Why Jon Snow's "Fire Wight" Resurrection In Winds Of Winter Will Shock Game Of Thrones Fans

Image via HBO/MovieStillsDB Published Aug 23, 2026, 10:30 AM EDT James Hunt is a writer and editor based in Newcastle, UK. A Sports Journalism graduate from the University of Sunderland, he quickly realized that supporting his local football (or "soccer") team, Sunderland AFC, was painful enough without having to write about it, so decided to write a load of nonsense about movies and TV instead. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Jon Snow's resurrection in The Winds of Winter will almost certainly end up being very different from Game of Thrones. It's worth sparing a thought for poor bookJon. In the TV show, after his death at the end of season 5, he was brought back just a year later in the show's sixth season. In the books, as the wait for The Winds of Winter goes on, he's been dead for 15 years and counting, making a major cliffhanger feel even bigger. There is no real doubt that Jon Snow will come back to life in George R.R. Martin's sixth A Song of Ice and Fire novel, even if you ignore what happened in Game of Thrones. He's too important a character, with too much unresolved, for him not to return. The version of events that played out on TV only serves to make it even more of a guaranteed thing, with Jon returning from the dead thanks to Melisandre. Thankfully, though, that doesn't really spoil anything for The Winds of Winter resurrecting Jon. There may be some broad similarities, but the added depth of the books, plus Martin's approach to death and resurrection, will ensure there will be some key differences, and some of them quite radical in ways that will shock Game of Thrones viewers. Game Of Thrones Didn't Go Far Enough With Jon Snow's Resurrection One of the fundamental rules that Martin's books follow is that death must have consequences. This is why the idea that anyone can, will, and does die in his books is often a little overstated, or at least, oversimplified. Yes, he has written many a shocking death scene, but there is always real intent. Look at things like Ned Stark's beheading, the Red Wedding, or Prince Oberyn Martell being destroyed by Gregor Clegane, and you can easily see the impact it has on the narrative and its characters. The Citadel · Maester’s Examination How Well Do You Know Westeros? “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.” 🐺StarkWinter is Coming 🦁LannisterHear Me Roar 🐉TargaryenFire and Blood 🦌BaratheonOurs is the Fury 🐙GreyjoyWe Do Not Sow ENTER WESTEROS → 01 The Lannisters are the wealthiest family in Westeros, ruling from their ancestral seat. What is the name of their castle? AHighgarden BStorm’s End CCasterly Rock DThe Eyrie ✓ Correct! Casterly Rock sits atop gold mines in the Westerlands and has been the seat of House Lannister for centuries. The gold beneath it is the source of the family’s legendary wealth — though as Tywin once noted, the mines ran dry years ago. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Casterly Rock. Highgarden belongs to the Tyrells, Storm’s End to the Baratheons, and The Eyrie to the Arryns. Casterly Rock has been the Lannister stronghold since Lann the Clever swindled it from House Casterly. NEXT → 02 Jon Snow rises through the ranks of the Night’s Watch to eventually hold what title — the highest position in the order? AFirst Ranger BLord Commander CMaster of Arms DWarden of the North ✓ Correct! Jon Snow was elected the 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch by his sworn brothers. He was one of the youngest men to ever hold the title, following in the footsteps of legends like Jeor Mormont. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Lord Commander. While Jon started as a steward, he was elected Lord Commander after the death of Jeor Mormont. Warden of the North is a different title entirely — one held by the Stark family. NEXT → 03 Daenerys Targaryen hatches three dragons from petrified eggs. Which of the following is NOT one of her dragons? ABalerion BDrogon CRhaegal DViserion ✓ Correct! Balerion “the Black Dread” was Aegon the Conqueror’s dragon, who died of old age over a century before the events of the show. Daenerys’ three dragons are Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion — named after Khal Drogo, Rhaegar, and Viserys. