I think Varys discovered he was Blackfyre after he was castrated. The reason Varys turns to stealing gold and information is because he wanted to find this sorcerer. First he needed to know about blood magic. He found out that the most powerful spells required King's blood. Varys heard a voice call back from the flames, that sounds pretty powerful. Varys finds out he is a bastard Blackfyre, and he tracks down his sister. Illyrio marries his sister to produce this new heir to the Iron Throne. He didn't just happen to Lys and found some rando whore to share his bed. She didn't know she was a Blackfyre anymore than Varys did. Varys has to be noble born for the blood magic. It can't just be a random person for blood magic, that wouldn't get voices from the flames. That sorcerer wanted Varys specifically and paid a very handsome price for him as Varys was a valuable actor. The only reason Varys would have a grander goal than revenge on the sorcerer is if he found a greater purpose. He did when he discovered he was a Blackfyre. Varys helped Illyrio his entire wealth. These two could have retired long ago, but Varys still had a mission which was to find his mutilator. His mission as a boy started off just as getting revenge on this person. But the more information he stole, he began to make more connections. He discovers he is noble born, finds out he is a Blackfyre, finds out he has a sister, concocts a plot with Illyrio. I haven't read the books so this is all based on this video and the TV show.
wouldn't another 'off' detail be that Illyrio marries off Daenerys to the Dothraki who are supposed to invade Westeros when it's common knowledge they are afraid of the sea? being the Dothraki seem more of the spiritual type it doesn't seem like anybody could use logic or money to get them to board a ship i am no expert of GoT, but that little detail always seemed weird to me and it seems like more evidence that Illyrio was using Daenerys and Viserys as a decoy
@@OznerpaGMusiC Illyrio and Varys's plots and strategies are ever changing. This is pointed out in the books.... Lemore: Illyrio could not have been expected to know that the girl would choose to remain at Slaver's Bay. Jon: No more than he knew that the Beggar King would die young, or that Khal Drogo would follow him into the grave. Very little of what the fat man has anticipated has come to pass. I have danced to the fat man's pipes for years, Lemore. Not sure on how they were expecting to get the Dothraki to cross the sea with Viserys, and I don't think they knew the dragon eggs were going to hatch. Varys hates magic and dragons bring magic. So they wasn't expecting Dany to turn into the Mother of Dragons. Varys is now caught in a predicament. They raised Young Griff to be the perfect leader. The Red Priests know he is playing both for and against Dany at the same time, but they don't expose him because he still has a part to play. They know things he does not. Varys is going to choose Team Dany. He is going to learn that educating a leader is different from someone like Dany or Jon Snow who are born to lead, even though one is not only the 2nd born but a woman.... and the other was believed to be a bastard. Starks and Lannisters will have to set aside their differences(Jaime will redeem the family), and the Blackfyres and the Targaryans will have to as well. Varys is going to have to give up on his Blackfyre Rebellion for the good of the Realm, which is what he says he cares about the most. Jon is a Targaryan and he and Dany make the mother of all power couples that the entire Realm will love to serve. Can't just replace them with Young Griff and expect the same results. Those dragons aren't going to serve Young Griff, and neither will the Dothraki and probably not the Unsullied either, and even though Illyrio has a shit ton of wealth.... how many ships could he buy, how many military commanders, how many Golden Company's and 2nd Sons mercenaries? Varys and Illyrio are just going to have to roll with Dany and Jon. Never count your chickens before they are hatched. It's like choosing an egg(Young Griff) over an egg laying hen(Dany). That egg may never hatch and it won't fill your belly. That hen is going to lay 5 eggs a week. Varys is counting Young Griff a chicken when he is still just an egg. Varys ill chose the right side, the Red Priests would have exposed him otherwise.
I don't think varys lead tyrion to kill tywin. Tyrion was just looking for tywin to say goodbye but instead he saw something poisonous in his eyes. Varys himself was shocked when the bell rang indicating the death of the hand and decided to sail with tyrion. So, he was actually gonna stay in king's landing.
You know Martin did say that some of the fan theories are correct I think this might be one of the correct ones. He also said he won't change the story just because some of us got the theories right. No subverting expectation bullshit.
Book: An ingenious, complex plan designed to install a King of their making on the throne, thought out over decades and decades of work, factoring in so much chaos that it is arguable Varys has the highest kill count out of all living characters. Manipulations and machinations that would make LF blush, not realising how much he is actually playing into Varys's plan. Show: Some bald fuck who got toasted for treason.
i think it actually makes sense. he had to take out dany for his plans. jon would have been next or maybe he actually favors jon. he is not a regular targaryen, he was a bastard all his life just like the blackfyres. varys plan failed. anybody can die in got, even little finger and lord varys. maybe the little bird manages to poison dany next episode, since the rings varys took off before the execution might pay her risks. lets see.
The show has from the start excised the other surviving Targaeryen from the plot, which is why Varys' motives in the show have consistently been presented as 'serving the realm' (even though, as this vid shows, it doesn't make much sense how he's gone about doing that). He can't have aspirations to put Aegon on the throne in the show, because Aegon doesn't exist in the show (Jon does, but Varys only learned of his claim a weeks before his death).
Lewis Davidson littlefinger is playing into varys’s plan? You realize that all of the events of the books in Westeros have been orchestrated by littlefinger alone right? Many of those events directly damaged varys’s plan to put aegon on the throne. Not to mention that varys’s plan requires so many arbitrary and unlikely events to happen for his plan to work. Unlike littlefinger, in which he is responsible for everything that he orchestrated and everything is done on purpose without mistake. If you think littlefinger quivers in his shoes at the non existent balls of Varys then you are mistaken my friend. Not to mention that varys’s has repeatedly mentioned how dangerous littlefinger is in the books.
Let's not forget that Varys was born in Lys. A place known for having tons of valyrian bastards and their descendants, to the point that the average lysene person has silver hair, but blue eyes instead of purple. If a Blackfyre was wanting to hide, Lys would be the best place to do it.
Based on Illyrio’s affection for Young Griff, I tend to think Young Griff is his son and Illyrio is the Blackfyre… though Varys is definitely a more Targaryen sounding name.
@@BricksAndSparrows I lean very much towards Varys being the Blackfyre, both because of his name and just how much mystery there is around him. Illyrio, mysterious as he is, has never had any sort of symbolism around him that would indicate he was a Targaryen/Blackfyre, and his backstory is brushed over in a way that indicates to me at least that there really isn't any more to it than what he says. I think he most likely is Griff's father, with his wife having been the Blackfyre, since again the names and appearances line up. Although even then I don't think Varys and Serra were particularly closely related, given Varys' backstory of being left to die on a street probably wouldn't have happened if he had any close family with him, looking out for him (unless he lied about it, which I don't think he did). If they're both Blackfyres, it makes the most sense for them to just be cousins who's goals align, that both incidentally got involved with Illyrio. All that being said, I don't think it ultimately matters, and I don't think we'll ultimately ever know who's a Blackfyre and who isn't. Real Aegon was a baby when he 'died', and AFAIK all characters who would've known him are dead now so even if they could somehow recognise a baby now as a grown adult, there's no one to do it, and introducing some random handmaid of Elia's or something feels out of place this late in the game. Varys or Illyrio having some grand monologue where they reveal "A-ha, Faegon was a Blackfyre all along, as was Serra, and Varys was her brother, and Illyrio married her and is actually Griff's father! Actual Aegon died and he is an impostor! The mummer's dragon! Got you!" is very un-GRRM. I think the 'moral' is that it just matters whether people believe he's a Targaryen or not.
@@CoRLex-jh5vx Right. Illyrio probably isn’t the Blackfyre, but rather Serra. Still, If YG is a Blackfyre, then I’m not sure why it’s even necessary for Varys to be a Blackfyre. I agree Varys sounds Valyrian, but I don’t know if that is enough to convince me he’s a Blackfyre or Targ. GRRM is pretty good about making sure his twists and turns are justified, and that you can look back and find the clues that were there before the reveal. I mention this, because, if Varys supports YG on account of blood, it seems that Varys should be signalling that he values taking care family. And maybe it’s there. Have a missed it? What clues are there that Varys would fight for his family?
@BricksAndSparrows Eh, I think there is evidence for Varys being a Blackfyre. The wizard who castrated him asked for him specifically, and we know there's a whole lot of emphasis on 'Kings blood'. I would be very surprised if Varys really was just some random guy after all the foreshadowing I personally think Varys is there to mostly just get readers hopes up. Like he presents himself as the one guy who's really selfless, just doing it for the people, but at the end of it he's trying to advance his own family just as much as everyone else. Maybe he's able to rationalise it as Faegon being genuinely good for Westeros, but whatever way he thinks of it he's still choosing further bloodshed over just supporting Dany instead. He isn't as pure hearted as he portrays no matter what his secret identity is Unfortunately I do think the whole Varys/Faegon/Illyrio mess is perhaps one of the weaker points of GRRM's writing, since there really is no solution that fully makes sense. None of them would just randomly start monologuing about their "decades long plan because it was only the male line that went extinct remember, Calla Blackfyre something-something, XYZ ETC". With Faegon I think the whole point is that it's SUPPOSED to be a mystery with no resolution, but Varys? There's so many questions and really no solution that answers all of them. He's never once mentioned ANY family members to even hint that he might value upholding a potential Blackfyre legacy, his whole persona is just of him being a nobody. YG being Illyrio and Serra's Blackfyre son makes too much sense but then why does Varys care that much? If he is her brother as some theorise, even just a single line of "I had a sister I loved, she died" would do something, and the fact that we have NOTHING? Idk. I think whatever solution we get to it all won't satisfy the majority
Why there hasn't been a lawsuit thrown at D&D and HBO is beyond me?! Instead of admitting they were way out of their depth with no endgame in mind, they could have easily consulted true bases and experts
What I find better in ASOIAF, is that there's only shades of gray. Not the usual conflict between good and evil, where you know which side will win, but not how. In ASOIAF, no one is wholly good, nor wholly evil. Something the show kind of ruined, when you see characters like Jaime, Cersei, or even Ellaria Sand, being depicted that way.
"Her brother Viserys had once feasted the captains of the Golden Company, in hopes they might take up his cause. They ate his food and heard his pleas and laughed at him." Daenerys III, DwD If they just wanted a "reason to go home" they had it, the only plausible reason they refused Viserys and accepted Aegon is the fact that he is a Blackfyre. (Also, it was this video that got me reading the books, i have already finished, thank you :D)
While I'm inclined to agree with the theory of Aegon being a Blackfyre, this is not necessarily rock solid evidence. Why take a meeting with a Targaryen at all, to get free dinner? It's possible they met with Viserys amd realized (as anyone would) how big a fool he was and what a terrible king he'd make.
@@biggt0820 Well, i dont know why, but we know for a fact they did, but i would bet it was a twisted sense of humour "The descendant of the man who banished our forefathers is banished all the same and begging for our support". We dont know when this happened Viserys could be in a better mental state, and even if he wasnt , he CAN be corteous if he wants. Also, they didnt even meet Young Griff and automatically accepted to support him. Very fishy indeed.
@@tiagocosta5052 you're probably right. Hey, i wonder if Bran is going to sniff out this Blackfyre rebellion like Bloodraven did the one at Whitewalls. Because I don't see Young Griff/Aegon ever taking the Iron Throne. I think control of the Golden Company eventually passes to Jon, who because he was raised as a Snow, is something like a "Targaryen Bastard".
@@biggt0820 I think George will never confirm if Aegon is fake or not, thats up to the reader, but im pretty sure the golden company wont change directions, they will just probably be defeated, not sure by whom, but the battle fronts are joining. Dorne may side with (F)Aegon, the Tyrells and Lannisters will be at eachothers throats but fighting " together"( which will make interesting conflict) and Stannis MAY controll the north and the riverlans might join him after that. So a minimum of 3 kings, Dany will be arriving later and Euron isnt far behind. A Second Battle of the Five Kings is at hand.
