Warning: The following post contains spoilers for Game of Thrones all the way through, leading up to Sunday’s series finale.
• Jon Snow was revealed in Season 6 to be a Targaryen.
• Daenerys, throughout the show, has shown an immunity to fire.
• This power has varied from books to TV series, and from character to character.
With the series finale of Game of Thrones set to air next Sunday, that means the show is about 98% wrapped up, and much of what we’ll ever know about the show is already out there. For instance, we know that Jon Snow isn’t really Jon Snow. Jon is really Aegon Targaryen, son of a Stark mother and a Targaryen father; some would argue he’s the literal Song of Ice and Fire, the title of George R. R. Martin’s book series that inspired the HBO series.
But given that we know with certainty that Jon is a Targaryen, does that mean that he benefits from the perks that other Targaryens enjoy, particularly the immunity to fire?
It’s a tricky question. While we know that Jon’s queen/aunt/lover Daenerys has this ability in the show—she survived a fire at the end of the first season when he dragons were birthed, and also emerged unharmed from the burning hut when destroying all of the Dothraki Khals in season six—she’s been the only member of her family shown to have this power. Remember in the sixth episode of the first season, when Khal Drogo dumped molten gold onto the head of Viserys, Daenerys’ brother? He was scorched, burning to death instantly.
Jon’s personal experience with fire is more of a mixed bag. While we only learned of his true bloodline in Season 6, it’s important to remember that he’s always been who he is now—he didn’t transform into a Targaryen, he’s always been one. So, when Jon saved Commander Jeor Mormont from a Wight, using his bare hand to throw a lantern across the room—he let out a scream. He was burned by the fire; he is not fireproof.
The fact that Daenerys has shown an explicit immunity to fire in the series is in and of itself a diversion from what Martin presented in the books. As the author himself once said in an online chat with ASOIF fans, in his book universe, Targaryens are not immune from fire—Dany surviving the dragon birth was a miracle.
Obviously, Jon has already displayed some Targaryen tendencies—we’ve seen him ride a dragon, for Pete’s sake. But for consistency purposes—unlike his Aunt—it doesn’t seem that Jon should be immune to fire.
Source: Read Full Article