Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin had a trio of twists planned throughout his book series that he revealed to the series show runners and there’s one more big one still to come…
It was a shocking moment on last Sunday’s episode of Game of Thrones when Hodor’s origins were finally revealed.
Many years ago, Hodor was better known by his real name — Wyllis — until a fateful day when Bran Stark traveled back through time as part of his greenseer powers. Bran was even more powerful than he ever imagined because not only can he see the past and the future, but unlike any greenseer before him, he can actually alter events.
In this case, Bran heard Meera Reed shouting “hold the door” as they were trying to escape the White Walker attack on the lair of the Three-Eyed Raven. The echo in Bran’s head then transferred to Wyllis, who collapsed into a seizure shouting “hold the door” over and over again until his words slurred and it eventually became “Hodor”.
According to Game of Thrones show runners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, the Hodor reveal was actually something George R.R. Martin has had planned since the very first day he started writing the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire more than 20 years ago.
As it turns out, the “holy shit moments” as they described didn’t stop there.
At a meeting the show runners had with Martin two years ago in Santa Fe where he laid out the major plot points and stories for all of the characters in his story, he revealed there were three major twists still to come in his book.
The first was Stannis Baratheon burning his daughter Shireen alive as a sacrifice to the Lord of Light. That already happened in Game of Thrones season 5, but it sounds like that horrific event will be re-visited when Martin finishes writing The Winds of Winter, which is likely due out later this year or next.
The second twist was the major reveal about Hodor and his origins.
The third twist “is from the very end” according to Benioff.
There’s little doubt that third twist will be a huge moment to play out as Game of Thrones comes to a close over the next few years. There were no hints given, but considering the magnitude of the first two twists, this third one will be monumental.
Game of Thrones returns this Sunday night at 9pm ET on HBO.
H/T: EW
