6 Bold Retcons That Could Bring Daenerys Back in a Game of Thrones Spinoff

Daenerys is still dead, yes. But this is Westeros, where death is more of a suggestion than a rule. With HBO actively growing the Targaryen industrial complex — House of the Dragon Season 3 is aiming for 2026 and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is locked for January 18, 2026 — the big question keeps coming back: could Emilia Clarke actually show up as Daenerys again?

Where HBO left things

The Jon Snow spinoff Kit Harington pitched to HBO got shelved in 2024 because, per Rolling Stone, they just couldn’t crack the story. That said, HBO boss Casey Bloys has left a door cracked open, telling Deadline they might revisit it down the line.

The last clue the show gave us

After Drogon torched the Iron Throne, he flew off with Daenerys’ body. A quick aside near the end mentions he was seen heading east, possibly toward Volantis, and then everyone moves on like that isn’t a massive neon sign for future speculation. Volantis also happens to be home base for the Red Temple. Make of that what you will.

If she comes back, here are the viable lanes

1) Red Temple resurrection in Volantis

We met Kinvara (played by Ania Bukstein) in Season 6, a High Priestess who was very pro-Daenerys and framed her as a prophesied savior. We’ve already seen R’hllor’s magic bring people back: Thoros of Myr revived Beric Dondarrion several times, and Melisandre resurrected Jon Snow in Season 6 — with the caveat that Beric said he lost pieces of himself with each return. If Drogon took Daenerys to Volantis, the oldest and most powerful Red Temple has the lore, the zeal, and the motive to try it. It fits the rules we’ve already seen, even if it’s a powder keg for debate.

2) The darker path: Asshai changes her

Asshai, deep in the Shadowlands where Melisandre comes from, is a different flavor of spooky: shadowbinders, necromancy, a black river, whispers of demons, almost no children, and more city than people. George R. R. Martin’s world gets weirder the farther east you go, and Asshai is the farthest east of all. If Drogon flew beyond Volantis, a resurrection there could bring Daenerys back as something changed — an undead Dragon Queen ruling a haunted corner of Essos. Cool? Terrifying? Both. Either way, it’s a grim cautionary tale about cheating death.

3) Keep her dead, haunt Jon anyway

The finale sped right past Jon killing the woman he loved. A follow-up could fix that by letting Daenerys show up in his nightmares, visions, and memories. The show already built this language: Bran’s greensight, Daenerys’ House of the Undying visions, prophecies all over the place. Let her appear in Jon’s head — either as guilt-fueled hallucinations or genuine visions — and you give Emilia Clarke screen time and Jon real character work without undoing the ending.

4) Flashbacks that fill in the missing beats

Seasons 7 and 8 rushed the Jon/Daenerys relationship and her slide into fire-and-blood absolutism. A sequel could use targeted flashbacks — private conversations about ruling, fear of becoming her father, moments of mercy that complicate the King’s Landing choice — to add texture the finale didn’t. No resurrection, just context that either shores up or complicates the so-called Mad Queen turn.

5) Bran and the time-warp cheat code

Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) sees across time, and the show never fully drew the boundaries around what that means. The books hint that time isn’t strictly linear for greenseers, and Bran has already nudged the past before. A bold swing would be a timeline tweak that changes Daenerys’ choices — or prevents Jon from killing her. He even casually mentioned he might be able to find Drogon. Yes, it would be polarizing. But it wouldn’t be out of bounds for the mythology we already have.

6) Legacy cameos across the franchise

HBO has already shown it’s comfortable with visions and prophecies in House of the Dragon. No, Emilia Clarke didn’t literally pop up there, but Season 2 leaned into prophetic imagery that nods to her era. Future shows can keep using Daenerys as a mythic touchstone — a legend characters argue about, a vision that warns or inspires, statues, writings, sites from her life. Francesca Orsi at HBO has confirmed another Targaryen spinoff is in development, and Daenerys is still the face civilians think of when they hear Targaryen. You can honor the impact without undoing her death.

About that Volantis breadcrumb

If you’re wondering why that quick mention matters: Volantis is the center of the faith that gave us Thoros and Melisandre. If you’re going to set up a plausible resurrection without breaking the show’s own rules, that’s the breadcrumb you drop.

Does Emilia Clarke even want to come back?

"Kit hasn’t called," Emilia Clarke said in June 2023, and she has also said, "I think I’m done."

Never say never, though. Actors swear they’re done all the time until the right script or the right paycheck shows up.

So, was her ending rushed or earned?

Six years later, people are still fighting about it. Some fans say all the signs were there from Day 1; others say the show sprinted through the arc and didn’t lay enough track. A smart follow-up — whether visions, flashbacks, or something wilder — could either vindicate the finale or underline why it didn’t land.

How the main show stacked up, season by season

• Season 1 (2011) — 10 episodes; highest-rated IMDb episode: Ep 10 (9.6/10); Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
• Season 2 (2012) — 10 episodes; highest-rated IMDb episode: Ep 9 (9.7/10); Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
• Season 3 (2013) — 10 episodes; highest-rated IMDb episode: Ep 9 (9.9/10); Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
• Season 4 (2014) — 10 episodes; highest-rated IMDb episodes: Eps 2, 6, 8, 10 (9.7/10); Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
• Season 5 (2015) — 10 episodes; highest-rated IMDb episode: Ep 8 (9.8/10); Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
• Season 6 (2016) — 10 episodes; highest-rated IMDb episodes: Eps 9 and 10 (9.9/10); Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
• Season 7 (2017) — 7 episodes; highest-rated IMDb episode: Ep 4 (9.7/10); Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
• Season 8 (2018) — 6 episodes; highest-rated IMDb episode: Ep 2 (7.9/10); Rotten Tomatoes: 55%

Where to watch and what’s next

Game of Thrones is streaming on Max. House of the Dragon Seasons 1 and 2 are there too, with Season 3 expected in 2026. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres January 18, 2026 on HBO and Max.

The bottom line

HBO parked Jon Snow for now, but Casey Bloys hasn’t buried it. Drogon’s flight toward Volantis is still sitting there, begging to be used. And there are multiple ways to bring Daenerys back into the story — from full-on resurrection to visions, flashbacks, or legacy flourishes — without completely rewriting history. If they want her, there’s a path. The question is whether Emilia Clarke wants to walk it.