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Balerion. Daenerys’ three dragons are Drogon (black and red), Rhaegal (green and bronze), and Viserion (cream and gold). Balerion the Black Dread was Aegon the Conqueror’s mount, dead long before Daenerys was born. NEXT → 04 The Red Wedding is one of the most shocking moments in TV history. At whose castle does this massacre take place? AHarrenhal BRiverrun CCasterly Rock DThe Twins ✓ Correct! The Red Wedding took place at The Twins, the castle of House Frey. Lord Walder Frey violated the sacred guest right by slaughtering Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark, and their bannermen during the wedding feast of Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is The Twins. Walder Frey’s castle — two towers spanning the Green Fork — was where he broke sacred guest right to massacre the Starks. “The Lannisters send their regards” remains one of the show’s most chilling lines. NEXT → 05 Jon Snow wields a Valyrian steel bastard sword given to him by Lord Commander Jeor Mormont. What is the sword’s name? AIce BLongclaw CHeartsbane DOathkeeper ✓ Correct! Longclaw is a Valyrian steel bastard sword that was the ancestral weapon of House Mormont. Jeor gave it to Jon after he saved the Lord Commander from a wight, replacing the bear pommel with a white wolf for House Stark. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Longclaw. Ice was the Stark greatsword (melted down by Tywin Lannister), Heartsbane belonged to House Tarly, and Oathkeeper was one of the two swords forged from Ice. Longclaw is the Mormont blade Jon carries throughout the series. NEXT → 06 Tyrion Lannister serves as Hand of the King to which ruler, expertly managing the defense of King’s Landing during the Battle of the Blackwater? ARobert Baratheon BTommen Baratheon CJoffrey Baratheon DDaenerys Targaryen ✓ Correct! Tywin sent Tyrion to serve as Hand in his place during Joffrey’s reign. Tyrion brilliantly orchestrated the defense against Stannis Baratheon’s fleet using wildfire, though he received no credit and was nearly killed in the battle. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Joffrey Baratheon. Tyrion served as Joffrey’s Hand of the King in Season 2, appointed by his father Tywin. He later served as Hand to Daenerys, but it was under Joffrey that the Battle of the Blackwater took place. NEXT → 07 Jon Snow’s true parentage is one of the show’s biggest reveals. What is his real Targaryen name, given by his mother Lyanna Stark? AAegon Targaryen BAemon Targaryen CRhaegar Targaryen DJaehaerys Targaryen ✓ Correct! Lyanna Stark named her son Aegon Targaryen. He is the legitimate son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna, who were secretly married. This made Jon the true heir to the Iron Throne — a fact that changed the course of the final season. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Aegon Targaryen. Lyanna whispered the name to Ned Stark in the Tower of Joy. Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen (not named after him), making him Aegon — a name carried by many Targaryen kings, including the Conqueror himself. NEXT → 08 In the series finale, who is chosen by the lords and ladies of Westeros to rule the Six Kingdoms as king? AJon Snow BSansa Stark CTyrion Lannister DBran Stark ✓ Correct! Bran Stark — now Bran the Broken — was chosen as king of the Six Kingdoms at the Dragonpit council. Tyrion argued that Bran’s story was the most compelling reason to rule. Sansa became Queen in the North, and Jon was sent back to the Wall. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Bran Stark. Tyrion nominated Bran at the great council, arguing “who has a better story than Bran the Broken?” Sansa was crowned Queen in the independent North, Jon returned to the Wall, and Tyrion served as Bran’s Hand of the King. REVEAL MY SCORE → The Citadel · Results Sealed Your Westeros Record ⚔ / 8 Did you claim the Iron Throne — or lose your head? ↻ PLAY THE GAME AGAIN Resurrection is no different. Martin does not take this lightly, and if he doesn't kill randomly, he certainly doesn't approach people returning from the dead in that way. His belief is that death changes people. This is very easy to see with Catelyn Stark returning as Lady Stoneheart, because there are such glaring physical differences, but it's also true of Beric Dondarrion, who loses a bit of humanity each time he comes back. And the same should be true of Jon. When speaking to TIME in 2017 about resurrections, including Jon's, he said: "Right. And poor Beric Dondarrion, who was set up as the foreshadowing of all this, every time he’s a little less Beric. His memories are fading, he’s got all these scars, he’s becoming more and more physically hideous, because he’s not a living human being anymore. His heart isn’t beating, his blood isn’t flowing in his veins, he’s a wight, but a wight animated by fire instead of by ice, now we’re getting back to