‘Game of Thrones’: Who Won the Iron Throne in Series Finale?

They kept us guessing until the very end, but the Game of Thrones series finale finally revealed who will sit on the Iron Throne in the end.

Warning! Spoilers for the Game of Thrones series finale lie ahead!

Game of Thrones came to an end on Sunday, and with it ended years of war and succession disputes in the Seven Kingdoms. In the end, Daenerys was killed before her reign could truly begin, and Drogon melted the Iron Throne itself. Jon Snow could not take the crown as he was the murder.

In their place, Samwell Tarly suggested that the lords of Westeros elect their own ruler, as the brothers of the Night’s Watch did. Given their choice, the rulers selected Bran Stark.

The political system of Westeros is left a little uncertain at the end of the series. It is not clear whether there will be another election when Bran dies, or who will be allowed to vote. In the first book, Ned Stark says that Bran is incapable of fathering any children due to his fall, and Sansa confirms it in the series finale, so he will not be able to produce an heir.

Meanwhile, the council around Bran seems to have more power than ever. Sam takes over the duties of the Grand Maester, while Tyrion becomes the Hand of the King once again. They are joined by Ser Davos and Brienne of Tarth, with a few positions left to fill.

While Bran and his councilors may be the new power in Westeros, the Iron Throne itself is no more. After Dany’s death, her last living dragon, Drogon, melted the hideous chair, in a way fulfilling the queen’s promise to “break the wheel.” The Iron Throne was forged by dragon fire, and ultimately destroyed by it.

The power of the dragon is not gone from the world, either. Drogon flies away with Daenerys’ remains, leaving the rest of the realm powerless to stop him. Later, we hear the council talking about a sighting of the huge dragon somewhere far off. Bran promises to keep an eye on it with his abilities, but there is no telling what he could do to stop it from wreaking havoc.

We can assume that Drogon may lay eggs, as dragons in this series are asexual. This means that, despite Daenerys’s controversial ending, she did leave behind a huge contribution to the world in the form of her “children,” bringing powerful magic back to life.

Next weekend, HBO will air a feature-length documentary on the making of Season 8 titled Game of Thrones: The Last Watch in the place of the series. It airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. The next novel in the series is expected soon, although no release date has been announced yet.