Cersei Lannister actress Lena Headey shared an idea for an alternate Game of Thrones ending for her character, but it wouldn’t have actually fixed things. Game of Thrones’ ending was extremely controversial and, while there were bigger reasons (Daenerys Targaryen becoming the final villain, Bran Stark becoming King), Cersei’s conclusion was part of why it ended up being divisive. Cersei and Jaime Lannister died together in Game of Thrones season 8, crushed by the collapsing Red Keep, leading to complaints about the Kingslayer’s arc and several memes about how much rubble actually fell on them.

There were, of course, various theories on what would happen. One popular one is that Jaime would kill Cersei himself, but another was that Arya Stark would be the one to do it. The latter was supported by Headey, who revealed that she and Maisie Williams discussed an alternate Game of Thrones ending for Cersei and Arya, saying: “[Maisie Williams] and I would fantasize about a Cersei and Arya showdown; that she would come back as Jaime. That was our dream.” While there is something compelling to the idea, ultimately it wouldn’t have worked, and only added to Game of Thrones season 8’s problems.

Cersei’s Game Of Thrones Ending Needed To Be With Jaime, Not Arya

Cersei was a major (if complicated) villain who did many terrible things, including to the Starks, so it’s understandable why her being murdered by Arya would seem like a fitting ending. After all, she was on Arya’s kill list, and having the latter in disguise as Jaime would allow for a big twist. But Cersei and Arya never had that much to do with one another, despite how much pain one caused, whereas Cersei and Jaime’s fates were entwined from the moment they were born.

Jaime and Cersei were siblings and lovers, but shown to have an even deeper connection. Yes, it was fraught at times (to put it mildly), but Jaime was – alongside her kids – the most important person in Cersei’s life, and she was certainly the most important in his. Arya and Cersei wasn’t even a loose plot thread, really, but Cersei and Jaime was their entire journey. One may have had a better heart, and better morals, than the other, but they were bound to one another; the tragedy of Jaime’s arc isn’t just that he could never fully escape her, but that he never thought himself good enough to, and that’s a feature not a bug.

Cersei and Jaime entered the world together, so of course they had to leave it the same way. It’s more debatable if Jaime killing Cersei would have been better. There’s certainly a sense of Shakespeare to it, and it is more in line with the redemption expected of him. But Jaime choosing love, yet that itself being complex and filled with self-loathing (and, er, incest) has its own sense of poetry. Either way, Cersei’s ending needed to be with Jaime; the real one, not a pretender.

Arya’s Game Of Thrones Ending Had To Be About Moving Away From Vengeance

Arya putting Cersei on her kill list made sense, but going through with it would not. When Arya first made her kill list, she was setting out on a path of vengeance that would completely transform her, and ultimately see her lose her identity. She not only literally lost her sight, but also lost sight of who she was, instead becoming “no one.” That version of “Arya” killing Cersei would have been fitting, if such a moment had been able to organically work into the story (and it’s hard to imagine it, really).

The version of the character in Game of Thrones season 8 was ultimately one who realized that vengeance is not the way, which ultimately led to Arya going off to find what’s West of Westeros. She’s already coming to this, but her final meeting with the Hound cements it, where she’s turned away from a path that would lead her to becoming more like him, twisted with hate and anger over thoughts of revenge, if she survived long enough to reach that point. Vengeance and identity are the twin themes of Arya’s story; the former had to be let go, so the latter could truly be reclaimed. It’s something Game of Thrones season 8 actually did well (Arya’s story is one of the best in the final run of episodes), something killing Cersei would have ruined.