Drogon was last seen flying off with Daenerys Targaryen’s dead body in the Game of Thrones series finale, so what happened to Daenerys’ dragon? Daenerys became Game of Thrones‘ final villain when she burned all of King’s Landing using Drogon. This led Jon to kill Daenerys in the Game of Thrones season 8 finale, “The Iron Throne.” Daenerys’ death prompted a furious response from Drogon, who turned his fiery gaze not upon the former King in the North, but Westeros’ seat of power itself. Drogon didn’t kill Jon Snow in the end, and what Daenerys’ dragon did after Khaleesi died in the Game of Thrones finale still has viewers confused.
After burning down the Iron Throne, Drogon picks up Daenerys’ lifeless body and departs, never to be seen again. Though it was mentioned that Drogon was last seen flying East, it’s unclear exactly where he was headed. This has led to plenty of speculation, with some wondering is Drogon dead. There’s no definitive answer to the “does Drogon die” question, there are many theories about what happened to Daenerys’ dragon after the Game of Thrones finale. It remains one of the greatest Game of Thrones mysteries, although GoT spin-offs like House of the Dragon are giving it a little more context. Below are the likeliest explanations for where Drogon went after Game of Thrones.
Where Drogon Might Have Flown To After GoT’s Ending
There’s yet to be an explanation from George R.R. Martin or the Game of Thrones writing team on where Drogon went, but some of the Game of Thrones cast have their own theories. In the book Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon: Game of Thrones and the Official Untold Story of the Epic Series by James Hibberd, Daenerys actress Emilia Clarke gives her own take on what happened to Drogon:
“People have asked me about that a lot. It’s my tendency to be funny with it and say, ‘Oh, Hawaii.’ But honestly, if I’m really being very serious about the whole thing: I think he flies around with her body until it decomposes. I literally think he keeps flying until he can’t fly anymore. He just keeps grieving.”
While Clarke’s comments aren’t canon, they do indicate a suitably tragic end for Drogon. At the same time though, he’d likely have a final destination. While there’s no hard data, it’s unlikely a dragon could fly for more than a couple of days at most without needing to stop. So even if he is simply waiting for Daenerys’ body to decompose, he’s probably headed to a known location in order to do so.
The most likely of these, which has been speculated since the finale, is that Drogon went back to Valyria. This is where dragons originated, after all, and Drogon was flying around there in season 5, so it’s somewhere he’s familiar with. If the idea is that Drogon wants to be alone to grieve with Dany’s body, it’s the most plausible location.
The other possibility for where Drogon went is that he took Daenerys to be resurrected in Volantis. It’s there that the Red Priestess Kinvara is based, who wasn’t seen again after her brief interactions with Daenerys. While dragons are very intelligent creatures, and it would make sense that this is what happened to Daenerys’ dragon, it’s not clear how Drogon would know a Red Priestess could bring Daenerys back to life. As the old home of the Targaryens and birthplace of dragons, Valyria makes more sense as a final resting place for Drogon and Daenerys in Game of Thrones – unless he really does just keep flying around until he dies.
One Genius GoT Theory Could Explain More About Drogon’s Grief
In addition to these ideas about where Drogon went, there’s a compelling Game of Thrones theory as to why Drogon’s grief is even deeper in these last moments. It’s common knowledge that Drogon and Daenerys’ other dragons were hatched in the funeral pyre of her late husband, the warlord Khal Drogo. Drogon is even named after Jason Momoa’s character. These canonical pieces of information led some Game of Thrones cast and crew members to the conclusion that Drogon is actually the reincarnation of Drogo himself.
In this case, Drogon’s rage and grief over Dany’s passing are even more poignant, as he’s loved her in more than one lifetime. It also helps explain why Drogon would have simply flown off: riding out like this was the traditional way of the Dothraki, for whom Drogo was a significant and respected leader. There’s no way to prove if this Game of Thrones theory is true, but it does seem to shed light on Drogon’s final moments in the series.
House Of The Dragon Explains Drogon’s Behavior After Dany’s Death
What happened to Daenerys’ dragon Drogon will likely forever remain a mystery, but as every dragon in House of the Dragon shows, this doesn’t mean that he simply flew East aimlessly. Game of Thrones was limited in the number of Daenerys scenes that revealed insight into dragon behavior, but House of the Dragon featured several members of House Targaryen and House Velaryon with their own dragons. This meant Drogon’s ancestors got plenty of screen time, with which came a deeper understanding of just how intelligent the dragons in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon actually are.
This can be observed in how Vhagar killed Lucerys Targaryen despite her rider Aemond Targaryen’s objections, which implied that Vhagar’s emotional bond with Aemond was deeper than even Aemond thought. Meanwhile, Matt Smith’s Daemon was also seen singing to Vermithor in High Valyrian to court its favor. Although these examples reveal nothing about what happened to Daenerys’ dragon, they confirm what audiences have suspected all along: dragons are indeed capable of complex thought and emotions.
After all, the dragons in House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones are the reason Westeros’ Iron Throne was created and destroyed. Audiences will likely never find out exactly where Drogon went or what happened to him. However, given what’s been revealed about these magnificent beasts, Drogon’s final fate could easily factor into any one of the planned Game of Thrones spinoffs set after the death of Daenerys Targaryen.
Drogon Can – And Should – Return In The Jon Snow Spinoff
The best chance for a Game of Thrones spinoff show to address what happened to Drogon is the upcoming Jon Snow spinoff. Presently, this is the only spinoff in the works that actually takes place after the events of Game of Thrones so it is the only one that can provide real answers to the mystery of Drogon’s whereabouts now. However, more than that, Jon Snow is the perfect character to deal with Drogon in the aftermath of Daenerys’ death, both as the last one to see the dragon and as the cause of Drogon’s grief.
Though there is still little news on what this spinoff will entail, Kit Harrington offered an update on the Jon Snow series and the state of mind Jon is in. After assassinating Daenerys, Jon is saved from execution by being sent to the wall and Harrington suggests “I think if you asked him, he would’ve felt he got off lightly.” That suggests the sequel series will explore Jon’s guilt and failure. This might solidify the theory of Daenerys being resurrected as it would be interesting to see Jon come face-to-face with the woman he betrayed and killed.
However, the more likely faceoff would be between Jon and Drogon with the wild dragon offering Jon one last chance as redemption and being a hero. Perhaps the series could reveal that Drogon has been on a rampage since Daenerys’ death, destroying cities and killing innocent people. Feeling guilty that it was his actions that left Drogon with no one to tame him, this might spur him to return from Beyond the Wall and go in search of Drogon. Jon has already proven he can tame a dragon better than most men thanks to his Targaryen blood, but with Drogon also knowing him as the man that killed his mother. It would be an intense reunion but could also provide a way to fix Jon Snow’s disappointing role in the final season of Game of Thrones.
