Many characters in Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire had hard lives, but Sansa Stark went through some of the worst. She faced tough marriages, lost her family, and had to survive a lot of bad situations. In the Game of Thrones TV show, she finally became Queen in the North, which was a fitting end for her. But in the books, it’s still unclear if her story will end the same way.
Sansa’s storyline in the show started to differ from the books in Season 5, when she was sent to Winterfell to marry Ramsay Bolton. However, if George R.R. Martin had followed his original 1993 outline for A Song of Ice and Fire, things could have turned out very differently for Sansa.
Sansa Stark Was Supposed to Have Joffrey’s Son in A Song of Ice and Fire
In both the TV show and the books, Sansa was supposed to marry Joffrey Baratheon, but it didn’t happen. In Martin’s early outline, though, they were not only supposed to marry, but Sansa would also have had Joffrey’s son. This would have completely changed her story.
Here’s what Martin originally wrote:
“Each family will discover they have a member who might not be fully loyal. Sansa Stark, married to Joffrey Baratheon, will give birth to his son, the heir to the throne. When the time comes, she will choose her husband and child over her family, a choice she will regret later on.”
In the version we know, Sansa escapes marriage to Joffrey, as he ends up marrying Margaery Tyrell after the Battle of Blackwater. Sansa later marries Tyrion Lannister, a match that wasn’t in the original plan. According to Martin, Tyrion was supposed to grow closer to both Arya and Sansa, eventually falling in love with Arya instead.
Key Differences in George R.R. Martin’s Original ASOIAF Outline
Martin’s early plans for the series were much different from what we know now. Some big changes included:
The series was planned to be just three books: A Game of Thrones, A Dance with Dragons, and The Winds of Winter.
Robb Stark was going to die in battle, defeated by Jaime and Tyrion Lannister, but not before wounding Joffrey.
Catelyn Stark, along with Bran and Arya, would flee to the Wall after Ned Stark’s death, but Catelyn would later die at the hands of the White Walkers (also called “Others”).
There was supposed to be a love triangle between Arya, Tyrion, and Jon Snow.
Daenerys Targaryen would kill Khal Drogo to avenge her brother Viserys.
Jaime Lannister would become king after Joffrey, killing everyone in the line of succession.
In the final version of the books and the show, Sansa defends Joffrey for a time, but soon learns how cruel he is. While she eventually turns away from the Lannisters, the original plan had her staying loyal to Joffrey for much longer.
How Sansa Having Joffrey’s Son Would Have Changed Her Story
If Sansa had given birth to Joffrey’s child, it would have tied her to the Lannisters more strongly, making it harder for her to escape their control. Joffrey’s cruelty would have been even worse for Sansa if she had a child with him. This child would have been a constant reminder of her suffering, and she would have had to protect her son on top of everything else.
There’s also a possibility that Sansa’s son would have been killed by Jaime Lannister. In Martin’s original outline, Jaime kills everyone in the line of succession to become king. This could mean Sansa would have a child with Joffrey, realize how terrible Joffrey was, try to protect her child, and then lose him to Jaime. This would have added even more pain to her story.
Sansa’s Story Was Originally Less Important in A Song of Ice and Fire
In Martin’s original outline, Sansa wasn’t as central to the story. The main characters were supposed to be Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Bran Stark, Arya Stark, and Tyrion Lannister. It seems likely that Martin’s original plan didn’t include Sansa becoming Queen in the North, and it’s possible she would have been killed off early.
This would have affected her Game of Thrones arc too. Sansa would have been stuck with Joffrey for much longer, making her less of a character who grows and learns from her experiences. The TV show made its own changes to Sansa’s story as well, including the controversial decision to have her marry Ramsay Bolton and suffer sexual assault—a storyline that wasn’t in the books.
Sansa’s journey in Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire was always going to be difficult, but the original plans could have made it even worse for her. It’s a good thing George R.R. Martin changed his mind about some parts of the story, allowing Sansa to become a stronger, more independent character in both the books and the show.