HBO dropped the anniversary teaser on April 1, marking 15 years since Game of Thrones first brought Westeros to television screens, a television franchise bigger than ever with spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and prequel House of the Dragon. Fifteen years is a big milestone for a show that changed television, but it also leaves threads difficult to unsee. Here are 5 plotlines from the greatest show on television that remain unresolved.
The King who never was
Jon Snow’s true identity as Aegon Targaryen, heir to the Iron Throne, was the show's carefully constructed secret. Years of storytelling, buildups, seasons of hints, whispers, and dramatic reveals built toward something that never arrived. He had the name, the blood, and the birthright — yet no throne was claimed. Instead, the man who could have been king was quietly exiled beyond the Wall, back to the world he had already given his life for once before.
The monster with no motive
The Night King was a scary, unstoppable force, an ancient evil that had been building since the very first scene of the show. But a disappointing villain, the show never bothered to explain what he actually wanted or why he marched south after thousands of years of silence. He was presented as an apocalypse-level threat; his death at Arya’s hands was surprising. No answers. No last words. Just gone.
A messiah with no purpose
Tied directly to this was the prophecy of Azor Ahai — the Prince that was promised — the messiah that Melisandre and the followers of the Lord of Light had staked everything on. This was meant to be the chosen one, destined to defeat the darkness and save the living. However, after Arya killed the Night King, all that careful buildup simply collapsed. An entire religious mythology, years of prophecy and sacrifice, abandoned without a second glance.
The King who knew everything and did nothing
Bran Stark became King of the Six Kingdoms almost out of nowhere, a boy who had long since let go of his human emotions and sense of self. His powers as the Three-Eyed Raven were never fully explained — it was never made clear whether he could actually change the past or whether he had simply been nudging events that were always meant to happen. He sat in his wheelchair and watched the world burn around him, and you are left wondering — did he always know it would end this way, and if so, why didn’t he do more?
The last dragon’s farewell
Drogon flew east, carrying Daenerys’ body and vanished forever into the unknown. Of all the show’s loose ends, this one feels the most quietly heartbreaking. No explanation was ever given, no destination revealed. One popular theory suggests that Drogon carried her east to Old Valyria — the ancient Targaryen homeland — to give her a traditional funeral, letting fire return her to the place where her family’s story truly began. It’s a beautiful idea. The show just never dared to say it.
Fifteen years of Westeros is worth celebrating. Game Of Thrones gave television something it had never seen before. But the mysteries are a reminder that even the greatest shows can leave their audience with more questions than answers.