History Characters / GameOfThronesJonSnow

* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: One of the most fundamental aspects of Jon's personality that is excised from the show is his [[SecretlySelfish ambition]]. Book Jon's BastardAngst causes him to fantasize about becoming Lord of Winterfell. Show Jon, on the other hand, infamously [[spoiler:rejects ad-hominem the Iron Throne even with his Targaryen heritage revealed.]]

** Assumes command of Castle Black after Thorne is incapacitated and Slynt runs off, impressing yet ''more'' of his brothers by holding the Wall and slaying the Magnar of the Thenns;

** Likewise, it's mostly his battle prowess, as demonstrated by the bloody swath he carves during the Battle of the Bastards, that leads the Northerners to crown him king, despite them knowing he is an illegitimate son of House Stark.
* AuthorityGrantsAsskicking:
** During the Battle of Castle Black, he's left in charge because he's the best fighter among the lot, and takes a small force down to ground level. He jumps out of the elevator and proceeds to kill three Wildlings before the elevator even hits the floor.
** The Northern lords crown Jon as the King in the North partly because he has direct experience with the oncoming threat of the [[GreaterScopeVillain their true enemy, the White Walkers]]. As D.B. Weiss and David Benioff explain in a [[http://deadline.com/2016/08/game-of-thrones-david-benioff-d-b-weiss-emmys-interview-1201803698/ 2016 interview with Deadline]], "The lords of the north named (Jon) King in the North because they realized he was their last, best chance to survive the wars to come."

* AdaptationalHeroism:
** Downplayed. While Jon is one of the [[https://youtu.be/yarEbKyk8PU?t=147 straightest examples of a hero in the books]] as well, some of his grittier actions to save lives in the novels are removed from the show as a result of PragmaticAdaptation, such as pulling off a [[SwitchedAtBirth baby swap]] exchanging Mance Rayder's child with Gilly's to save the kid by preventing Melisandre's HumanSacrifice, fearing Melisandre wants to burn Mance's child for his king's blood. While he believes Gilly's son is safe from Melisandre because Gilly's son has no king's blood, Jon forces Gilly to comply by terrifying her, having Gilly singe her hand over a candle flame and threatening her child if Mance's son is sacrificed.[[labelnote:*]]Jon is certain Gilly's son is safe because Stannis wouldn't sacrifice an innocent in cold blood without sufficient reason and Jon has Gilly's son raised under his protection with the care of wet nurses. Though Gilly loves Mance's son, she is understandably miserable over being separated from her own child, having been forced to leave her son at Castle Black and take Mance's son to Oldtown as part of Jon's plan to prevent Melisandre's HumanSacrifice.[[/labelnote]]Likewise, Jon sternly forces Samwell to go to Oldtown and become a maester in contravention of Randyll Tarly's wishes rather than it being Sam's own idea.

* AdoptiveNameChange: He was born Aegon Targaryen. Ned gave him the name Jon Snow so he could pass him off as his bastard son and protect him from Robert.

* HeroesWantRedheads: He has been attracted to both Ros and Ygritte.

* RaisedByRival: [[spoiler:A downplayed example, since Ned doesn't appear to have born Rhaegar much personal animus, but Jon was raised by Ned Stark, who was on the opposite side of Robert's Rebellion from his biological father Rhaegar Targaryen]].

* BeingGoodSucks: Most everything he does, he does for the good of the Watch and Westeros, but he faces much hardship for it -- some of it from a faction of his Watch brothers -- and he ends up feeling increasingly isolated from them. Being killed in a mutiny by a group of Watchmen and hanging them in return, including the boy -- Olly -- who helped murder him, is the last straw for him, and he leaves the Watch in Season 6 thoroughly disillusioned with them and sick of fighting.

* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:With no hope of winning the battle against the Night's King in sight, Jon clears over the cover he took from the undead Viserion's flame and steps out in the open. The dragon roars at him, and Jon roars back at it, fully expecting to die. [[SubvertedTrope Then the Night's King falls, and so does Viserion before he can finish off Jon.]]]]
* TheDeterminator: His skills are only one reason he keeps surviving. His endurance is the other. Jon has gone through several desperate, long-running battles against superior foes, often as the first man in and the last man standing. The Battle of the Bastards is a clear example of this, as he is able to come to the end of the fight absolutely exhausted, and still have the strength and presence of mind to outfight a fresh Ramsay Bolton. And he does this because he absolutely refuses die until the realm and the people he has sworn to protect are safe, and justice is served by his hand.

* EntitledBastard: Of sorts when he first joins the wall, he instantly expects to accompany his uncle Benjen on his ranging exhibition. After given a reality check from Benjen and Tyrion, he matures considerably.

* TheHero: Jon is the closest thing to a classic hero you will find in this entire series (he is also noted as “the classic hero” by GRRM in a [[https://youtu.be/yarEbKyk8PU?t=147 2014 ABC News interview]]), particularly from Season 4 onward. Initially, Jon serves this role for the Night's Watch storyline, with his efforts in leading the Raid on Craster's Keep and the Battle of Castle Black. By Season 6, he unquestionably is this role for the North storyline (having restored the Starks back to power) if not for the whole of Westeros, as he is the only leader aware of the White Walkers' danger, and wants to gather as many forces as possible to withstand their arrival. And like many heroic main characters, he's inevitably revealed to be TheChosenOne as well as the unifying point of the entire story through a series of inherent links to differing factions.

