moments have been revealed on Game of Thrones before Martin revealed them in print, Weiss and Benioff promise that the show and the novels are significantly different enough that book readers who watch the show will still have plenty of surprises to look forward to.

“People are talking about whether the books are going to be spoiled – and it’s really not true,” Benioff said. “So much of what we’re doing diverges from the books at this point. And while there are certain key elements that will be the same, we’re not going to talk so much about that – and I don’t think George is either. People are going to be very surprised when they read the books after the show. They’re quite divergent in so many respects for the remainder of the show.”

Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO. Martin’s next novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, The Winds of Winter, is still without a release date, but will not be published in 2016.