Sorry, this got long, but I had to word-vom a bit. This post also isn't trying to discredit any other character's candidacy as Azor Ahai's reincarnation, just my personal argument for Jon.
Lots of folks are real salty about the fact that Jon didn't physically kill the Night King and I don't judge anyone's opinion on that one way or the other but, and correct me if I'm wrong, didn't the infamous prophecy imply that Azor Ahai simply lead his people through the Long Night, with the insinuation that his reincarnation would do the same? As in: lead his people through the Long Night (as relayed by Kinvara, mistakenly believing Dany to be the PTWP)? And didn't Jon Snow do just that? Is there any evidence to suggest that Jon Snow needed to physically kill the Night King in order to fulfill the requirements necessary for "leading" his people in this situation?
As far as I recall, the show never suggested that. And to be clear - I'm going solely off TV canon here considering the show-runners have always admitted that they'd deviate from established book canon when necessary. As wildly cool and different as I'm sure it'll get in the novels, book lore doesn't really apply to the HBO series' version of things.
Anyhow, on top of fitting the bill for many of the known hints in the Azor Ahai prophecy, Jon also:
A) ended longtime rivalries in the North, B) was brought back from the dead by a Red Priestess, C) was able to retake Winterfell off the loyalty he had gained throughout all this, D) regained the loyalty of houses who had soured on the Stark name, E) recruited literally every major player in the Battle of Winterfell to his cause in the nick of time, including... F) the trained assassin who would eventually get the ultimate kill, his "sister" Arya.
If only he had that friggin' fire sword.
I understand lots of factors played into the Battle of Winterfell and that Arya struck the killing blow, but it was still Jon who ultimately lead his people through the Long Night and it was under his command that his soldier, Arya, was able to get in position for the kill in the first place. You wouldn't suggest any real wartime general wasn't the one who "lead" his soldiers through a campaign solely because he wasn't the one to get the most important physical kill in battle after all, right?
And not for nothing, but I sort of feel like the threat of a new "Mad" Targaryen who had already conquered almost half the known world before taking Westeros and then threatening to continue her crusade was just as dangerous a threat, all things considered. It came down to either the Night King taking over the world or a blatantly insane Targaryen taking over the world. Either scenario could be considered "Long Night" material in my opinion, and both were remedied by Jon Snow one way or the other. He wasn't the only person who could get close to the Night King, so he lead a campaign that resulted in someone else getting the kill. He was the only person who was able to get close enough to Dany, and thus personally took care of that situation when the opportunity presented itself.
Dude saved the world in what seemed to be the darkest days one way or the other any way you shake it, is my point.
TL;DR, there's really no side-stepping the fact that Jon ultimately was the man who lead his people through the TV show's version of the Long Night (even despite not getting the final kill) and then became the man who stifled the threat of a just-as-dangerous Mad Targaryen to avoid a worldwide dictatorship. All things taken into account, I think he can be considered the Prince That Was Promised for the TV show at the end of the day.
Submitted May 19, 2021 at 04:09AM by theJaww https://ift.tt/33Wru0W
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