A Subtle Moment in This Week's 'Game of Thrones' Changes Everything Daenerys Thought About Her Claim to the Ir

published 14 August 2017

This post contains spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 7, episode 5, "Eastwatch."

Game of Thrones finally confirmed the long-held R+L=J theory (opens in new tab) last year, making it official once and for all that Jon Snow was actually a Targaryen. This means, for those of you keeping track at home, that Jon is Dany's nephew—long story (opens in new tab) short, his dad is her big brother, Rhaegar.

This week, Thrones slipped in a tiny detail that is actually a huge reveal. While reading through old books and scrolls, Gilly comes across an entry about Rhaegar getting an annulment so he could remarry. Sam isn't interested in the tidbit, but that's probably because he doesn't know that Rhaegar is Jon's dad, and who he might have wanted an annulment to marry.

Fans know though: Lyanna Stark, Jon's mom.

Assuming that the annulment was to marry Lyanna (and come on, it was), Jon is officially not a bastard, but a legitimate son. And, thanks to the way royal succession works, this means that he would be next in line for the Iron Throne, not Dany.

How will Dany react when she hears this though? She's spent years thinking the Iron Throne was her birth right. Will she be okay handing the power over to her super crush nephew.

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Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.