Tiago Costa plus a lot of men in the golden company at this point would be random sell swords rather than blackfyre loyalists, most of them won’t see Westeros as “home”
Bro... your cross-referencing in these videoes looks like PhD level work... displayed far more colorfully than a dully printed thesis. Truly enjoy this. Your videos are a reason why I took up reading the books. Cheers, brother!
Ron Shihab same. Finally started the show 3 weeks ago and finished a week ago. Watched a couple of these vids and had to use their code to get the books on audible
Apparently (SPOILERS) he’s gonna die trying to usurp Dany or something in ep 5 or 6; the master of plotting and secrets who manages to outlive his one true rival, Littlefinger, dies because of a slip up. Brilliant stuff D&D.
@@TollNSoul Yes. rushed and contrived. I hope the books do the characters justice. Maybe the show has messed with Martin's head so much that he's starting to question himself.
The last shot in the show will be Varys and Illyrio fist bumping, and then jumping in the air, arms raised in victory, while shouting "Yes!!" Freeze frame, roll credits.
@@user-uq4gr5nl5o obviously not all the details but season 1 and 2 covered the books pretty well. Book 3 however was extremely long and as such split into two seasons. DnD could have easily adapted feast for one season and then dance in 2 like they did with storms. Simple really
The detail of the rusted dragon sign and that the Golden Company supports Young Griff makes it practically conclusive that he is in fact a Blackfyre descendant in my opinion.
Yeah, one of the first rules of literary analysis is that writers never write something without cause, and GRRM definitely had a reason for devoting pages to detailing the backfyre rebellion and it's participants. That history will likely to manifest itself in the actions of one or more major characters as the series unfolds, otherwise, why bother including such detailed backstory about an ancient conflict?
Plus it would be more interesting. I think it kind of makes Dany’s storyline not as good if Aegon was a Targaryen, as Dany is the ‘last’ remnant of House Targaryen, who dreams of restoring the centuries old Dynasty. But if Aegon is a Targ, it’s like ‘don’t worry! If you completely fuck it up, we have a replacement who appeared out of literally nowhere!!!’ It doesn’t make it seem the Dany’s story matters, as if she died there would be Aegon, and even if they fought together and won, she wouldn’t even get the throne because Aegon is Male and that’s how it works in Westeros. But if he is a Blackfyre, then it’s much nicer, especially if it’s like Alt’s theory. Plus the Golden Company fighting for a Targaryen is like Wakanda fighting for the South in the American Civil War.
I think you people need read about Brown Ser Plumm which they never shown in series. He knows he have Targaryen blood in him but doesn't know who his mother just said it Targaryen princess. Tryion says might be two drops of blood than only one.
@@sophiawilson8696 Brown Ben Plumm says he has a drop of dragon blood because he is descended from a Westerosi lord called Ossifer Plumm who married a Targaryen princess called Elaena. Tyrion later says it would be two drops of dragon blood because Ossifer Plumm died on their wedding night but Elaena got pregnant all the same and had a son, leading many to believe that Plumm was not actually the father of her child but King Aegon IV Targaryen, who was known to father bastards all over Westeros and was the father of Daemon Blackfyre. This would mean that Brown Ben Plumm is actually descended from two Targaryens and not just one, hence the two drops of dragon blood. Personally I don't think it goes much beyond him having an interesting background, but hey it's GRR Martin so you never know. Maybe Brown Ben Plumm is the Prince That Was Promised XD
@@captainhobo1234567 Yes, if you go by the Chekov's Gun rule of story-telling, either this Blackfyre theory is more or less correct, or GRRM's wasted dozens of pages talking about an irrelevant rebellion and pointless red herrings with Illyrio.
You know, it never made sense to me that Verys could be so blind to Peter Balish's schemes and deeds. This theory actually supports the notion that Varys knew but it was in his best interest to play dumb since Peter's plans only helped him to destabilize Westeros.
@@concept5631 Varys didn't have specific plans for Baelish, his plans were for the throne. If Baelish' schemes made life easier for Varys then 'Bonus' if not, he could always intervene when he saw that happening.
checkthapain But since he supposedly came from Lys it is very understable Most Lyseni have Valyrian features(Silver-Gold hair, purple eyes) And if anyone saw these features in Westeros most of the people would have thought he was a Targaryen or Blackfyre
Actually, Varys being a eunuch might even tie into this more than we realize. If he was a Blackfyre through the female line, technically, regardless of whether he was older or younger, as a male, he and his children would have a better claim to the throne. But, since he was castrated as a child (maybe the sorcerer knew something about his lineage? something, something, king's blood), he knew that even if he did try to make a claim at the throne, his line would end with him. So, going off the theory that Serra is his sister, and that Aegon/Griff is Illyrio's son and Varys's nephew, perhaps after being castrated, Varys made it his goal in life to ensure that his line would continue through Aegon, since at least his line could continue.
I wouldn't be surprised if BloodRaven was the one that orchestrated Varys' castration and the greyplague that killed Serra with the original plan of the plague killing fAegon with the purpose of stopping a 6th Blackfyre Rebellion before it happens!
@@PedroLucas-mg5je "I was ascended to the 3ER role to stop the ice zombies apocalypse? Lmao who cares. Gonna use my new powers to keep trolling Bittersteel decades after he died"
Didn't faegon almost get greyscale while traveling to Dany but it ended up being just Jon con who got infected I imagine Blood raven is so petty his magic even reached the rhoyne river and tried to end the last backfyre the same way he ended his mother 😂 Now that's a spy master, varys should take notes
Hopefully in 50 - 100 (rip me by then) years they'll remake game of thrones with new technology and a full understanding of the universe and even expand beyond Westeros. It doesn't have to cover everything, it just has to leave hints and pieces to link to everything. Sometimes it's best not to show all.
Varys is GRRM's alter ego. Spends years setting up endless suffering with some hidden agenda that only he knows, then sits back and enjoys the tormenting.
Not Targaryen sounding, foreign sounding. The Targaryen's come from Valyria and Varys from Essos. So it's no wonder they both sound foreign and somewhat similar.
@@CaptainDisappointing But he explained in the video about the theory that Varys is actually a Blackfyre (hence the reason for his motivations to support Aegon). While both him and House Targaryen do come from Essos, it would make more sense that the name "Varys" is more likely inspired by Targaryen/Blackfyre lineage, whether or not it came from Essos culture.
@@CaptainDisappointing targaryen sounding is a good description since its a foreign sounding name and targaryen names are foreign sounding because theyre foreigners compared to the rest of westeros , invaders and what not.
@@gibn1542 Yeah, it would make sense to make that connection if you suspect he has Targ blood. But if you were any person in the ASOIAF universe, you'd probably just shrug off his name as "generically Esossi", especially considering that Varys hasn't been used for any known Targ before.
@@CaptainDisappointing We meet tons of people from Essos and none have as Targaryen sounding name as Varys IMO. Then again, Aegon Frey and Aeron Greyjoy exists so that doesn't really prove anything.
+Geoff Meisner actually some of the fan theories have been proven as the series goes on, like the speculation of the identity of the three eyes crow, so it is probably yes, he does write this shit in purpose.
+peppermint23 indeed. really stupid for the showrunners to ruin littlefinger by having him send sansa to ramsey. In the books he sends them a fake arya which is way more littlefingerish in execution then being reckless with sansa. they basically just dorned the north and made it shit.
+MrWalker1000 The Night's King is the best player in the game lol people don't even believe in his kind except Jon Snow and the northerners. He's the end game. People don't even know what he can do or how to kill him.
Its crazy how dumb and dumber left out Aegon from the story. That single handily ruined so many characters especially Varys. Dorne, The storm lands, Dany. The show is idiotic. "Hey lets just name Jon Aegon even though Rhagar already had a son named Aegon, wouldn't that be cool"?
wally west lyanna stark names him aegon, rhaegar’s other son is called aegon but he is dead at that point in the show continuity. Lyanna presumably never met other aegon either, and if you where a non Targaryen tasked with naming one, what better name to pick than the most popular one? There have been dozens of aegon targaryens in the lore.
Smartest move they made was ignoring the fAegon plotline. Grrrrrrrr MArtin only got away with introducing a major character and major new plotline halfway through the story. It was already overloaded, the show didn't need anther unresolved plotline to bog itself down with.
@@noneofyourbeeswax01 It really wasnt overloaded. And Martin 'got away with' adding characters EXACTLY where they're supposed to be, since its, you know, his story.
@@ctruth6185 In the books Targaryens aren't fireproof. Dany didn't die because it was a magic ritual and it's said that only death can pay for life. Deaths of Drogo,Rhaego and Mirri payed for the lifes of the dragons. Also Dany lost all her hair after that
2:54 One of the most impressive things about Varys is his INCREDIBLE adaptability, he doesn't try hard persuade anyone!! He could be so direct with people and insist they act in a certain way so that his plans follow a straight line but he let's people make mistakes or get in his way and don't interfere, he let's the Wolf and the Lion go at each others throath, he doesn't say to Tyrion "hey stop talking shit, you gonna get yourself killed or hinder our side", he just let's things happens and adapt his plans to the circunstances, and somehow all works in the end. Most of us would be in such a hurry to avoid an interruption of a good plan but he don't, he accepts, let it happen and try to make an unforseen/undesirable situation an advantage not something that would slow him down. He looks AT THE NOW, and try to maximize the objetive reality in front of him. Pretty goddamn impressive.
Xhanatos' Gambit. If you do what I want I win. If you don't, I'm ready, I just add another step. If you then do what I wanted, I win, if you don't, add another step. And the only conclusion possible is that, at some point, whatever choice you have left will benefit me too. The basic example is: 1 If you don't fight me, I'll do what I want and win. 2 If you fight me and I beat you, I'll do what I want and win. 3 If you defeat me, I'll be a martyr and my people will do whay I wanted and win. 4 If you stop my successors, there's somebody else that will do what I wanted while you're occupied and I win. The opposite would be: 1 I tell you my intention to commit treason, if you accept we might loose. 2 If you don't accept, I didn't think this far ahead and now I'm ded.
7:23 I wouldn’t say the War of the Five Kings ends really, but more enters another stage. By the end of Storm, there are still two rebel factions: Stannis and the Ironborn. While the Ironborn are just pillaging, Stannis will continue the War until he dies. By the end of Dance, we have three claimants and the war is heating up again. The War never ended, just burned out a bit and then re ignited
@@PedroLucas-mg5je Nah even if that was in the cards he wouldn't dare to do that now. How you gonna make every one a "yass, slay queen!!" that never does anything wrong? That's one of the reasons why he will never finish. Several of the plot points he obviously set up would cause losers' heads to explode. He's already been getting accused of "muh saxisms" and other such things.
I would argue if you were to talk about it in a historical sense, it would be accurate to say the war is over once 4 of the 5 kings are not really able to challenge the last king for his crown, while not really peaceful due to raiding and fighting, it's certainly an end to the war, and the next time fighting outbreaks it would be a new wat
More than anything else, what i loved about the video is the author, at the very end giving credit to his sources. This is obviously a channel that is hosted because someone is passionate about their content, and not for popularity and personal gain. There are far too many channels out there that beg you to subscribe or like because that is a revenue source for them, but this may be one of those few where material gain is a welcome by product. Thank you for posting this!
Absolutely love how you put this altogether! Several things you mentioned concerning Varys are things I've puzzled over. I knew of the possible connection between him and Serra but never really considered why the Golden Company would risk so much for a "Targaryen" beyond the fact of them being sell swords for hire. A personal connection is a much meatier proposition to ponder. Thanks for giving me a lot to think about. Great job as always!
I always figured that it was just a powergrab. Varys helps Aegon take over Westeros, Illaryio helps Daenaerys takes over Essos, they get married and merge the two continents in one giant empire that they can rule from Dragonstone or something and meanwhile Varys and Illaryio have wormed their way into being their most trusted advisors and therefore the real power behind the throne of the largest empire in present history.
That alone would make a good story, I reckon. People spending years working out what these plotlines are. It's true what they say, GRRM creates a web of plot.
