Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington has admitted that he also thought that Jon Snow should have killed the Night King, originally, at least. The actor opened up about the final season shocker that saw Jon’s younger sister, Arya Stark, deal the death blow to the Night King. It was a moment that drew a strong reaction from fans watching and from Harington when he initially read it.
During the Battle of Winterfell, Jon Snow and company faced off with the Night King for one final showdown to decide the survival of humanity. The show had seemingly been building up to Jon and the Night King’s big battle for seven seasons. In the end, Game of Thrones’ big battle had it turn into a big nothing between the pair.
Jon Snow ended up riding on one dragon, yelling at another and barely squaring off with his long-time nemesis. It was not the big Game of Thrones moment for Jon that many fans had expected it would be. Kit Harington, who is nominated for a 2019 Emmy for his performance, gave his thoughts on Jon not getting to kill the Night King. Harington told THR:
I was a bit pissed off, only because I wanted to kill the Night King! I think I felt like everyone else did, in that it had been set up for a long time, and then I didn't get to do it. But I was so happy for Maisie and Arya. I was secretly like, "I wanted to do that!" Especially because I love fighting with Vlad, who also played the White Walker I fought at Hardhome. I've never seen a better swordsman. But it was a really great twist, and it tied up Maisie's journey in a really beautiful way. Over the seasons, we've seen her build up these skills to become this hardened assassin, and she uses it all to kill our main antagonist.
Kit Harington also noticed all of that build-up. I will admit that I was quite a bit frustrated by the twist. Game of Thrones did set up that Arya was “no one” and therefore capable of sneaking up on the Night King. However, it meant years of anticipation with Jon Snow and the Night King coming to nothing, which was a bitter pill for some.
That's not to mention Jon Snow getting sidelined for the entire episode in a battle that I think he earned the leading spot in. Kit Harington previously voiced his initial frustration with how Game of Thrones handled Jon’s story in the Battle of Winterfell. In that instance, Harington discussed Jon not getting a chance to really swing his sword throughout the battle.
When the episode unfolded, I thought Jon Snow was being held back to heighten the tension of his eventual clash with the Night King. Well, that clash never came. Game of Thrones was not saving up for anything with regards to that long-awaited battle we all thought was coming. Fans had a tough time seeing the episode, but Jon not being the one to kill the Night King was impossible to miss.
Kit Harington seems to have come around to the idea of Arya being the one to end the Night King. Since she did not end up killing Cersei, it did give her assassin schooling some additional purpose. and, unfortunately, Arya’s much-hyped faceoff with Cersei went the way of Jon Snow and the Night King’s.
In the end, Jon Snow’s true heritage did not lead to him being crowned King of the Seven/Six Kingdoms. Nor did the seasons-long tension between him and the Night King result in Jon getting to stop him. Two big storylines that Game of Thrones teased for seasons ended up leading nowhere for Jon.
Nevertheless, Jon Snow did not appear to let not being the one to kill the Night King bother him. Even if I was crushed by how things went down for the hero as a whole.
If you want to check out Jon Snow’s ending in Game of Thrones’ final season, you can do so on digital. Along with looking forward to finding out if Kit Harington and Game of Thrones win at the Emmys, there are many fall premieres to anticipate.
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