Jaime Lannister is a great Game of Thrones character, but the original plan for him would have been very different – and, perhaps, worse. Jaime started the show (and before that, the A Song of Ice and Fire book series) as a clear villain: a dashing, sword-wielding, king-slayer, sister-loving rogue. Put Game of ThronesIn the end, things were much more complicated: still dashing, no longer so good at wielding a sword, the king’s murder contained a hidden tragedy, and both loved it. and He hated his sister and hated himself in good measure.
From pushing Bran Stark out of a tower to being crushed by the Red Keep, Jaime’s arc is fascinating and makes him, throughout the books and the series, one of the strongest characters and certainly one of my favorites. (tied only with Arya Stark, for what it’s worth). However, things were almost simpler as George RR Martin planned for James to become king. The fact that he was once almost the man who ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, rather than the person known for removing their ruler, would have changed a lot and highlights just how good he really is.
George RR Martin’s Plan for King James Explained
What happened and why it changed
Martin’s original structure for the series involved writing three books: A Game of Thrones, A dance with dragonsand The winds of winter. The first, which was the most developed, would revolve around the conflict between the Starks and the Lannisters; the second would be about Daenerys Targaryen’s invasion; the third would be the fight against the White Walkers. The initial story followed some general features that are present in the final version: Joffrey Baratheon becomes king, Ned Stark is killed, etc. But there are several important differences, and Jaime is among the biggest.
“Tyrion Lannister will continue to travel, plot and play the game of thrones, finally alienating his nephew Joffrey, disgusted by the boy king’s brutality. Jaime Lannister will follow Joffrey on the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, by the simple expedient of killing everyone in front of him in the line of succession and blaming his brother Tyrion for the murders.” – George RR Martin, in his original draft of A Song of Ice and Fire.
Martin’s plan for Jaime comes amid a slightly different focus for the Lannister vs. Lannister battle. Starks, who positions Jaime and Tyrion further in front of the lion. Notably, it also mentions his forces fighting Robb Stark, who is defeated on the battlefield. Jaime in this version is ruthless and a more overt villainbut Martin’s story grew (and grew!) as he wrote it.
It is likely that he developed Cersei Lannister much more after this (she is not mentioned in the plan), and she took on more of Jaime’s less desirable traits over time. Meanwhile, the author explored Jaime’s history as the Kingslayer and recast his journey as one of tragedy and redemption.
Why the change in Jaime’s story makes me love him more as a character
Martin performed one of his best character feats with Kingslayer
I’ve long been aware that Martin isn’t a detailed planner of things, so it’s not too surprising that Jaime’s arc has changed so much from what he originally envisioned. But even so, I’m more impressed with how he handled it from the starting point, pulling off a remarkable twist with the character that really highlights why it’s one of the strongest character stories in both. A Song of Ice and Fire and, later, Game of Thrones.
It is possible to see elements of the original Jaime in the first book and in the 1st seasonwhere he is simply more antagonistic. In fact, he’s the kind of guy who, while you may appreciate his roguish charms, you can’t imagine loving. It really shows the skill of Martin’s writing and, later, not only the show’s writers, but also the wonderful performance of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who I have long considered a standout among Game of Thrones‘ cast.
With that backstory, just filling in the truth of the Kingslayer name and, most importantly, that unlikely relationship with Brienne, Jaime transforms into a complex, misunderstood and tragic figure.
What’s particularly great is the relative simplicity of it. Jaime being captured by the Starks changes the dynamic and how we see his character a bit, but it’s really when he opens up to Brienne in A Storm of Swordsor Game of Thrones Season 3, Episode 5, ‘Kissed By Fire’ – one of my favorite book chapters and an all-time great (and really underrated) episode – that changes everything. With that backstory, just filling in the truth about the Kingslayer name, and, crucially, that unlikely relationship with Brienne, Jaime transforms into a complex, misunderstood and tragic figure.
His crimes aren’t forgotten, his sins aren’t erased, and he doesn’t suddenly become a hero, but that makes it all better for me. Redemption should be complicated, because people fail and try again and fail some more; It’s much more realistic. So the fact that Jaime started out as someone who, on paper, appears to be one-note, and became a character with many more notes than most, only reinforces my belief that he has the best character arc in the books ( and, for the most part, the show, despite controversial choices by Game of Thrones 8th season).