@@angadsingh9314 Tyrion at this stage were very aggressive and very nihilistic he convinced fAegon to invade Westeros without Daenerys as a joke and when he realized fAegon and Jon Connington (Jon got greyscale and he desperate to get fAegon to the Iron Throne ASAP) went along with Tyrion joke he laughed, when he heard about Daenerys through Jorah Mormont, Tyrion don't want to die anymore but instead he want his power back and revenge on all of Westeros, especially Cersei and Jaime he want a personal revenge for both of them, he literally willing to give the ownership of Casterly Rock to one of the Sellsword company if they defect to Daenerys side, he want to see Westeros burn in a Joker fashion and Daenerys shall grant him that wish with steels and fire.
@@longwlenguyen4214 "Invade Westeros or ur a little bitch Aegon" "Aight im on my way there, tell auntie she can marry me in King's Landing" "Wait you actually doing this?"
LOL Now we know! [show]Varys was up to... nothing! He spent 20 years hiding and having Dany groomed, then one episode before the end... ITS JON instead of Dany! So he takes off his rings, powders his crack one last time, and calmly walks before a dragon to burn! Its genius, really! *SMACK* ... Oh... its shit. I see now. I needed that. Also, this spoiler comment is no worse than the story being spoiled completely by the writers.
And it would put Ned and Varys as equals, two broken man who does everything they can to protect their nephews! (And if Daemon was the brother BloodRaven loved and if Jon and FAegon meets and become friends during TWOW and/or ADOS, the two could have a relationship like the one that Daemon and Brynden might have had)
One of the best GoT theory videos on TH-cam hands down. Varys is one of the best characters in the series and I love seeing people try to piece together what he's doing.
Dany: "People think they can outsmart me. Maybe *sniff* maybe. I have yet to meet one who can outsmart dragon breath." HEAVY LAUGH AS DANY BURNS KINGS LANDING Edit: Dany, not 'Dang' haha
In all fairness, if I were king I would use my massive resources to cut the throats of men like Littlefinger and Varys. Their trade is in schemes and persuasion, not armies, and little love them. Imagine how much chaos could have been adverted if Brandon Stark didn't listen to Catlyn and killed Petyr in that duel, or if Robert Baratheon had not spared Varys during the sack of King's Landing. Not justifying the dumb writing, but getting these unreliable chess-masters out of the way may actually be good rulership.
If that "egg" detail is correct then that is insane. George planned that from the very first intro of Varys even before the story of Dunk and Egg was released. I'm convinced he is the greatest writer of all time.
I started reading the books because of your videos. Today I finished Dance, and had to come back to your videos to wrap my head around the epilogue! Thank you for making these videos, they're the reason I still love the world of ASOIAF after season 8. Thank you!
It seems like a lot of people overlook Varys' #1 goal: staying alive. If he has a choice of 1) doing something that furthers his aims but involves dying, or 2) doing something completely contrary to his aims but keeps him alive he will choose 2 every time. Sometimes people don't understand why he does a particular thing and I think, "It's because he doesn't want to get killed, he's got to do it!" Another reason why Varys might do something odd is that he makes a mistake.
Still holding out hope the books do Varys justice and we finally get the scene that confirms that behind it all he was ultimately just like the rest of us, a merman...
As someone who works in television and editing software, I'm really loving mentally dissecting the editing process of making these videos with all the screen shifts and visuals you use. There's so much work that goes into these vids that I bet most folks don't think of.
+Brian Gervais Its a shame considering its one of the most interesting plots at this stage of the story, more so than the Dornish plot which has been butchered by the show.
Ironborns,Dorne and this shit with Young Griff are so pointless in books. 5 books past and we still know nothing of White Walkers (it's just fucking sad the show has shown us more about them).
@@tiaaaron3278 It seems like you have failed to understand what ASOIAF is actually about. It`s not about huge wars or "unnatural creators". As GRRM like to say: "the only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself". That is what ASOIAF is about.
Varys's behaviour to testify against Tyrion is not at all controversial. Varys is smart, and he knew that testifying in Tyrion's favor would not help, since both Tywin and Cersei wanted Tyrion's head on a plate. so, it was the most prudent to "play the ball". secondly, part of Varys's reasoning for wanting Tyrion removed from King's Landing was that he knew Tyrion's value to his cause, and wanted him out of harm's way when Dany or Aegon come back to claim the throne. and lastly, in case everything played out as it was supposed to, and Tyrion got sent to the Wall, i dare say he would have never reached it. little birds would have spirited him away to Essos to Dany or Aegon anyways. So, i see nothing really weird about it.
+bluemoondiadochi I agree. From my point of view, it even seems that Varys is helping Tyrion. As you said, Varys is smart. This also might be a hint towards Tyrion being a targaryen; Varys wouldn't help anyone else, right?
+trhj45uotsryegf4y5rstg well, i wouldn't go as far to say that Varys helps ONLY Targaryans - he helps those whom he deems useful, and those he has affection and/or appreciation for. It might be that he suspects Tyrion to be mad king's bastard son (after all, he was on court and can do 2 + 2), and is just silent about it. but i wouldn't really point this as a sole (or even a major) reason for helping Tyrion. i think the major motives are more in line with Varys's own practical, scheming nature. first, yes, he clearly considers Tyrion an outstanding person and appreciation for him is clear. but more importantly, i think he considers Tyrion an useful person whose talents go hand in hand with his (Varys's) grand scheme. I think these were the main motives for saving him, rather than just (questionable) Targaryan bloodline.
@@marwanali4878 Also no House Celtigar or Velaryon other houses with Valyrian decent. And about 100+ other houses left out because it was too complex to fit in.
I'll be honest, this peeled my head open like an orange and did all kinds of things to my brain, but the hell if I could stop watching it. Subbed for sure
@@leedonghae668 He's Lysene, almost every Lysene character described in the books has valyrian features including the purple eyes. I don't think hair color or eye color conclusive for that reason.
@@TommyNir Which also happens to make for a very convenient cover story for a secret Blackfyre. Are we to take the spider's word on his Lysene heritage?
@@hekcis That's fair, Varys is like to lie. Again though, eye and hair color are easy to fake in the near east, I think the circumstantial evidence (him being associated with what is probably a Blackfyre conspiracy) is far more important than the hair and eye color. If Varys is a Blackfyre he's probably a bastard, he's too street wise to have been raised by nobility like Dany or Faegon. I think most of his origin story is true, with some details left out.
@@TommyNir wtf they all have purple eyes and silver hair? So why the fuck are targaryens known for those traits if there’s a whole race of humans like them?
There’s something fitting to the Blackfyre Rebellions leading up to Varys’ plot. After multiple wars, feared despite their failures, it‘s the matrilineal line who achieves the Blackfyre’s goals, without anyone expecting a thing until it’s too late.
I hope screenwriters are also watching these videos to have more insight about the plot and characters, because season 7 has been going really bad. It is not even Game of Thrones anymore. It is more like Adventures of Jon and Dany
Kerem gürbey that’s all the show will come to tbh. Sadly the show just picked up parts of the book but failed to see the vast world GRRM created and would create thus they just made a Hollywood version of it. Still tho the books will always be there and be 1,000,000 time better... like always lol
@@joker_views True, I'm just scared they'll fuck up everything but replicate the ending 100%, thus meaning it'll have managed to painfully divert from the book and spoil its ending at the same time. I really hope the ending differs in the books.
It would also explain his "little birds", they aren't birds, they are fish! He's using fish in all the waterways to convey secrets back to him - and flying fish for drone coverage!
I've definitely believed this for a while. Partially because, as you pointed out too, it's so emotional and rooted in character. That fits the way George RR Martin likes to write things perfectly. I can just imagine Varys as a child, born as part of the female line of Blackfyres with only his sister. On the streets, being abused and finding solace only with his beloved sister. Maybe when he's cut his sister is even the one that nurses him so he can survive the event. Eventually he befriends a man, Illyrio, and they become best friends and help each other (like no person other than his sister had helped him before). Not only that, but since Serra is always near Varys due to their close bond and Varys is now constantly near Illyrio, Illyrio falls in love with Serra as well. Eventually they have a child and as Varys and Illyrio rise to power they all three talk about what was stolen from them, what they wish to regain. And so they set out to scheme and plan and when Serra dies of greyscale, both Varys and Illyrio mourn her and they come closer together than ever. They seek to put her own son, their own blood, on the throne and regain everything their family had lost. That's an oddly beautiful story really, albeit amidst death and destruction (as they cause). So in other words, A Song of Ice and Fire in a nutshell.
So beautiful, this theory NEEDS to be Canon! (And it would be cool if, unlike Joffrey who for all his life believed to be Robert's son, fAegon knows he's a Blackfyre, but is pretending to be a Targaryen to not get himself killed)
If there was a Blackfyre boy after Maelys Golden company would've taken him in and raised him, don't you think? There were clearly NO Blackfyre boys between the time Maelys died and Aegon was born, otherwise they would've made their move during Robert's rebellion
This theory sounds incredibly likely. Damn... Makes me realize just how pointless Varys was in the show. Young Griff should not have been axed from the show.
Not even that You could prolly do this if you substitute Aegon for Dany somehow It’s absolutely the spiciest thing you coul have done but it’d be interesting and could justify why Dany eventually snaps
+Sybille Stahl I would say because it is way too confusing and complex to put into the show... They may still add stuff like this but I would doubt it. I really want the show version to not have Dany win the Iron Throne at the end though, so I would happy with this.
+Sybille Stahl With only 10 hours per year they have to pick and choose. Even if they doubled the length of the show each year they'd still have to leave plots unmentioned.
+Sybille Stahl Just not yet, don't be like though edgy triggered fanboy like Mud Hut there are no rule binding this season 5 has to have exactly contents as that book 5 .3 seasons and 2 books left to finish, plenty of space to add Aegon's plot and other plot in And i don't thinks show gonna different much from the books. They have already changed many things,from big to small details in other seasons and it was still smooth.Two last books are not out yet, we got no clue how s5's changes going to make any difference and how much that difference is going to affect the overall story. Beside,standing alone, the show is still good (unless for some hipster with book over-obsession). So care less and enjoy more
I really like this theory. And the whole idea of him being used in a magic ritual because he has kingsblood, that reminds me of the very specific way that Melisandre leeched blood from Gendry.
After hearing all this, Young Griff being a Blackfyre descendant makes too much sense to not be true. Especially considering everything we know about the Golden company indicates that it wouldn't make sense for them to support a Targaryen unless they know that the dragon they're following is actually black and not red. It would also add so much context to Varys because yeah, "I serve the realm", not buying that, not from a master manipulator like him. There has to be a grand scheme, some sort of big goal he's working towards, and him and Illyrio doing it out of affection for "Young Griff" and his Blackfyre mother sounds really plausible to me.
This is what I love about GRRM's ASOIAF. it's like life. you don't realise that there's a grand conspiracy at work while it's happening but when you look back, put it all together, you realise how it all is connected and how it changes the meanings of few events you thought that were just happening.
I always hated how unresolved the plotline of Varys being cut by a sorcerer. First time I saw that scene, I immediately thought of Melissandre's "sacrifices that need king's blood". The show just brushed it off, but knowing GRRM, there is surely more to it.
And it would've make sense if BloodRaven was the one that orchestrated Varys' castration and the greyplague that killed Serra in order to stop a 6th Blackfyre Rebellion!
I never thought of the “king’s blood” angle. Why else would the sorcerer want to buy Varys in particular? Surely the price would have been higher than grabbing some poor urchin off the street due to the time and money invested in Varys by the mummer’s troop.