** As a leader, Jon Snow is able to win UndyingLoyalty of his followers but this can be compromised as he puts forth controversial and polarizing policies in the interest of the [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight moral good]], and never quite finds a way to win over naysayers. He also refuses good advice from King Stannis (who warns him about Ser Alliser's treachery and insists he send him to Eastwatch away from Castle Black, which, considering that Alliser led the coup against him, is CassandraTruth), Ser Davos (who insists that the war in the North matters to the Watch over the Watch’s neutrality and he should support Stannis) and his sister Sansa (who warns him that Ramsay is good at goading him, and that the alliance in the North is fragile and he shouldn't head South to treat with Daenerys personally).[[note]]Although none of those advisers actually points a better strategy and Jon's choices, while not consequences free, do prove to be the right choices, most of the time: involving the Watch in Stannis' favour is what gets him killed in the book and dealing personally with Daenerys puts him eventually in a better position to do battle against the White Walkers]]

* AdaptationalDumbass: While TV Jon Snow is shown to be observant and quick-thinking, he can be very impulsive and relies more on AsskickingLeadsToLeadership. This is a direct contrast to his book counterpart, a GeniusBruiser who devotes more time to solving problems with his mind rather than his sword.[[labelnote:From the books]]Book Jon is well-read and culturally aware, being a fanboy of Daeron the Young Dragon, knowing a lot about the history of the Free Cities, and much of the lore of the North and the First Men. During the Battle of the Wall, he fights alongside the archers and assists in the efforts to ward off the Thenns' attack while assisting in command of the Wall's defense. As Lord Commander, he unofficially serves as a strategic adviser for King Stannis and rather brilliantly helps the latter's campaign to retake the North while maintaining the Watch's neutrality. Jon also oversees the integration and settlement of the wildlings south of the Wall, is a diplomatic back-and-forth between multiple factions at Castle Black and along the Wall, and negotiates and haggles a loan for winter provisions from the Iron Bank of the Braavos, proving his sophistication and worldliness. He also has plans to build glasshouses for winter provisions, starting apprenticeships so the Watchmen can learn needed skills, and sends Sam to Oldtown so he can study to be a maester and provide real intelligence from the Citadel.[[/labelnote]]

** Downplayed. While Jon is one of the [[https://youtu.be/yarEbKyk8PU?t=147 straightest examples of a hero in the books]] as well, some of his grittier actions to save lives in the novels are removed from the show as a result of PragmaticAdaptation, such as pulling off a [[SwitchedAtBirth baby swap]] exchanging Mance Rayder's child with Gilly's to save the kid by preventing Melisandre's HumanSacrifice, fearing Melisandre wants to burn Mance's child for his king's blood. While he believes Gilly's son is safe from Melisandre because Gilly's son has no king's blood, Jon forces Gilly to comply by terrifying her, having Gilly singe her hand over a candle flame and threatening her child if Mance's son is sacrificed.[[labelnote:*]]Jon is certain Gilly’s son is safe because Stannis wouldn't sacrifice an innocent in cold blood without sufficient reason, and Jon has Gilly’s son raised under his protection with the care of wet nurses. Though Gilly loves Mance's son, she is understandably miserable over being separated from her own child, having been forced to leave her son at Castle Black and take Mance's son to Oldtown as part of Jon's plan to prevent Melisandre's HumanSacrifice.[[/labelnote]]Likewise, Jon sternly forces Samwell to go to Oldtown and become a maester in contravention of Randyll Tarly's wishes rather than it being Sam's own idea.

** As a leader, Jon Snow is able to win UndyingLoyalty of his followers but this can be compromised as he puts forth controversial and polarizing policies in the interest of the [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight moral good]], and never quite finds a way to win over naysayers. He also refuses good advice from King Stannis (who warns him about Ser Alliser's treachery and insists he send him to Eastwatch away from Castle Black, which, considering that Alliser led the coup against him, is CassandraTruth), Ser Davos (who insists that the war in the North matters to the Watch over the Watch’s neutrality and he should support Stannis) and his sister Sansa (who warns him that Ramsay is good at goading him, and that the alliance in the North is fragile and he shouldn't head South to treat with Daenerys personally).[[note]]Although none of those advisers actually points a better strategy and Jon's choices, while not consequences free, do prove to be the right choices, most of the time: involving the Watch in Stannis' favour is what gets him killed in the book and dealing personally with Daenerys puts him eventually in a better position to do battle against the White WalkersTanTan]]

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Jon Snow's simplistic morality is seen as unsuitable for the morally ambiguous and complicated Westeros. Perhaps being exiled is the best thing for him.

* {{Tyrannicide}}: [[spoiler:A very tragic version of this trope. In the series finale, Jon pleads with his love Daenerys to opt for mercy instead of more destruction after her FaceHeelTurn. But when Daenerys is resolved to more destruction, believing [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans it is necessary to create her vision of a better world]], Jon realizes she is a threat not only to his own family, but the world at large, and reluctantly assassinates her]].