Why Bran's Power In Game Of Thrones Is More Terrifying Than You Think
Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) might be one of the most vital characters in all of Game of Thrones, but he also might be one of the scariest. Spoilers for all of Game of Thrones ahead!
As the Game of Thrones series — adapted from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels — moved throughout its eight seasons, its characters came into their own, including Bran, who begins the show by surviving a murder attempt at the hands of Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey). After losing the use of his legs, Bran heads north of the Wall that separates Westeros from the dangerous far North to discover his destiny, only to realize that he is meant to take the mantle from the Three-Eyed Raven (played by several actors, including the late Max von Sydow).
Not only does Bran get to become the Three-Eyed Raven, he also gets another huge title by the time the series ends: Bran the Broken, First of His Name and ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. However, not only does this create a huge conflict of interest, but Bran's omniscience is actually pretty frightening, and could even have huge implications down the line. Here's why Bran's powers as the Three-Eyed Raven in Game of Thrones is more terrifying than you think.
Bran's omniscience means he is privy to every secret within Westeros
Bran's powers as the Three-Eyed Raven seem pretty nebulous at first, but eventually, viewers put the pieces together: Bran can see everything within the past, present, and future, giving him a complete "bird's eye" view of Westeros. After he officially becomes the Three-Eyed Raven, he reveals to the other characters, including his sisters Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Arya (Maisie Williams) that he can see events in their lives as well as other people's lives: for example, he tells Sansa that she looked "beautiful" on her wedding night to Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon). He can also change events, which viewers see when Bran inadvertently destroys Hodor (Kristian Nairn).
However, when it comes to Bran's reign as king, these powers are extremely problematic, and downright disturbing when you realize that he basically serves as a human-shaped wiretap system for all of Westeros. If he could see Sansa on her wedding day, that means he also watched Ramsay brutalize her that night, which is a pretty horrifying thought — and it also means he can simply look into the private lives of every single person within Westeros, which definitely isn't a quality most people want in a leader.
Before the series finale aired in May of 2019 and Bran took the crown, fan theories even circulated that Bran, a Warg — meaning that he can warp into the bodies of people and animals — actually is the evil Night King and Warged into the undead sovereign's body before killing the original Night King. Ultimately, this was never addressed one way or the other, and if that theory is true, Bran's title as king is even scarier.
Bran's weirdness included, the entirety of Game of Thrones is available to stream on HBO Max.