What makes you think the sorcerer story is true? If it is, then the sorcerer just let him go? If the boy's junk can do that, then what would the body of the entire boy be able to do? Why let him go? Also, where did this sorcerer come from? Where did he go? What ties did he have to any other groups? You think the master of secrets across two continents couldn't figure this out? More likely that he is a fabrication. Varys might actually be cut, sure, but who did it and for what purpose? What if Varys himself did it as a way of gaining power or communication with the Night King? It also could have been a van Gogh self mutilation over a girl (his sister?) and then it was thrown into the fire. Could even be that it was a dare to throw his precious into the fire to prove that "fire cannot harm the Dragon" only to have it backfire badly.
for years I've ignored this theory because I wanted Young Griff to be the real Aegon SO badly but this video has changed my mind it just makes so much sense! and I suddenly feel so many feelings towards Varys
aw, man--your vidios and commentaries always remind me that the books are worth a re-read once in a while. I've (lazily) kind of shunted them into the back of my head while the TV series has been ending, and I forget how rich GRRM's world really is. Varys has always been one of my favorite characters--and one of the very few whose on-screen incarnation is so good that I can't read the books without picturing the Conleth Hill and his wonderful gestureds and impeccable comic timing;, because he makes Vary's sliminess appealng for me. When I watch the show, I can't wait to see what he'll do next--even if I've seen and read it before and know what the character is going to do. They also make me wish he would finish up the bloody books. I have seriousl doubts that he will, but a girl can dream.
I love how you're able to not only say what the theory is, and why it might be true, but also what it would add to the story, and how it might fit the overall themes.
I kind of regret watching this video. Varys was always my favorite character in the show ever since season 1 cuz you never knew what he was up to. He was smart, possibly deceiving and mysterious. This video kind of shed light on explaining the character and his possible motives (really amazing job btw) and now I just hope you are entirely wrong and there is an even more grand plan in the workings of Varys.
I already subscribed but, I just want to say that I ve seen almost all of your GOT videos and I really appreciate them. While I already kinda knew most of the info you go over in your videos, the way you explain it really helps in clarifying everything and streamlining my memory. And when you start theorizing, it is always "backed up" with info you had previously stated. Great job, thanks again!
Awesome, Varys is my favourite character. I think Conleth Hill does a great job on the show as well, he does great deadpan comedy (especially when talking to Cersei in S1-3)
I think you oversee something important. Varys undermines what initially looks like peaceful thronekeepers, but beneath there's clearly brewing problems that will throw the realm into dark times again. Like Tommen, who's easily manipulated by the people around him, with the cause of the Lannisters, who plans to invade the north etc. Westeros would maybe get peace for 10-20 years, but not several decades or centuries. And they certainly wouldn't have much of an impact outside of Westeros. Varys wants a very powerful king who's able to make sacrifices for the greater good. However, he's one of the few, and probably the only legitimate link to Blackfyre. So that sort of makes sense. It's going to be interesting to see in the last season. It's a shame they're not keeping it going for more seasons!
God this makes so much more sense than the "for the realm" Varys of the show. I could never make sense of his motives. However the only thing that doesn't make sense with this theory is why would Ilyrio give Dany the Dragon eggs? Even if he never dreamed they would hatch, why give something so valuable to someone you don't intend to conquer?
I was so disappointed the show dropped so much of this. I wanted to see the epic return on screen of Varys, after being gone for a couple seasons, to kill Kevan and Pycelle.
And when GOT is over, HBO will birth a prequel series: "My Two Dads" - Starring Illyrio Mopatis, Varys Blackfyre and Aegon Blackfyre. Special guest star Jon Connington as Mr. Mom.
@@michaelhenry3234 well sure. but that doesn't mean they have to turn a great show. which it was. into this pile of nonsense. seriously, the stupidity of the long night made literally angry. it is one thing that the books are better. but it is another thing that the show since season 7 was pure garbage.
@@sam-psonsmith9951 Yeah, but the show had been fairly shitty since season 5. Hell, cracks were showing since season 4. So I'm just saying it's not like the show magically got worse. The showrunners stopped caring once the Red Wedding happened, as that was the only part they actually wanted to adapt. They never cared about AFFC or ADWD.
Seriously man, I screamed fangirl-like when I saw you uploaded a new video. An it was about blackfyres. #TeamAegon4Life I never fully believed that my beloved Aegon was a Blackfyre until I saw this video, you are awesome man
The funniest thing of all of this is that the Targaryen line could be the actual bastards while the Blackfyres are the true "Targaryens" so to speak which adds another piece of comical tragedy to all of this.
@@drishyam272 For the reason why Blackfyres claim to be the true Targaryen, it is possible that Daeron was a bastard, not born of the king but of one Aemon the Dragonknight (brother of the King) and his wife Naerys, worth noting that Aemon slew a person in trial by combat who accused her of adultery. Aegon IV was adamant about it, which is what led to him legitimizing his "true children".
@@drishyam272 Not all, just the ones descended from Daeron II (if he's the son of Aemon the Dragonknight and not the son of the king, Aegon IV). It's a theory. Aegon IV was the one who started spreading this rumour.
@@sophiawilson8696 I thought so to at first when reading what LGGT wrote, but Aegon IV legitimized *his* bastards. A bastard of Aemon and Naerys wouldn't fall under the jurisdiction of "bastard child of Aegon," either which way. Not saying I believe this theory - just that it isn't so easily solvable.
The Aegon Targaryen in this video is not Jon Snow! This Aegon is a book-only character, called "Young Griff".
I think Varys discovered he was Blackfyre after he was castrated.
The reason Varys turns to stealing gold and information is because he wanted to find this sorcerer.
First he needed to know about blood magic.
He found out that the most powerful spells required King's blood.
Varys heard a voice call back from the flames, that sounds pretty powerful.
Varys finds out he is a bastard Blackfyre, and he tracks down his sister.
Illyrio marries his sister to produce this new heir to the Iron Throne.
He didn't just happen to Lys and found some rando whore to share his bed.
She didn't know she was a Blackfyre anymore than Varys did.
Varys has to be noble born for the blood magic.
It can't just be a random person for blood magic, that wouldn't get voices from the flames.
That sorcerer wanted Varys specifically and paid a very handsome price for him as Varys was a valuable actor.
The only reason Varys would have a grander goal than revenge on the sorcerer is if he found a greater purpose.
He did when he discovered he was a Blackfyre.
Varys helped Illyrio his entire wealth.
These two could have retired long ago, but Varys still had a mission which was to find his mutilator.
His mission as a boy started off just as getting revenge on this person.
But the more information he stole, he began to make more connections.
He discovers he is noble born, finds out he is a Blackfyre, finds out he has a sister, concocts a plot with Illyrio.
I haven't read the books so this is all based on this video and the TV show.
wouldn't another 'off' detail be that Illyrio marries off Daenerys to the Dothraki who are supposed to invade Westeros when it's common knowledge they are afraid of the sea? being the Dothraki seem more of the spiritual type it doesn't seem like anybody could use logic or money to get them to board a ship
i am no expert of GoT, but that little detail always seemed weird to me and it seems like more evidence that Illyrio was using Daenerys and Viserys as a decoy
@@OznerpaGMusiC Illyrio and Varys's plots and strategies are ever changing. This is pointed out in the books....
Lemore: Illyrio could not have been expected to know that the girl would choose to remain at Slaver's Bay.
Jon: No more than he knew that the Beggar King would die young, or that Khal Drogo would follow him into the grave. Very little of what the fat man has anticipated has come to pass. I have danced to the fat man's pipes for years, Lemore.
Not sure on how they were expecting to get the Dothraki to cross the sea with Viserys, and I don't think they knew the dragon eggs were going to hatch. Varys hates magic and dragons bring magic. So they wasn't expecting Dany to turn into the Mother of Dragons.
Varys is now caught in a predicament. They raised Young Griff to be the perfect leader. The Red Priests know he is playing both for and against Dany at the same time, but they don't expose him because he still has a part to play. They know things he does not. Varys is going to choose Team Dany. He is going to learn that educating a leader is different from someone like Dany or Jon Snow who are born to lead, even though one is not only the 2nd born but a woman.... and the other was believed to be a bastard.
Starks and Lannisters will have to set aside their differences(Jaime will redeem the family), and the Blackfyres and the Targaryans will have to as well. Varys is going to have to give up on his Blackfyre Rebellion for the good of the Realm, which is what he says he cares about the most. Jon is a Targaryan and he and Dany make the mother of all power couples that the entire Realm will love to serve. Can't just replace them with Young Griff and expect the same results. Those dragons aren't going to serve Young Griff, and neither will the Dothraki and probably not the Unsullied either, and even though Illyrio has a shit ton of wealth.... how many ships could he buy, how many military commanders, how many Golden Company's and 2nd Sons mercenaries?
Varys and Illyrio are just going to have to roll with Dany and Jon. Never count your chickens before they are hatched. It's like choosing an egg(Young Griff) over an egg laying hen(Dany). That egg may never hatch and it won't fill your belly. That hen is going to lay 5 eggs a week. Varys is counting Young Griff a chicken when he is still just an egg. Varys ill chose the right side, the Red Priests would have exposed him otherwise.
Blackfyre*** ;)
I don't think varys lead tyrion to kill tywin. Tyrion was just looking for tywin to say goodbye but instead he saw something poisonous in his eyes. Varys himself was shocked when the bell rang indicating the death of the hand and decided to sail with tyrion. So, he was actually gonna stay in king's landing.
Book Varys: Master schemer
Show Varys: Goes to Jon in broad daylight "ayy my boi wanna commit treason?"
thats on D&D
with some dude near from them
I mean he knew Jon wasn’t gonna say anything, and he didn’t
Jon looks at him hard "Don't mess with mah queen!!!" Despite the fact he stabs her to death later lol.
@doug dimidome yeah that's why we all love the first seasons.
Varys: HEY JON WANNA COMMIT TREASON!!!
Jon: No....shes muh queen
Varys: oh, guess I'll die
Varys: HEY TYRION HOW 'BOUT YOU???
Tyrion: No....she's muh queen too
Varys: oh, guess I really will die
ah dun wunnit
The Master of Whispers, everyone.
Master schemer
@@무군 ah neva av
You know Martin did say that some of the fan theories are correct I think this might be one of the correct ones. He also said he won't change the story just because some of us got the theories right. No subverting expectation bullshit.
Get LIT bless him for that
But he doesnt like fan theories nor does he read them
@@guillermocarrillo8377 I thought he said he doesn't like fan Fiction, which is not the same thing
@@markusendresen9172 some of the "theories" are almost fan fic, u could argue that the show was fan fic when it steered away from the books.
@@guillermocarrillo8377 when you put it that way, it makes sense.
Book: An ingenious, complex plan designed to install a King of their making on the throne, thought out over decades and decades of work, factoring in so much chaos that it is arguable Varys has the highest kill count out of all living characters. Manipulations and machinations that would make LF blush, not realising how much he is actually playing into Varys's plan.
Show: Some bald fuck who got toasted for treason.
Dumb & Dumber are to be blamed
i think it actually makes sense. he had to take out dany for his plans. jon would have been next or maybe he actually favors jon. he is not a regular targaryen, he was a bastard all his life just like the blackfyres.
varys plan failed. anybody can die in got, even little finger and lord varys.
maybe the little bird manages to poison dany next episode, since the rings varys took off before the execution might pay her risks. lets see.
The show has from the start excised the other surviving Targaeryen from the plot, which is why Varys' motives in the show have consistently been presented as 'serving the realm' (even though, as this vid shows, it doesn't make much sense how he's gone about doing that). He can't have aspirations to put Aegon on the throne in the show, because Aegon doesn't exist in the show (Jon does, but Varys only learned of his claim a weeks before his death).
The books kinda makes more sense of Varys ultimate plans that his been doing for more then decades.
Lewis Davidson littlefinger is playing into varys’s plan? You realize that all of the events of the books in Westeros have been orchestrated by littlefinger alone right? Many of those events directly damaged varys’s plan to put aegon on the throne. Not to mention that varys’s plan requires so many arbitrary and unlikely events to happen for his plan to work. Unlike littlefinger, in which he is responsible for everything that he orchestrated and everything is done on purpose without mistake. If you think littlefinger quivers in his shoes at the non existent balls of Varys then you are mistaken my friend. Not to mention that varys’s has repeatedly mentioned how dangerous littlefinger is in the books.
Let's not forget that Varys was born in Lys. A place known for having tons of valyrian bastards and their descendants, to the point that the average lysene person has silver hair, but blue eyes instead of purple. If a Blackfyre was wanting to hide, Lys would be the best place to do it.
