Jon Snow is one of the rare good guys on Game of Thrones. Yet, even the recently-crowned King in the North has a dark side with Kit Harington calling Jon Snow a "psychopath" in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. While the actor quantified his description by saying Jon's only "a bit of a psychopath," Harington brought up something that some fans might prefer to ignore — that Jon Snow is a violent man. With the HBO series coming back on July 16, it's only fair to wonder how Jon Snow's violence will impact Game of Thrones and if he'll continue to fight on the side of righteousness in Season 7.
While Harington is happy to be starting this season very much alive — telling The Hollywood Reporter, "It's nice to be back and not feel like I'm a walking spoiler" — happiness isn't something he equates with his character. "I think happiness is a very strange term to associate with Jon," Harington said. "He has a very odd sense of what 'happy' is. It might not be everybody else's 'happy.'" The actor continued:
"I actually think secretly deep down, he's a bit of a psychopath, weirdly. He looks for violence. In a strange way, and I said this to [director Miguel Sapochnik] during 'Battle of the Bastards,' I think that in a weird way this could be Jon's natural home, on this battlefield, where he comes to life. For all of his good, he's a violent man."
Of course, some violence in the bloodthirsty land of Westeros is inevitable. And Jon Snow morphing into a despicable character doesn't seem like a possibility. But Harington's words are worth considering when you think about how Jon is not only a secret Targaryen (more on that in a bit), but how he has been placed in another leadership position. "He seems to be the one person who's gotten to leadership without actually asking for it," Harington said to THR.
Even though Jon didn't position himself to become King in the North and had decent intentions, Davos Seaworth actor Liam Cunningham said that a theme of Game of Thrones is "The nature of power and what it can do to good men" to THR. "He's a good man," Cunningham said. "We all have confidence in Jon that he'll do the right thing and wouldn't succumb to power — but power is a difficult and dangerous drug, so we shall see there." Could that mean that Jon's penchant for violence combined with him being in another power position will make him a brutal leader? If so, it could have deadly consequences. After all, if you remember his time as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, power doesn't always work out well for Jon.
Then there's that pesky bit of information about Jon's parentage. While Harington noted to THR that only his mother's identity was confirmed in the Season 6 finale, it seems safe to assume that Jon's father is Rhaegar Targaryen — Daenerys' brother. It also seems safe to assume that Jon and Daenerys will meet up in Season 7. So while Jon doesn't know that he's a Targaryen, that fierce fire side of him could come out upon meeting his aunt.
Daenerys has frequently been a compassionate leader, but she is quick to vengeance if she feels she has been wronged — like when she burned the Dothraki temple to the ground in Season 6. Many other Targaryens were also known for their bloody ways and as Dany and Jon are both related to the Mad King, either one of them could become unstable and corrupted by power.
With the White Walkers coming and Cersei on the Iron Throne, warriors like Jon Snow will be needed to save the realm in Season 7. But the best fighter doesn't always make for the best leader. So far, Jon has kept his morals while feeling at home on the battlefield, but as the stakes get higher, Harington's words act as a warning that there could be a shift in his character's identity.
Yet, even with Jon being a potential psychopath, every ruler in Game of Thrones is at least slightly unhinged. And when it comes down to it, Jon Snow is not only one of the best choices for a leader out there, but he is also one of Westeros' last hopes.
