Here Is What The Night King From Game Of Thrones Could Have Looked Like

Incredibly popular, so much so in fact that spin-offs are currently in the making, Game of Thrones, unfortunately, came to an end in May, after the last season received some quite mixed reviews and was considered quite disappointing for several reasons. In addition to the fact that the show’s ending was considered too easy and rather sloppy, it also left fans feeling frustrated because of the several mysteries and secrets that weren’t cleared up or resolved.

A rather different and more royal appearance

Among these many mysteries is one which had captivated and puzzled fans for several seasons: the true identity of the Night King, the antagonist that led the White Walkers. Was he a member of the Stark family? Targaryen? Bran himself? Many theories were proposed about this character and his fate, which was determined in episode 3, unfortunately, provided no answers to our questions. This ending was very disappointing for fans, especially since the character had become so fascinating due to his appearance and visibly unrestricted powers.

But it turns out that his appearance could have actually been very different. For fans who want to find out more behind-the-scenes secrets from the famous TV series, a book entitled The Art of Game of Thrones will soon be released in the UK. In this rich book, you will be able to bear witness to the first, very different, sketch ever drawn of the Night King. In this drawing, he is visibly a lot bigger, with a long beard, rather large horns, wearing a long dress and looks almost like royalty in this first concept.

The first sketch that unfortunately wasn’t used

This very interesting piece of artwork was done by Deborah Riley, the series’ chief Production Designer. This particular sketch actually comes from the initial drawings, way before the first seasons were filmed, which means that the artist had to use the writings of George R.R. Martin for her inspiration alone. Since there were no precise descriptions of this character, it was consequently up to her to produce the first visual representation. Lots of fans would undoubtedly have liked this character’s more royal appearance and it could have resulted in even more rumours about the true identity of this mysterious character.

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According to the designer herself, such a huge change between this first draft and the final result can be explained by the fact that at the time, they had not found an actor on which this character’s appearance could be based. It was only when the make-up team actually started to work on this character that the final product and design was completed. Another interesting detail that Deborah Riley has revealed is that she and her team were precisely instructed to make this character look rather royal, while still encompassing the familiar traits that were characteristic of the White Walkers. As for the true identity of this character however, it seems that we will need to be patient for now…