Ans we know from Dunk and egg depending on the lighting purple eyes can look blue
Based on Illyrio’s affection for Young Griff, I tend to think Young Griff is his son and Illyrio is the Blackfyre… though Varys is definitely a more Targaryen sounding name.
@@BricksAndSparrows I lean very much towards Varys being the Blackfyre, both because of his name and just how much mystery there is around him. Illyrio, mysterious as he is, has never had any sort of symbolism around him that would indicate he was a Targaryen/Blackfyre, and his backstory is brushed over in a way that indicates to me at least that there really isn't any more to it than what he says. I think he most likely is Griff's father, with his wife having been the Blackfyre, since again the names and appearances line up.
Although even then I don't think Varys and Serra were particularly closely related, given Varys' backstory of being left to die on a street probably wouldn't have happened if he had any close family with him, looking out for him (unless he lied about it, which I don't think he did). If they're both Blackfyres, it makes the most sense for them to just be cousins who's goals align, that both incidentally got involved with Illyrio.
All that being said, I don't think it ultimately matters, and I don't think we'll ultimately ever know who's a Blackfyre and who isn't. Real Aegon was a baby when he 'died', and AFAIK all characters who would've known him are dead now so even if they could somehow recognise a baby now as a grown adult, there's no one to do it, and introducing some random handmaid of Elia's or something feels out of place this late in the game. Varys or Illyrio having some grand monologue where they reveal "A-ha, Faegon was a Blackfyre all along, as was Serra, and Varys was her brother, and Illyrio married her and is actually Griff's father! Actual Aegon died and he is an impostor! The mummer's dragon! Got you!" is very un-GRRM. I think the 'moral' is that it just matters whether people believe he's a Targaryen or not.
@@CoRLex-jh5vx Right. Illyrio probably isn’t the Blackfyre, but rather Serra. Still, If YG is a Blackfyre, then I’m not sure why it’s even necessary for Varys to be a Blackfyre. I agree Varys sounds Valyrian, but I don’t know if that is enough to convince me he’s a Blackfyre or Targ.
GRRM is pretty good about making sure his twists and turns are justified, and that you can look back and find the clues that were there before the reveal. I mention this, because, if Varys supports YG on account of blood, it seems that Varys should be signalling that he values taking care family. And maybe it’s there. Have a missed it? What clues are there that Varys would fight for his family?
@BricksAndSparrows Eh, I think there is evidence for Varys being a Blackfyre. The wizard who castrated him asked for him specifically, and we know there's a whole lot of emphasis on 'Kings blood'. I would be very surprised if Varys really was just some random guy after all the foreshadowing
I personally think Varys is there to mostly just get readers hopes up. Like he presents himself as the one guy who's really selfless, just doing it for the people, but at the end of it he's trying to advance his own family just as much as everyone else. Maybe he's able to rationalise it as Faegon being genuinely good for Westeros, but whatever way he thinks of it he's still choosing further bloodshed over just supporting Dany instead. He isn't as pure hearted as he portrays no matter what his secret identity is
Unfortunately I do think the whole Varys/Faegon/Illyrio mess is perhaps one of the weaker points of GRRM's writing, since there really is no solution that fully makes sense. None of them would just randomly start monologuing about their "decades long plan because it was only the male line that went extinct remember, Calla Blackfyre something-something, XYZ ETC". With Faegon I think the whole point is that it's SUPPOSED to be a mystery with no resolution, but Varys? There's so many questions and really no solution that answers all of them. He's never once mentioned ANY family members to even hint that he might value upholding a potential Blackfyre legacy, his whole persona is just of him being a nobody. YG being Illyrio and Serra's Blackfyre son makes too much sense but then why does Varys care that much? If he is her brother as some theorise, even just a single line of "I had a sister I loved, she died" would do something, and the fact that we have NOTHING? Idk. I think whatever solution we get to it all won't satisfy the majority
What’s he up to? About 1100 degrees Fahrenheit ....
What a BURN...eh eh. I'll show myself out.
Lmfao
Roasted
RIP Varys
Actually calculations put Drogon's fire between 2800 - 3100+ Fahrenheit.
Conleth Hill deserved better. Him being disgusted with his character’s absurd fate, and what the show became, made me love him so much more.
Why there hasn't been a lawsuit thrown at D&D and HBO is beyond me?! Instead of admitting they were way out of their depth with no endgame in mind, they could have easily consulted true bases and experts
@@elscruffomcscruffy8371what here warrants a lawsuit?
Hard to believe that one man can create such a huge world with a rich complicated history.
Tolkien was first
What I find better in ASOIAF, is that there's only shades of gray. Not the usual conflict between good and evil, where you know which side will win, but not how. In ASOIAF, no one is wholly good, nor wholly evil. Something the show kind of ruined, when you see characters like Jaime, Cersei, or even Ellaria Sand, being depicted that way.
Which George RR credits as an influence to him, but I feel George's world is much bigger, more complex and ultimately richer.
+jon Q kinda, but it's only in books and a TV series. Lord of the rings is in so many things
+Jason So? That's the media, not the world.
"Her brother Viserys had once feasted the captains of the Golden Company, in hopes they might take up his cause. They ate his food and heard his pleas and laughed at him." Daenerys III, DwD
If they just wanted a "reason to go home" they had it, the only plausible reason they refused Viserys and accepted Aegon is the fact that he is a Blackfyre.
(Also, it was this video that got me reading the books, i have already finished, thank you :D)
While I'm inclined to agree with the theory of Aegon being a Blackfyre, this is not necessarily rock solid evidence. Why take a meeting with a Targaryen at all, to get free dinner? It's possible they met with Viserys amd realized (as anyone would) how big a fool he was and what a terrible king he'd make.
@@biggt0820 Well, i dont know why, but we know for a fact they did, but i would bet it was a twisted sense of humour "The descendant of the man who banished our forefathers is banished all the same and begging for our support". We dont know when this happened Viserys could be in a better mental state, and even if he wasnt , he CAN be corteous if he wants. Also, they didnt even meet Young Griff and automatically accepted to support him. Very fishy indeed.
@@tiagocosta5052 you're probably right. Hey, i wonder if Bran is going to sniff out this Blackfyre rebellion like Bloodraven did the one at Whitewalls. Because I don't see Young Griff/Aegon ever taking the Iron Throne. I think control of the Golden Company eventually passes to Jon, who because he was raised as a Snow, is something like a "Targaryen Bastard".
@@biggt0820 I think George will never confirm if Aegon is fake or not, thats up to the reader, but im pretty sure the golden company wont change directions, they will just probably be defeated, not sure by whom, but the battle fronts are joining. Dorne may side with (F)Aegon, the Tyrells and Lannisters will be at eachothers throats but fighting " together"( which will make interesting conflict) and Stannis MAY controll the north and the riverlans might join him after that. So a minimum of 3 kings, Dany will be arriving later and Euron isnt far behind. A Second Battle of the Five Kings is at hand.
Tiago Costa plus a lot of men in the golden company at this point would be random sell swords rather than blackfyre loyalists, most of them won’t see Westeros as “home”
Bro... your cross-referencing in these videoes looks like PhD level work... displayed far more colorfully than a dully printed thesis. Truly enjoy this. Your videos are a reason why I took up reading the books. Cheers, brother!
Ron Shihab same. Finally started the show 3 weeks ago and finished a week ago. Watched a couple of these vids and had to use their code to get the books on audible
Literally same
Ron! Me too, homeboy! This guy's the muhfukkin bidniss
I always thought it looked like the power-point version of the corkboard with red yarn method...
But not in a bad way mind. In a stylish way.
I love how "A promise-me-Ned sort of situation" is now an actual expression.
I mean many women die during childbirth in olden days
So the show completely crippled varis' storyline. Gotcha.
True
Apparently (SPOILERS) he’s gonna die trying to usurp Dany or something in ep 5 or 6; the master of plotting and secrets who manages to outlive his one true rival, Littlefinger, dies because of a slip up. Brilliant stuff D&D.
@@brandon8045And Littlefinger had a stupid death as well.
@@brandon8045 its utterly banal and an insult ot our intelligence but we stopped taking the show as canon long ago.
@@TollNSoul Yes. rushed and contrived. I hope the books do the characters justice.
Maybe the show has messed with Martin's head so much that he's starting to question himself.
Varys: Chaos is a ladder..
Littlefinger: Hey, wait a minute..
And unfortunately Bran was the best climber in Westeros
@@wadecooper5540 That deserves more attention
Chaos is a wheelchair accessible ramp
@@thewerdna nice
@@thewerdna Caos is Theons cock
okay that's it i am going to start to read the books ,
Did you?
same, i started reading them mostly because of this channel :) i'm halfway through ACOK
YoshiLover420 welcome to the family
@@JohnDoe-zj5dj he's still reading them, they're pretty big
Adam Williams 2 years is more than enough time for 5 books
The last shot in the show will be Varys and Illyrio fist bumping, and then jumping in the air, arms raised in victory, while shouting "Yes!!" Freeze frame, roll credits.
+Mickey Bitsko that's so very hollywood
Yes this should totally happen!
This should be the top comment
With Little finger moping in the background
That's so very on point for the Dorne episodes writers.
"But in the books it's more complex"
Who would've thought
Yeah, who would have thought that thousand page books might be able to delve deeper into stories than shows with hour long episodes.
@@user-uq4gr5nl5o make more seasons? Lol
@@olofacosta3192 Sure, maybe if they made 150 seasons the might approach the level of detail the books have. Great plan, dude
@@user-uq4gr5nl5o obviously not all the details but season 1 and 2 covered the books pretty well. Book 3 however was extremely long and as such split into two seasons. DnD could have easily adapted feast for one season and then dance in 2 like they did with storms. Simple really
@@olofacosta3192 GRRM mentioned he would prefer 12 seasons.
The detail of the rusted dragon sign and that the Golden Company supports Young Griff makes it practically conclusive that he is in fact a Blackfyre descendant in my opinion.
Yeah, one of the first rules of literary analysis is that writers never write something without cause, and GRRM definitely had a reason for devoting pages to detailing the backfyre rebellion and it's participants. That history will likely to manifest itself in the actions of one or more major characters as the series unfolds, otherwise, why bother including such detailed backstory about an ancient conflict?
Plus it would be more interesting. I think it kind of makes Dany’s storyline not as good if Aegon was a Targaryen, as Dany is the ‘last’ remnant of House Targaryen, who dreams of restoring the centuries old Dynasty. But if Aegon is a Targ, it’s like ‘don’t worry! If you completely fuck it up, we have a replacement who appeared out of literally nowhere!!!’ It doesn’t make it seem the Dany’s story matters, as if she died there would be Aegon, and even if they fought together and won, she wouldn’t even get the throne because Aegon is Male and that’s how it works in Westeros.
But if he is a Blackfyre, then it’s much nicer, especially if it’s like Alt’s theory. Plus the Golden Company fighting for a Targaryen is like Wakanda fighting for the South in the American Civil War.
I think you people need read about Brown Ser Plumm which they never shown in series. He knows he have Targaryen blood in him but doesn't know who his mother just said it Targaryen princess. Tryion says might be two drops of blood than only one.
@@sophiawilson8696 Brown Ben Plumm says he has a drop of dragon blood because he is descended from a Westerosi lord called Ossifer Plumm who married a Targaryen princess called Elaena. Tyrion later says it would be two drops of dragon blood because Ossifer Plumm died on their wedding night but Elaena got pregnant all the same and had a son, leading many to believe that Plumm was not actually the father of her child but King Aegon IV Targaryen, who was known to father bastards all over Westeros and was the father of Daemon Blackfyre. This would mean that Brown Ben Plumm is actually descended from two Targaryens and not just one, hence the two drops of dragon blood. Personally I don't think it goes much beyond him having an interesting background, but hey it's GRR Martin so you never know. Maybe Brown Ben Plumm is the Prince That Was Promised XD
@@captainhobo1234567 Yes, if you go by the Chekov's Gun rule of story-telling, either this Blackfyre theory is more or less correct, or GRRM's wasted dozens of pages talking about an irrelevant rebellion and pointless red herrings with Illyrio.
