George R.R. Martin’s originalGame of Thronesplan looked much different from his currentA Song of Ice and Firebooks, andit’s for the best that he replaced his initial vision for Jaime’s arc with Cersei’s storyinstead. The Lannister family plays a pivotal role in theSong of Ice and Firebooks,but Tyrion’s and Jaime’s journeys are almost unrecognizable from where they started. Martin’soriginalGame of Thronesoutline, written in a letter in 1993, characterized both brothers much differently than his finished books do — and this led them to shocking places.
In fact,Tyrion Lannister even burnt down Winterfellin Martin’s first outline, something that’s difficult to imagine given his current character arc. This is one of manyways Martin’sGame of Thronesplan was very differentfrom the final product.Jon Snow’s parentage revealis one of the few visions that stuck, butalmost every other character changed from the inception of Martin’s story to its publication. That includes Jaime Lannister, whose narrative seems to have partially been given to Cersei. Fortunately, that choice makes more sense for the story.
Jaime Initially Became King After Joffrey’s Death
Game of Thronesfans know Jaime Lannister as the “Kingslayer,“buthe went on to become king of Westerosin Martin’s firstSong of Ice and Fireoutline. Tyrion would have been responsible for Joffrey’s death in this version of the story — rather than just being framed for it — and Jaime would have succeeded the boy king. This wouldn’t be shocking on its own, but Martin clarified that he would remove any threats to his crown before placing the blame for those deaths on his younger brother:
Jaime Lannister will follow Joffrey on the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, by the simple expedient of killing everyone ahead of him in the line of succession and blaming his brother Tyrion for the murders.”
While the Jaime Lannister we know fromGame of ThronesandA Song of Ice and Fireis a complicated and often unlikable character, this direction seems unimaginable for him. For one, the final version of Jaime has a soft spot for Tyrion and would likely never put him in such a position. He’s also less concerned with the Iron Throne and power than the other members of his family, even though he helps them defend their claim to it. Basically,Jaime’s final portrayal is much different from what Martin initially had planned for him.
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And it appearsCersei became Jaime’s replacementafter Martin reworked his outline, as she received the ruthless nature he would have demonstrated and ruled the Seven Kingdoms as queen regent after Joffrey’s death. IfGame of Thronesis anything to go by, Cersei will also claim the Iron Throne again after her other children perish. Cersei doesn’t wipe out the line of succession, but she doesn’t exactly denounce Joffrey for doing so with Robert Baratheon’s bastards. All in all, Jaime’s original story seems to have been twisted to suit Cersei, which makes sense.
Replacing Jaime’s Original Plan With Cersei’s Story Made More Sense For Game Of Thrones
It Fit With George R.R. Martin’s Themes & Made The Lannisters More Interesting
Having Cersei scheme for the Iron Throne instead of Jaime worked well withA Song of Ice and Fire’s themes, asMartin’s series repeatedly sees its female characters pushing back against the patriarchal power system they’re operating in. Cersei’s desire for the Iron Throne stems from the wish to prove herself to her father, who views her as inferior to her brothers, as well as the need to control her own circumstances. Cersei makes for a more interesting contrast to Daenerys and Sansa than Jaime would have, and Jaime’s disinterest in the Iron Throne makes him more intriguing as well.
Martin has a tendency to subvert expectations in his books, and the final characterizations of Cersei and Jaime buck common archetypes.
Martin has a tendency to subvert expectations in his books, and the final characterizations of Cersei and Jaime buck common archetypes. Having a feminine character who’s raised for a traditional role morph into a cutthroat political player works for his story. Likewise, someone raised in Jaime’s position should be interested in obtaining a high position or sitting on the Iron Throne. However, the fact that Jaime doesn’t wish to pursue such things adds layers to his character.
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It’s unclear if Jaime’s backstory was the same in Martin’s originalGame of Thronesplan, buthaving him kill the Mad King wouldn’t have made sense with his actions later on, either. If Jaime was truly interested in the Iron Throne, he could have claimed it well before Joffrey died — and probably without killing the whole line of succession, as theoutcome of Robert’s Rebellionwasn’t decided by blood as much as it was decided by Robert’s victories and influence.
Overlooking Cersei’s Role In The Original Game Of Thrones Plan Would Have Been A Mistake
It’s Not Clear If Cersei Existed Or What She Would Have Done In The First Outline
In addition to making more sense within the context of Martin’s story, having Cersei take on Jaime’s role was good for another reason:it made her a more active participant inA Song of Ice and Fire.Cersei wasn’t listed as one of the “key players” in Martin’s initial outline, nor was she referenced as a supporting character. Given that Robert and Joffrey had the same roles in the original setup, one can assume Cersei was around somewhere. However, she was overlooked and less fleshed out, and it’s not clear how she fit into the Lannister family.
Since Cersei would still have been raised in a powerful family alongside Tyrion and Jaime — who would have been worse in Martin’s original version ofASOIAF— it was inevitable she’d be an equally dynamic and complicated character.It wouldn’t have made sense to leave the third Lannister sibling on the sidelines, so it’s a good thing that Martin decided to include her. The fact that he made her worse than both her brothers was simply an added bonus.
Jaime’s Song Of Ice & Fire Story Also Benefited From George R.R. Martin Changing Plans
His Redemption Would Have Been More Difficult With The Original Outline
Jaime Lannister’s character arc also benefitedfrom Martin scrapping his originalSong of Ice and Fireplan, as his redemption wouldn’t have been easy to pull off under the circumstances. Of course, it’s not clear if Jaime would have gotten redemption in Martin’s original story. Even in the current books, he’s still on the way there, while hisGame of Thronescounterpart redeemed himself and regressed already. But given that Jaime’s evolution is one of the strongest elements ofASOIAF,it would be a shame to rob readers of such a surprising turnaround for the character.
Killing the entire line of succession — potentially including Sansa and Joffrey’s child — would also have been harder to forgive than pushing Bran from a tower.
It’s hard to see how such a journey would have fit with him claiming the Iron Throne, and having no relationship with characters like Tyrion or Brienne to guide him would have kept him cruel and power-hungry. Killing the entire line of succession — potentiallyincluding Sansa and Joffrey’s child— would also have been harder to forgive than pushing Bran from a tower. Needless to say, the changes Martin made to his originalGame of Thronesplan worked out for all the Lannisters, enhancing the final picture of them.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones is a multimedia franchise created by George R.R. Martin. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is the basis for the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, which lasted for eight seasons. After the incredibly divisive final season of Game of Thrones, the series was followed up by the prequel series House of the Dragon, which also received critical acclaim.