the whole fire and ice thing." That's a fascinating concept, but it isn't one there was any real sense of in Game of Thrones. The show had already made Jon more of a clear hero than in the book - where he unquestionably is good, but makes more difficult, morally grey decisions - and it continued with his return. It briefly flirted in moments with the idea of him being more reckless, perhaps even having a death wish, but never committed to it. For the most part, he was the same old Jon Snow, rather than someone who had been fundamentally altered by his experience. How Will Jon Snow's Resurrection Happen In The Winds Of Winter? Image via MovieStillsDB.com Jon's resurrection probably won't be the same in The Winds of Winter as it was in Game of Thrones, and that's very important in this context. The former Lord Commander wasn't dead for very long at all in the TV series - it's seemingly a day or two - and his return was relatively straightforward in the end. That isn't a very Martin-esque way to approach it, so it's reasonable to assume some major changes. The first of these is how long Jon is dead - or rather, how long his body is. When he is killed by his mutinous Night's Watch brothers in A Dance with Dragons, it's described in the following way: "Jon fell to his knees. He found the dagger’s hilt and wrenched it free. In the cold night air the wound was smoking. 'Ghost,' he whispered. Pain washed over him. Stick them with the pointy end. When the third dagger took him between the shoulder blades, he gave a grunt and fell face-first into the snow. He never felt the fourth knife. Only the cold..." There are two key things in there to call out: the mention of Ghost, and Jon not feeling the fourth knife. This has led to a popular theory that Jon's consciousness transferred into his direwolf's body right before his death, and that he will spend at least some time as Ghost in The Winds of Winter. Jon is a warg in the books, something the TV show didn't include, so it is very plausible, and A Dance with Dragons' Prologue is about a skinchanger who becomes more wolf-like and lives a second life as the animal, which feels like foreshadowing of Jon's arc When Jon is finally brought back to his body, again there'll be some differences. It makes sense if Melisandre is the one to do it: the story has set up those who serve the Lord of Light as being the ones with resurrection abilities, and she is still at the Wall. However, I would imagine there will be a greater cost, rather than her simply saying a spell, and it will quite likely involve a sacrifice. This could be how and why Shireen Baratheon is killed in the books, or it might be another child, such as the son of Mance Rayder, whom Melisandre believes to be there (but was actually switched with Gilly's son). Both would, to the Red Priestess, have the all-important king's blood, which again is something that's been established as important for her magic. Jon Snow Will Be Different After Being Resurrected In The Winds Of Winter Image courtesy of MovieStillsDb Simply based on Martin's approach, we know Jon will have to be at least somewhat different when he returns, but the methodology will be a big factor in this. Tying back to the idea of Beric becoming like a fire wight, then we could see something similar with Jon. He's going to lose at least a little of his humanity, and that's going to be compounded if he does indeed spend a significant amount of time inside Ghost. Varamyr is an extreme example in the books, having skin-changed into so many animals and broken taboos around it, but he is someone who has become much more animalistic and feral. For Jon, that could translate to him being angrier, more violent, and more ruthless when he returns. Then there's the potential of a sacrifice being used to bring him back, which is something that Jon would not want. He wouldn't want an innocent person to die for him, and that would create a sense of guilt, shame, and, again, anger, that could be explored in a fascinating way given how the POV structure allows for much greater introspection. All of this should factor into his arc in The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, and allow it to be much better done than it was in Game of Thrones. Publisher(s) Bantam Spectra Genre Fantasy Franchise A Song of Ice and Fire Author(s) George R. R. Martin Genre(s) Fantasy The upcoming sixth and penultimate book in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. The long-awaited sequel will continue the stories of Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, and more characters who were brought to life in HBO's Game of Thrones.