You know, it never made sense to me that Verys could be so blind to Peter Balish's schemes and deeds. This theory actually supports the notion that Varys knew but it was in his best interest to play dumb since Peter's plans only helped him to destabilize Westeros.
So Baelish is unknowingly playing into Varys hand?
@@concept5631 Varys didn't have specific plans for Baelish, his plans were for the throne. If Baelish' schemes made life easier for Varys then 'Bonus' if not, he could always intervene when he saw that happening.
@@concept5631 More like they're both out for themselves and tolerate the other's schemes so long as it benfits them.
Him shaving his head cause he has silver hair just blew my mind lol.
checkthapain But since he supposedly came from Lys it is very understable
Most Lyseni have Valyrian features(Silver-Gold hair, purple eyes)
And if anyone saw these features in Westeros most of the people would have thought he was a Targaryen or Blackfyre
His hair wasn't shaven.
Noriega Yes it is, when people are castrated they don’t go bald
It does sound very plausible.
They should've advised rhaegar,viserys and daenerys to do the same lol
Actually, Varys being a eunuch might even tie into this more than we realize. If he was a Blackfyre through the female line, technically, regardless of whether he was older or younger, as a male, he and his children would have a better claim to the throne. But, since he was castrated as a child (maybe the sorcerer knew something about his lineage? something, something, king's blood), he knew that even if he did try to make a claim at the throne, his line would end with him. So, going off the theory that Serra is his sister, and that Aegon/Griff is Illyrio's son and Varys's nephew, perhaps after being castrated, Varys made it his goal in life to ensure that his line would continue through Aegon, since at least his line could continue.
I wouldn't be surprised if BloodRaven was the one that orchestrated Varys' castration and the greyplague that killed Serra with the original plan of the plague killing fAegon with the purpose of stopping a 6th Blackfyre Rebellion before it happens!
@@PedroLucas-mg5je ngl, shitting on Bittersteel dreams years after his death, is the most Bloodraven thing ever
Eunuchs like blind people probably are not permitted to take the throne, they weren't in our medieval societies.
@@PedroLucas-mg5je "I was ascended to the 3ER role to stop the ice zombies apocalypse? Lmao who cares. Gonna use my new powers to keep trolling Bittersteel decades after he died"
Didn't faegon almost get greyscale while traveling to Dany but it ended up being just Jon con who got infected
I imagine Blood raven is so petty his magic even reached the rhoyne river and tried to end the last backfyre the same way he ended his mother 😂
Now that's a spy master, varys should take notes
I really want a series that is 100000 hours long and covers everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, in the books
Just read the books
I did.... that's why I want.... a show.... that covers everything..... from, guess what, the books.............@@fr33k1o
Figured you did, unfortunately this is probably never happening. Thank god we can use our imagination to create our own movies while reading the books
Hopefully in 50 - 100 (rip me by then) years they'll remake game of thrones with new technology and a full understanding of the universe and even expand beyond Westeros. It doesn't have to cover everything, it just has to leave hints and pieces to link to everything. Sometimes it's best not to show all.
Evan Henderson Yeah that's what I always hope about my favourite movies/series but let's be real we'll all be bitching about the actors lol
Varys is GRRM's alter ego. Spends years setting up endless suffering with some hidden agenda that only he knows, then sits back and enjoys the tormenting.
LLyck Does this mean GRRM doesn't have a dick? South Park was right
God Emperor Stargazer Immasculated perhaps
Varys is a double agent, a two timing agent always wants to see both sides hurt each other in order to see their strength and weaknesses.
Not to mention that “Varys” is an extremely Targaryen sounding name! Fantastic video, my fav or yours yet 👏🏻
Not Targaryen sounding, foreign sounding. The Targaryen's come from Valyria and Varys from Essos. So it's no wonder they both sound foreign and somewhat similar.
@@CaptainDisappointing But he explained in the video about the theory that Varys is actually a Blackfyre (hence the reason for his motivations to support Aegon). While both him and House Targaryen do come from Essos, it would make more sense that the name "Varys" is more likely inspired by Targaryen/Blackfyre lineage, whether or not it came from Essos culture.
@@CaptainDisappointing targaryen sounding is a good description since its a foreign sounding name and targaryen names are foreign sounding because theyre foreigners compared to the rest of westeros , invaders and what not.
@@gibn1542 Yeah, it would make sense to make that connection if you suspect he has Targ blood. But if you were any person in the ASOIAF universe, you'd probably just shrug off his name as "generically Esossi", especially considering that Varys hasn't been used for any known Targ before.
@@CaptainDisappointing We meet tons of people from Essos and none have as Targaryen sounding name as Varys IMO. Then again, Aegon Frey and Aeron Greyjoy exists so that doesn't really prove anything.
Varys being Seera's brother, makes the most sense to me. It explains his unexplainable actions.
Damn. Does George R.R. Martin even know all this shit?
+Geoff Meisner Good question
+Geoff Meisner actually some of the fan theories have been proven as the series goes on, like the speculation of the identity of the three eyes crow, so it is probably yes, he does write this shit in purpose.
+Geoff Meisner which is why the series is so interesting and grrm is being praised as genius by fans.
+RodolphMars I know man, just joking around. Meant it as a compliment to Alt Shift X.
oh apology for my lack of humor lol.
I love how Varys and Littlefinger are the true puppet masters of this whole chess game.
+peppermint23 indeed.
really stupid for the showrunners to ruin littlefinger by having him send sansa to ramsey. In the books he sends them a fake arya which is way more littlefingerish in execution then being reckless with sansa.
they basically just dorned the north and made it shit.
+MrWalker1000 The Night's King is the best player in the game lol people don't even believe in his kind except Jon Snow and the northerners. He's the end game. People don't even know what he can do or how to kill him.
+Kylo Ren The Nigth king is a guy who break the game with an axe.
not chess .. cyvasse
The Boltons for sure knew that that Arya was a fake, and probably Tywin too.
Its crazy how dumb and dumber left out Aegon from the story. That single handily ruined so many characters especially Varys. Dorne, The storm lands, Dany. The show is idiotic. "Hey lets just name Jon Aegon even though Rhagar already had a son named Aegon, wouldn't that be cool"?
wally west I ignore Jon’s Targaryen name. I’ve decided to rename him Aemon.
I was thinking Jacaerys or jahearys
wally west lyanna stark names him aegon, rhaegar’s other son is called aegon but he is dead at that point in the show continuity. Lyanna presumably never met other aegon either, and if you where a non Targaryen tasked with naming one, what better name to pick than the most popular one? There have been dozens of aegon targaryens in the lore.
Smartest move they made was ignoring the fAegon plotline. Grrrrrrrr MArtin only got away with introducing a major character and major new plotline halfway through the story. It was already overloaded, the show didn't need anther unresolved plotline to bog itself down with.
@@noneofyourbeeswax01 It really wasnt overloaded. And Martin 'got away with' adding characters EXACTLY where they're supposed to be, since its, you know, his story.
Spider: what's Varys up to?
Well, it varys
😂😂😂why doesn't this have more likes?
What’s he up to? About 1100 degrees Fahrenheit ....
*it's Varys...he just does stuff and things just happen afterwards*
@@scottmantooth8785 he has a really poor internet connection
@@notverypog *that must be it*
I used to watch TH-cam to take breaks from studying Neuroanatomy. Now I study Neuroanatomy to take breaks from watching TH-cam.
I am surprised that nobody like this comment yet. Its fucking hillarious!
I have a neurology exam next week .. u just gave me evil ideas
I don't know why but I read this as neuromancy like it is some arcane art.
How he casually says "super fucking weird" without any change in tone. Nice touch!
The show really was like “fuck all this incredible story”
Cutting off the Blackfyres of the TV show was a HUGE mistake!
V I Z Z E R U S
Lol
Hey I was gonna say that. Something like that. Yours is better. N/m
OMG! I lol'd!!!
Hahahaha
Viss-air-rees
Plot twist. Dany attempts to burn Varys. Varys smiles back like the night king as he walks out.
"I'm afraid not all is what it seems."
All Targaryens burn---except for Dany. Deal with it.
Edit: Dany burns Varys. The END!
C Truth even fire hurts Dany in the books. The show made her fire proof.
C Truth was the night king a targ?
@@ctruth6185 In the books Targaryens aren't fireproof. Dany didn't die because it was a magic ritual and it's said that only death can pay for life. Deaths of Drogo,Rhaego and Mirri payed for the lifes of the dragons. Also Dany lost all her hair after that
2:54 One of the most impressive things about Varys is his INCREDIBLE adaptability, he doesn't try hard persuade anyone!! He could be so direct with people and insist they act in a certain way so that his plans follow a straight line but he let's people make mistakes or get in his way and don't interfere, he let's the Wolf and the Lion go at each others throath, he doesn't say to Tyrion "hey stop talking shit, you gonna get yourself killed or hinder our side", he just let's things happens and adapt his plans to the circunstances, and somehow all works in the end.
Most of us would be in such a hurry to avoid an interruption of a good plan but he don't, he accepts, let it happen and try to make an unforseen/undesirable situation an advantage not something that would slow him down. He looks AT THE NOW, and try to maximize the objetive reality in front of him. Pretty goddamn impressive.
Xhanatos' Gambit. If you do what I want I win. If you don't, I'm ready, I just add another step. If you then do what I wanted, I win, if you don't, add another step. And the only conclusion possible is that, at some point, whatever choice you have left will benefit me too.
The basic example is: 1 If you don't fight me, I'll do what I want and win. 2 If you fight me and I beat you, I'll do what I want and win. 3 If you defeat me, I'll be a martyr and my people will do whay I wanted and win. 4 If you stop my successors, there's somebody else that will do what I wanted while you're occupied and I win.
The opposite would be: 1 I tell you my intention to commit treason, if you accept we might loose. 2 If you don't accept, I didn't think this far ahead and now I'm ded.
@@taiyoqun BRO, THANK YOU!!!!!! You have no idea how much i needed this type of info. I think we're very alike, i had a "found my soulmate" moment.
7:23 I wouldn’t say the War of the Five Kings ends really, but more enters another stage. By the end of Storm, there are still two rebel factions: Stannis and the Ironborn. While the Ironborn are just pillaging, Stannis will continue the War until he dies. By the end of Dance, we have three claimants and the war is heating up again. The War never ended, just burned out a bit and then re ignited
Not to mention Mance Rayder is still alive too
And to think that GRRM intended for War of Five Kings to be finished by book 1...
Not counting that Dany (or Asha), Myrcella, Arianne (or Sansa), Margaery and Cersei might start a War of the Five Queens!
@@PedroLucas-mg5je Nah even if that was in the cards he wouldn't dare to do that now. How you gonna make every one a "yass, slay queen!!" that never does anything wrong?
That's one of the reasons why he will never finish. Several of the plot points he obviously set up would cause losers' heads to explode. He's already been getting accused of "muh saxisms" and other such things.
I would argue if you were to talk about it in a historical sense, it would be accurate to say the war is over once 4 of the 5 kings are not really able to challenge the last king for his crown, while not really peaceful due to raiding and fighting, it's certainly an end to the war, and the next time fighting outbreaks it would be a new wat
More than anything else, what i loved about the video is the author, at the very end giving credit to his sources. This is obviously a channel that is hosted because someone is passionate about their content, and not for popularity and personal gain.
There are far too many channels out there that beg you to subscribe or like because that is a revenue source for them, but this may be one of those few where material gain is a welcome by product.
Thank you for posting this!
Agreed, it's a very valuable channel
grumpy, cold guy who did all out of love ?! - Snape is that you!?
+Lasse Lindström Damn yeah I totally should have made that comparison in the video...
+Lasse Lindström Yeah! Snape would also apply to the whole "human heart in conflict with itself." idea.
holy shit 90+ upvotes :D
+Lasse Lindström Snape is dead! RIP Alan Rickman. One of the best actors ever! He will be missed. And that voice oh that voice! Miss you already AR.
