Book Changes Ruined Varys Long Before GoT's Ill-Conceived Season 8

For many fans, the death of Varys in season 8 of Game of Thrones felt poorly written and somewhat lacklustre for a character who had once been at the centre of political machinations in King's Landing.

In the early seasons of the show, he was a major character, with 'little birds' all over the kingdom helping the Lannisters maintain control. From season 5 until his death, however, Varys was gradually sidelined as plot development took precedence over the character-driven narrative that had defined the first four seasons.

And one decision the showrunners made was not to have Varys kill Kevan Lannister, as he did in the book series. Omitting that twist wasn't a huge decision for the overall direction of the show. Kevan wasn't a major character on the page or on the screen.

But in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books, Varys' orchestration of Kevan's death caused a major rift in the corridors of power. The Lannisters blamed the Tyrells for his death, while the Tyrells blamed the Lannisters. And Cersei was convinced that Tyrion was involved.

This was a deliberate ploy by Varys in the books because of Cersei's influence over King Tommen and her poor decision-making (which made it into the show). His ultimate goal in the books was to put Aegon Targaryen forward as heir to the throne. But of course Aegon didn't appear in the TV series.

And the decision to cut Aegon was one that had serious implications for Vary's character arc. Without that key plot point, the show had little use for Varys in King's Landing. This meant that Varys lost the behind-the-scenes power he once had. As a result, he drifted through the next three and a half seasons before being eliminated in a scene that was more about Daenerys Targaryen's character development than giving Varys a proper ending.

While it's easy to criticise the decision to leave Aegon out, the showrunners had to choose a narrative that was digestible for a TV audience. Adding Aegon would have arguably introduced more intrigue and allowed Varys to remain relevant. But it would also have changed the whole story in terms of Dany's right to the throne.

And in the end, it wasn't that decision that led to the disappointing end for Varys and for GoT; it was rushed seasons and poor writing. Varys could have retained his influence and remained a strong character if his story had been written differently. And in many ways, it feels like the earlier decision to ditch Aegon simply became an easy excuse to let Varys slowly slide into irrelevance.