'Game Of Thrones': Why Varys Might Choose Jon Snow For The Iron Throne — And Betray Daenerys

Game of Thrones Season 7 is off to a riveting start with wolf reunions, eunuch sex and pirate battles. But in all the excitement, we may have overlooked an exchange between Daenerys and Varys in Episode 2, "Stormborn," that could have major implications for the future of their alliance ... and for Varys's true loyalties.

Note: This article contains light spoilers for Game of Thrones

Varys, a.k.a. the spider, is one of Game of Thrones' most powerful players although he claims to not seek the power of the throne for himself — rather that he wishes only to serve the people. His ambiguous alliances have often come into question, but through it all, Varys has always worked all sides of any dispute across Westeros. Born a slave, Varys learned quickly that true power came from being well-versed in the inner workings of politics and information trafficking.

As he became a master spy, his influence grew to the point of gaining a seat on the Small Council under Aerys II Targaryen, King Robert Baratheon and then King Joffrey Baratheon. As he tells Daenerys:

"You wish to know where my true loyalties lie? Not with any king or queen, but with the people ... I know the people have no better chance than you."

To a point, this is Varys's plea to serve under Daenerys as her Master of Whisperers much like his friend Tyrion Lannister is serving as the Hand of the Queen. To which Daenerys responds that she will burn him alive if he breaks this oath:

"Swear this to me, Varys: If you ever think I'm failing the people, you won't conspire behind my back."

All of the major houses — Targaryen, Lannister and Baratheon alike — have gained influence and power from Varys's network of "little birds," and he has always used that network of spies toward placing the most worthy person on the Iron Throne. It appears as though he's now thrown his flock behind Daenerys Targaryen.

Why Varys is terrified of Daenerys.

No matter the situation, Varys will just keep moving forward for the greater good. As he told Tyrion Lannister in Season 2, "Storms come and go, the big fish eat the little fish, and I keep on paddling."

Varys has proven time after time that loyalty is a fluid concept to him, as the leader of the seven kingdoms needs to serve the people first and foremost — so could we see another shift in loyalty. One Redditor definitely thinks so, posting this viral theory:

Dany would clearly be a better ruler than Cersei, and she has the stronger claim to the throne as well. But there are aspects of her character that can't sit well with Varys. Varys has a strong aversion to religious fanaticism and magic, as we have seen in past seasons. He was mutilated by a religious fanatic performing a magic ritual. In season 2, he strongly opposed Stannis' claim to the throne, in large part (as he explained to Tyrion) because the idea of Melisandre having so much power horrified him. Dany's dragons must similarly worry him. They are magical creatures, mythical WMDs, which, in the wrong hands, could prove to be disastrous for the realm and its people.

The theory is that, based on the books, Varys has schemed for decades to groom and place the perfect king upon the Iron Throne. And this perfect king is the boy whom he claimed to be Aegon Targaryen (son of Rhaegar and nephew of Daenerys):

Aegon has been shaped for rule since before he could walk. He has been trained in arms, as befits a knight to be, but that was not the end of his education. He reads and writes, speaks several tongues, he has studied history and law and poetry. A septa has instructed him in the mysteries of the Faith since he was old enough to understand them. He has lived with fisherfolk, worked with his hands, swum in rivers and mended nets and learned to wash his own clothes at need. He can fish and cook and bind up a wound, he knows what it is like to be hungry, to be hunted, to be afraid.

Now we all know that the books don't match the HBO series perfectly, but based on what we know of the familial lines — and what we can surmise about Jon Snow's true lineage — it could very well be that Varys intends to see Jon Snow sitting on the Iron Throne.

As Jon Snow is the current King of the North and has learned many of the life lessons that Varys values, it makes sense that there would be one final betrayal from the spider as he allies himself with the bastard child who can claim lineage from both House Stark and House Targaryen. As a character with a legitimate claim to the throne who has proven to be compassionate and battle-tested, Jon Snow could be just the King that Westeros needs.