When discovered: "SERRA? After all this time?"
"ALWAYS."
Absolutely love how you put this altogether! Several things you mentioned concerning Varys are things I've puzzled over. I knew of the possible connection between him and Serra but never really considered why the Golden Company would risk so much for a "Targaryen" beyond the fact of them being sell swords for hire. A personal connection is a much meatier proposition to ponder. Thanks for giving me a lot to think about. Great job as always!
+Ever Dawn Cheers!
his work is awesome! ♥
I always figured that it was just a powergrab. Varys helps Aegon take over Westeros, Illaryio helps Daenaerys takes over Essos, they get married and merge the two continents in one giant empire that they can rule from Dragonstone or something and meanwhile Varys and Illaryio have wormed their way into being their most trusted advisors and therefore the real power behind the throne of the largest empire in present history.
That alone would make a good story, I reckon. People spending years working out what these plotlines are. It's true what they say, GRRM creates a web of plot.
Unfortunately, Tyrion ruined all this and make the first steps for Dance of the Dragons 2: The Rebirth of the Blacks and Reds!
@@PedroLucas-mg5je I wonder what his motivation for doing so were. I can't seem to remember
@@angadsingh9314 Tyrion at this stage were very aggressive and very nihilistic he convinced fAegon to invade Westeros without Daenerys as a joke and when he realized fAegon and Jon Connington (Jon got greyscale and he desperate to get fAegon to the Iron Throne ASAP) went along with Tyrion joke he laughed, when he heard about Daenerys through Jorah Mormont, Tyrion don't want to die anymore but instead he want his power back and revenge on all of Westeros, especially Cersei and Jaime he want a personal revenge for both of them, he literally willing to give the ownership of Casterly Rock to one of the Sellsword company if they defect to Daenerys side, he want to see Westeros burn in a Joker fashion and Daenerys shall grant him that wish with steels and fire.
@@longwlenguyen4214 "Invade Westeros or ur a little bitch Aegon"
"Aight im on my way there, tell auntie she can marry me in King's Landing"
"Wait you actually doing this?"
LOL Now we know! [show]Varys was up to... nothing! He spent 20 years hiding and having Dany groomed, then one episode before the end... ITS JON instead of Dany! So he takes off his rings, powders his crack one last time, and calmly walks before a dragon to burn!
Its genius, really!
*SMACK*
... Oh... its shit. I see now. I needed that. Also, this spoiler comment is no worse than the story being spoiled completely by the writers.
Thanks for this.
that was hilarious xD
Perfect
The vivid imagery of Varys powdering his butthole, just... wow.
When i read the books i never even questioned the fact that young Griff is Aegon and now watching this videos i am 100% sure he is a blackfire
Are you sure you read the books because Young Griff is revealed to be Aegon in ADWD
Burn
@@angadsingh9314I think they meant that they never questioned that fAegon was a Targaryen
This theory makes Varys the coolest fucking character in the story.
And it would put Ned and Varys as equals, two broken man who does everything they can to protect their nephews! (And if Daemon was the brother BloodRaven loved and if Jon and FAegon meets and become friends during TWOW and/or ADOS, the two could have a relationship like the one that Daemon and Brynden might have had)
I like that Varys seems to respect people who he still intends to move against, like Eddard and Kevan
One of the best GoT theory videos on TH-cam hands down. Varys is one of the best characters in the series and I love seeing people try to piece together what he's doing.
Varys: “I’m one of the smartest and most intelligent characters in this series”
Dany: “Heh heh dragon breath go brr”
Dany: "People think they can outsmart me. Maybe *sniff* maybe. I have yet to meet one who can outsmart dragon breath."
HEAVY LAUGH AS DANY BURNS KINGS LANDING
Edit: Dany, not 'Dang' haha
In all fairness, if I were king I would use my massive resources to cut the throats of men like Littlefinger and Varys. Their trade is in schemes and persuasion, not armies, and little love them.
Imagine how much chaos could have been adverted if Brandon Stark didn't listen to Catlyn and killed Petyr in that duel, or if Robert Baratheon had not spared Varys during the sack of King's Landing.
Not justifying the dumb writing, but getting these unreliable chess-masters out of the way may actually be good rulership.
What's Varys up to ?
D&D: Fire.
D&D: Varys kinda forgot about his dragon blood.
- : ..and blood?
D&D: Nay, Just Fire.
If that "egg" detail is correct then that is insane. George planned that from the very first intro of Varys even before the story of Dunk and Egg was released. I'm convinced he is the greatest writer of all time.
Too bad his work ethic is shit
It's amazing how many details from Dunk and Egg you find in GoT. Do you know Brienne adopted Sir Duncan's sigil?
@@The0nlyMasterba1ter Can't really be the greatest writer if you never actually write, right?
@@MRJTD99 Bro he has written lots. ASOIAF is already 3 times the length of LOTR.
He clearly hadn't, wasn't egg invented much later? At least his first drafts mention nothing of sorts
Notice also that the Targaryens' names follow patterns. Viserys, Daenerys, Aerys, Rhaenys, Jaehaerys, Naerys... Varys?
Aemon?
Aemon, Aegon, Daemon, Vaegon, Baemon, Daeron.
Nicole Gentry Rhaegar too...
What about......Jon
Jon was the name that Ned gave him.
I started reading the books because of your videos. Today I finished Dance, and had to come back to your videos to wrap my head around the epilogue! Thank you for making these videos, they're the reason I still love the world of ASOIAF after season 8. Thank you!
It seems like a lot of people overlook Varys' #1 goal: staying alive. If he has a choice of 1) doing something that furthers his aims but involves dying, or 2) doing something completely contrary to his aims but keeps him alive he will choose 2 every time. Sometimes people don't understand why he does a particular thing and I think, "It's because he doesn't want to get killed, he's got to do it!"
Another reason why Varys might do something odd is that he makes a mistake.
Still holding out hope the books do Varys justice and we finally get the scene that confirms that behind it all he was ultimately just like the rest of us, a merman...
Can someone please explain this whole merman thing to me?
@@sinwithagrin4243 i also wanna know lmao
It was a fan theory for a while that Varys was a half fish man, aka a merman from mermaid...it's not the best theory to come out from the fandom.
@@sirlenemodesto2665 thats crazy lol. are there even mermaids in that universe?
@@m.n.executor1902 def fish people since GRRM used horror themes from the autor H.P Lovecraft, especifically his eldritch horrors.
As someone who works in television and editing software, I'm really loving mentally dissecting the editing process of making these videos with all the screen shifts and visuals you use. There's so much work that goes into these vids that I bet most folks don't think of.
seems like the entire blackfyre storyline is a pretty huge thing to be left out of the show
IMO, it would be too much for the show. I can barely keep up with all the characterd. It's easier in the books, where you read a lot more about them.
+Brian Gervais Its a shame considering its one of the most interesting plots at this stage of the story, more so than the Dornish plot which has been butchered by the show.
Jim Okane dornish plot links to this too
Ironborns,Dorne and this shit with Young Griff are so pointless in books. 5 books past and we still know nothing of White Walkers (it's just fucking sad the show has shown us more about them).
@@tiaaaron3278 It seems like you have failed to understand what ASOIAF is actually about. It`s not about huge wars or "unnatural creators". As GRRM like to say: "the only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself". That is what ASOIAF is about.
Varys's behaviour to testify against Tyrion is not at all controversial. Varys is smart, and he knew that testifying in Tyrion's favor would not help, since both Tywin and Cersei wanted Tyrion's head on a plate. so, it was the most prudent to "play the ball".
secondly, part of Varys's reasoning for wanting Tyrion removed from King's Landing was that he knew Tyrion's value to his cause, and wanted him out of harm's way when Dany or Aegon come back to claim the throne.
and lastly, in case everything played out as it was supposed to, and Tyrion got sent to the Wall, i dare say he would have never reached it. little birds would have spirited him away to Essos to Dany or Aegon anyways.
So, i see nothing really weird about it.
+bluemoondiadochi I agree. From my point of view, it even seems that Varys is helping Tyrion. As you said, Varys is smart.
This also might be a hint towards Tyrion being a targaryen; Varys wouldn't help anyone else, right?
+trhj45uotsryegf4y5rstg well, i wouldn't go as far to say that Varys helps ONLY Targaryans - he helps those whom he deems useful, and those he has affection and/or appreciation for. It might be that he suspects Tyrion to be mad king's bastard son (after all, he was on court and can do 2 + 2), and is just silent about it.
but i wouldn't really point this as a sole (or even a major) reason for helping Tyrion. i think the major motives are more in line with Varys's own practical, scheming nature. first, yes, he clearly considers Tyrion an outstanding person and appreciation for him is clear. but more importantly, i think he considers Tyrion an useful person whose talents go hand in hand with his (Varys's) grand scheme. I think these were the main motives for saving him, rather than just (questionable) Targaryan bloodline.
He also got Tywin killed that way and ensured the rise in power of crazy Cersei(not to say Tywin isn't crazy in his own way).
It's almost sad that everyone of these theories is far better than anything the show came up with in the end...
This is about the book tho. The show doesn't have the blackfyres
@@marwanali4878 Also no House Celtigar or Velaryon other houses with Valyrian decent. And about 100+ other houses left out because it was too complex to fit in.
Alt+Shift+X and trailer in the same hour!
ikr!
Loominarty confirmed?
so psyched
+DutchyFunStar IS THIS SECOND CHRISTMAS?
+Andi search red band game of thrones trailer.
I'll be honest, this peeled my head open like an orange and did all kinds of things to my brain, but the hell if I could stop watching it.
Subbed for sure
I recall reading somewhere that the guy who illustrated the GoT comics asked George for Varys' eye colour. Which happened to be purple
a little late but for real? do you have any sources for that friend?
@@leedonghae668 He's Lysene, almost every Lysene character described in the books has valyrian features including the purple eyes. I don't think hair color or eye color conclusive for that reason.
@@TommyNir Which also happens to make for a very convenient cover story for a secret Blackfyre. Are we to take the spider's word on his Lysene heritage?
@@hekcis That's fair, Varys is like to lie. Again though, eye and hair color are easy to fake in the near east, I think the circumstantial evidence (him being associated with what is probably a Blackfyre conspiracy) is far more important than the hair and eye color. If Varys is a Blackfyre he's probably a bastard, he's too street wise to have been raised by nobility like Dany or Faegon. I think most of his origin story is true, with some details left out.
@@TommyNir wtf they all have purple eyes and silver hair? So why the fuck are targaryens known for those traits if there’s a whole race of humans like them?
There’s something fitting to the Blackfyre Rebellions leading up to Varys’ plot. After multiple wars, feared despite their failures, it‘s the matrilineal line who achieves the Blackfyre’s goals, without anyone expecting a thing until it’s too late.
I hope screenwriters are also watching these videos to have more insight about the plot and characters, because season 7 has been going really bad. It is not even Game of Thrones anymore. It is more like Adventures of Jon and Dany
Kerem gürbey 😂 😂 😂. Have you seen the joke that is season 7 episode 6? If that whole episode is not fan fic I don't know what is.
Kerem gürbey that’s all the show will come to tbh. Sadly the show just picked up parts of the book but failed to see the vast world GRRM created and would create thus they just made a Hollywood version of it. Still tho the books will always be there and be 1,000,000 time better... like always lol
@@joker_views True, I'm just scared they'll fuck up everything but replicate the ending 100%, thus meaning it'll have managed to painfully divert from the book and spoil its ending at the same time.
I really hope the ending differs in the books.
@@CyberCactus That makes a lot of sense. With you on that one!
Oh boy... How did you enjoy the butchery of season 8 so far? Are you crying? I know I am.
I think you are onto something there... that merman theory could explain hs wonderous speed across large bodies of water.
It would also explain his "little birds", they aren't birds, they are fish! He's using fish in all the waterways to convey secrets back to him - and flying fish for drone coverage!
@@Yvaelle so Varys is Aquaman?
@@felixandersen3815 No, Drogo is!
I've definitely believed this for a while. Partially because, as you pointed out too, it's so emotional and rooted in character. That fits the way George RR Martin likes to write things perfectly.
