Game Of Thrones: Jon Snow’s Best Decisions In The Series

Jon Snow was one of the bravest heroes on Game of Thrones, but not always the smartest. However, even though a lot of his decisions have been deservingly criticized and he seemed downright useless at times, Jon was also capable of making some very wise and strategic choices.

Not all of these decisions were popular at the time, but looking at the consequences of them, it becomes clear that Jon made the right call. It is up to fans to determine whether Jon’s good decisions outweigh his bad ones, but they help to prove that Lord Snow was not always as foolish as he seemed.

10 Forgiving Theon

Game of Thrones was very good at having audiences hate a particular character only for them to find redemption later in the show. Theon Greyjoy was one of those characters and Jon played an important role in his final salvation.

As the two reunite as part of Danerys’s war effort, Jon makes it clear he is not happy to see Theon. But he also admits he has done terrible things as well. He forgives Theon for the things he can and encourages him to go save Yara. This helps Theon discover his courage which leads him to protect Bran Stark during the Battle of Winterfell.

9 Accepting Longclaw

Lord Commander Jeor Mormont becomes something of a father figure for Jon while he is with the Night’s Watch. This is cemented by the fact that Mormont gives Jon his family’s ancestral sword, Longclaw, when Jon saves him from an undead soldier.

Jon is initially very reluctant to take the sword as he feels like he is undeserving, but Mormont insists. As it turns out, the Valyrian steel sword becomes very important as it is the weapon that saves Jon when he takes on a White Walker.

8 Killing Daenerys

This is certainly one of Jon’s more controversial decisions, but one he had to make, even if he shares much of the blame for how things turned out. Though Jon was horrified by what Daenerys did to King’s Landing, he also saw the dark path she was heading down and remained inactive.

By doing nothing, he allowed Daenerys to embrace her worst tendencies. By the time she takes the Iron Throne, she has gone too far and becomes a danger to anyone who opposes her, including Jon’s family. Though the moment ruins his character as a hero, it was a necessary decision to stop further destruction.

7 Not Joining Robb’s Army

Following the death of Ned Stark, Jon is filled with rage and grief much like the rest of the Stark family. As a result, he briefly abandons the Night’s Watch and decides to go join his brother Robb as he marches to war.

However, his fellow Night’s Watch members follow him and convince him to come back. Not only does Jon truly belong in the Night’s Watch, but the decision likely saved his life as he would have probably died along with the rest of Robb’s army at the Red Wedding.

6 Not Executing Melisandre

While Jon is certainly not a ruthless person, he has made difficult decisions to take lives, executing the likes of Janos Slynt and Olly. But when it came to Melisandre and her murder of Shireen Baratheon, he decided to show mercy.

Perhaps it was because of her role in resurrecting him, but Jon chose to exile her from the North rather than kill her as Davos wanted. This proved to be wise as Melisandre would come back and play a pivotal role in defeating the Night King and his army.

5 Allying With The Wildlings

One of the most admirable things about Jon is that he is willing to make unpopular decisions if he truly believes it is the right thing to do. When he decides to let the Wildlings through the Wall, he faces backlash from the entire Night’s Watch, but he also makes loyal allies with Wildlings.

While the decision leads to Jon being murdered by members of the Night’s Watch, he would have stayed dead if not for the Wildlings coming to save Castle Black. That’s not to mention that Tormund becomes one of Jon’s best friends and the Wildlings help him take back Winterfell.

4 Turning Down Stannis’s Offer

In the earlier seasons of the show, the thing Jon Snow wanted more than anything was to be Jon Stark. Quite unexpectedly, he is offered this chance by Stannis Baratheon who says he will legitimize him if Jon agrees to join his army against the Boltons.

As much as Jon hates the Boltons and wants to be a Stark, he refuses to abandon the Night’s Watch and turns it down. Once again, Jon dodges a bullet as Stannis and his army are easily defeated by the Boltons.

3 Convincing Ned Stark To Keep The Direwolves

One of Jon’s best decisions comes in the very first episode. When returning to Winterfell, Ned Stark and his sons come across a litter of direwolf pups. Ned decides the merciful thing to do would be to kill the motherless pups.

However, it is Jon who points out that there is one pup for each Stark child as if it was meant for them to have them. Ned agrees and the direwolves become protectors of the family from that point on, saving them at various points.

2 Giving Arya Needle

Just as Jon was given Longclaw by Mormont, he also gifted an important sword to someone. When Jon and Arya are both set to leave Winterfell and go on their separate journeys, he gives his little sister her first sword, Needle.

Not only would Arya use Needle to kill many enemies, but the gift also began a turning point for Arya. As everyone else was encouraging her to follow a more traditional female path, Jon helped her embrace her journey as a warrior. If he hadn’t given her Needle, she might never have killed the Night King.

1 Becoming A Mentor In The Night’s Watch

When Jon arrives at the Night’s Watch, he is shocked to see it is not the noble band of heroes he thought, but rather that it is filled with criminals who chose this option rather than prison. However, Tyrion Lannister helps convince him that he shouldn’t consider himself better than these other men.

Jon is smart enough to take these words to heart. Instead of having contempt, he uses his years of training to help the other men become better fighters and even becomes a protector for Samwell Tarly. This is the first instance of Jon realizing he has what it takes to be a hero.