Here there be dragons…
For weeks now, the marketing machine behind HBO”s “Game of Thrones” has been bracing us for this moment. George R.R. Martin has been making the rounds to make sure fans of the books know that the show is going to diverge from the source material. And now this key art has been released.
Image Credit: HBO
WARNING: Spoilers from “A Dance With Dragons” and fan speculation beyond this point!
Tyrion spends a great deal of time in ADWD wandering the many lands across the Narrow Sea. The imagery implies everyone”s favorite Lannister will indeed find himself on a boat with Jon Connington and Young Griff. But the appearance of Drogon speaks either to divergence from “A Song of Ice and Fire” or spoilers for “The Winds of Winter.”*
*It could also be symbolic but what fun is that?
If diverging from the source material, Tyrion could take on the role of Quentyn Martell. This would be in keeping with HBO”s history of streamlining the story by removing or combining side characters. If so, we could be skipping completely over the Yunkai”i slaver subplot.
If spoilers for “The Winds of Winter,” the key art could be confirming the fan theory that Tyrion and Daenerys are destined to cross paths. Though the outcome of said meeting remains to be seen.
“Game of Thrones” returns to HBO on April 12 at 9/8c.