I can just imagine Varys as a child, born as part of the female line of Blackfyres with only his sister. On the streets, being abused and finding solace only with his beloved sister. Maybe when he's cut his sister is even the one that nurses him so he can survive the event. Eventually he befriends a man, Illyrio, and they become best friends and help each other (like no person other than his sister had helped him before). Not only that, but since Serra is always near Varys due to their close bond and Varys is now constantly near Illyrio, Illyrio falls in love with Serra as well. Eventually they have a child and as Varys and Illyrio rise to power they all three talk about what was stolen from them, what they wish to regain. And so they set out to scheme and plan and when Serra dies of greyscale, both Varys and Illyrio mourn her and they come closer together than ever. They seek to put her own son, their own blood, on the throne and regain everything their family had lost. That's an oddly beautiful story really, albeit amidst death and destruction (as they cause). So in other words, A Song of Ice and Fire in a nutshell.
So beautiful, this theory NEEDS to be Canon! (And it would be cool if, unlike Joffrey who for all his life believed to be Robert's son, fAegon knows he's a Blackfyre, but is pretending to be a Targaryen to not get himself killed)
If there was a Blackfyre boy after Maelys Golden company would've taken him in and raised him, don't you think? There were clearly NO Blackfyre boys between the time Maelys died and Aegon was born, otherwise they would've made their move during Robert's rebellion
This theory sounds incredibly likely.
Damn... Makes me realize just how pointless Varys was in the show. Young Griff should not have been axed from the show.
Not even that
You could prolly do this if you substitute Aegon for Dany somehow
It’s absolutely the spiciest thing you coul have done but it’d be interesting and could justify why Dany eventually snaps
“The big fish eat the little fish and I keep on paddling”
What an intriguing theory. Thanks for pulling it all together in such an entertaining way. Now, why doesn't the show have an Aegon?
Yet
Because D&D are awful writers and fucked themselves and the shows plot over in favour for extended sex and rape scenes
+Sybille Stahl I would say because it is way too confusing and complex to put into the show... They may still add stuff like this but I would doubt it. I really want the show version to not have Dany win the Iron Throne at the end though, so I would happy with this.
+Sybille Stahl With only 10 hours per year they have to pick and choose. Even if they doubled the length of the show each year they'd still have to leave plots unmentioned.
+Sybille Stahl
Just not yet, don't be like though edgy triggered fanboy like Mud Hut
there are no rule binding this season 5 has to have exactly contents as that book 5 .3 seasons and 2 books left to finish, plenty of space to add Aegon's plot and other plot in
And i don't thinks show gonna different much from the books. They have already changed many things,from big to small details in other seasons and it was still smooth.Two last books are not out yet, we got no clue how s5's changes going to make any difference and how much that difference is going to affect the overall story.
Beside,standing alone, the show is still good (unless for some hipster with book over-obsession). So care less and enjoy more
I really like this theory. And the whole idea of him being used in a magic ritual because he has kingsblood, that reminds me of the very specific way that Melisandre leeched blood from Gendry.
man coming back to these videos is heartbreaking
My mind blows with every fan theory that you've explained in a mystical, thrilling way.
After hearing all this, Young Griff being a Blackfyre descendant makes too much sense to not be true. Especially considering everything we know about the Golden company indicates that it wouldn't make sense for them to support a Targaryen unless they know that the dragon they're following is actually black and not red. It would also add so much context to Varys because yeah, "I serve the realm", not buying that, not from a master manipulator like him. There has to be a grand scheme, some sort of big goal he's working towards, and him and Illyrio doing it out of affection for "Young Griff" and his Blackfyre mother sounds really plausible to me.
This is what I love about GRRM's ASOIAF. it's like life. you don't realise that there's a grand conspiracy at work while it's happening but when you look back, put it all together, you realise how it all is connected and how it changes the meanings of few events you thought that were just happening.
Just like real history.
I always hated how unresolved the plotline of Varys being cut by a sorcerer. First time I saw that scene, I immediately thought of Melissandre's "sacrifices that need king's blood". The show just brushed it off, but knowing GRRM, there is surely more to it.
And it would've make sense if BloodRaven was the one that orchestrated Varys' castration and the greyplague that killed Serra in order to stop a 6th Blackfyre Rebellion!
I never thought of the “king’s blood” angle. Why else would the sorcerer want to buy Varys in particular? Surely the price would have been higher than grabbing some poor urchin off the street due to the time and money invested in Varys by the mummer’s troop.
What makes you think the sorcerer story is true? If it is, then the sorcerer just let him go? If the boy's junk can do that, then what would the body of the entire boy be able to do? Why let him go?
Also, where did this sorcerer come from? Where did he go? What ties did he have to any other groups? You think the master of secrets across two continents couldn't figure this out?
More likely that he is a fabrication. Varys might actually be cut, sure, but who did it and for what purpose?
What if Varys himself did it as a way of gaining power or communication with the Night King?
It also could have been a van Gogh self mutilation over a girl (his sister?) and then it was thrown into the fire.
Could even be that it was a dare to throw his precious into the fire to prove that "fire cannot harm the Dragon" only to have it backfire badly.
I still can't believe none of this will ever get on the show.
+Andxel2 why is that?
+Andxel2 There may be no Griff but it could still be revealed that he is doing this so he can claim the throne as a blackfyre throne...
angelstouch92 What's the point of doing this if there is no Blackfyres left?
The show always choose the easy way
th-cam.com/video/M_lyQ-OCIYs/w-d-xo.html
A trailer for season 6 AND an Alt Shift X upload... High point of my day.
This was one of your best videos, mate
What I love about these videos is that you explain the books, and in a VERY good way.
for years I've ignored this theory because I wanted Young Griff to be the real Aegon SO badly but this video has changed my mind it just makes so much sense! and I suddenly feel so many feelings towards Varys
It sucks that Young Griff isn’t in the show
aw, man--your vidios and commentaries always remind me that the books are worth a re-read once in a while. I've (lazily) kind of shunted them into the back of my head while the TV series has been ending, and I forget how rich GRRM's world really is. Varys has always been one of my favorite characters--and one of the very few whose on-screen incarnation is so good that I can't read the books without picturing the Conleth Hill and his wonderful gestureds and impeccable comic timing;, because he makes Vary's sliminess appealng for me. When I watch the show, I can't wait to see what he'll do next--even if I've seen and read it before and know what the character is going to do.
They also make me wish he would finish up the bloody books. I have seriousl doubts that he will, but a girl can dream.
I love how you're able to not only say what the theory is, and why it might be true, but also what it would add to the story, and how it might fit the overall themes.
I kind of regret watching this video. Varys was always my favorite character in the show ever since season 1 cuz you never knew what he was up to. He was smart, possibly deceiving and mysterious.
This video kind of shed light on explaining the character and his possible motives (really amazing job btw) and now I just hope you are entirely wrong and there is an even more grand plan in the workings of Varys.
I already subscribed but, I just want to say that I ve seen almost all of your GOT videos and I really appreciate them. While I already kinda knew most of the info you go over in your videos, the way you explain it really helps in clarifying everything and streamlining my memory. And when you start theorizing, it is always "backed up" with info you had previously stated. Great job, thanks again!
Awesome, Varys is my favourite character. I think Conleth Hill does a great job on the show as well, he does great deadpan comedy (especially when talking to Cersei in S1-3)
The way he says "Viserys"💀
Cry about it.
Have you heard the war grrm pronounces Baratheon? For all i know that might be the correct way to say Viserys.
THIS is the Alt Shift X video I have been waiting for. THANK YOU!!!!!
I think you oversee something important. Varys undermines what initially looks like peaceful thronekeepers, but beneath there's clearly brewing problems that will throw the realm into dark times again. Like Tommen, who's easily manipulated by the people around him, with the cause of the Lannisters, who plans to invade the north etc. Westeros would maybe get peace for 10-20 years, but not several decades or centuries. And they certainly wouldn't have much of an impact outside of Westeros. Varys wants a very powerful king who's able to make sacrifices for the greater good.
However, he's one of the few, and probably the only legitimate link to Blackfyre. So that sort of makes sense. It's going to be interesting to see in the last season. It's a shame they're not keeping it going for more seasons!
Well done, alt shift x; perhaps one of your top 3 best productions yet . . .
God this makes so much more sense than the "for the realm" Varys of the show. I could never make sense of his motives. However the only thing that doesn't make sense with this theory is why would Ilyrio give Dany the Dragon eggs? Even if he never dreamed they would hatch, why give something so valuable to someone you don't intend to conquer?
So his son can marry danys perhaps.
I don’t think he realized they would hatch
@@rowanbrowning2934Even then, having Aegon carry the dragon eggs with him could he another symbol of legitimace
My god these videos keep getting better and better!
"Either that or he's a Merman..." LOL Subscribed!
Hahahhaha i was dissapointed about the lack of merman conspiracy theory, and OP delivered in less than a second *slow clap*
Dude, you're killing it with these analysis.
Bravo!
I was so disappointed the show dropped so much of this. I wanted to see the epic return on screen of Varys, after being gone for a couple seasons, to kill Kevan and Pycelle.
I wish you were making these videos back when lost was on! keep up the great work dude!
+mikeymegamega that would have been amazing!!! soo many theories to discuss!! :) my favorite show!
+mikeymegamega That would have been awesome!
And when GOT is over, HBO will birth a prequel series: "My Two Dads" - Starring Illyrio Mopatis, Varys Blackfyre and Aegon Blackfyre. Special guest star Jon Connington as Mr. Mom.
"The things I do for love." That does seem to be the theme of the entire series.
these videos convinced me to buy a box set of all the books so I could have a read for myself!
I've never been interested in conspiracy theories until now. And it's for a fantasy universe
I'm so sad watching your older videos now. They've butchered all of the complex storylines and made GoT into a classic Hollywood CGI fantasy trashdump
This video was never about the TV show: Aegon Targaryen (Blackfyre), who is the king supported by Varys, is a book-only character.
Don't be sad. The books have always been better anyways.
@@michaelhenry3234
well sure.
but that doesn't mean they have to turn a great show.
which it was. into this pile of nonsense.
seriously, the stupidity of the long night made literally angry.
it is one thing that the books are better.
but it is another thing that the show since season 7 was pure garbage.
@@sam-psonsmith9951 Yeah, but the show had been fairly shitty since season 5. Hell, cracks were showing since season 4. So I'm just saying it's not like the show magically got worse. The showrunners stopped caring once the Red Wedding happened, as that was the only part they actually wanted to adapt. They never cared about AFFC or ADWD.
@@michaelhenry3234 sad...but true..
i liked season 4
season 5 was the first let down for me.
Seriously man, I screamed fangirl-like when I saw you uploaded a new video. An it was about blackfyres. #TeamAegon4Life
I never fully believed that my beloved Aegon was a Blackfyre until I saw this video, you are awesome man
The funniest thing of all of this is that the Targaryen line could be the actual bastards while the Blackfyres are the true "Targaryens" so to speak which adds another piece of comical tragedy to all of this.
how can targaryens become the actual bastards??
@@drishyam272 For the reason why Blackfyres claim to be the true Targaryen, it is possible that Daeron was a bastard, not born of the king but of one Aemon the Dragonknight (brother of the King) and his wife Naerys, worth noting that Aemon slew a person in trial by combat who accused her of adultery.
Aegon IV was adamant about it, which is what led to him legitimizing his "true children".
@@drishyam272 Not all, just the ones descended from Daeron II (if he's the son of Aemon the Dragonknight and not the son of the king, Aegon IV). It's a theory. Aegon IV was the one who started spreading this rumour.
@@Lord_Of_Night in end it doesn't matter because on his deathbed Aegon IV made him legal. Also the others bastards.
@@sophiawilson8696 I thought so to at first when reading what LGGT wrote, but Aegon IV legitimized *his* bastards. A bastard of Aemon and Naerys wouldn't fall under the jurisdiction of "bastard child of Aegon," either which way. Not saying I believe this theory - just that it isn't so easily solvable.