Is Game of Thrones Setting Up a War Between Daenerys and Jon Snow?

With only two episodes remaining of HBO's Game of Thrones, there's one major question fans are getting more and more eager to have answered: who will ultimately sit on the Iron Throne? With battle between Daenerys and Cersei inevitable after last night's episode, it is generally looking like one of those two factions will end up ruler of the seven kingdoms. However, even if Dany does defeat Cersei, her battles may not be over. Jon Snow also has a claim to the throne and it's possible that Game of Thrones is setting up not for an epic battle between Queens, but for a showdown between Targaryens -- Jon and Dany.

As things stand now, Jon's loyalty to Dany is strong. In "The Last of The Starks", Jon repeatedly attempted to reassure Dany that he had no interest in sitting on the Iron Throne himself and, instead, pledged his support and loyalty to her as Queen. For Dany, though, his promises aren't enough. She wants him to not speak about his true heritage as the son of Rhaegar Targaryen as it invalidates her claim on the throne and those in the North already would prefer to see him rule.

While everyone wanting Jon to be King probably isn't enough to make him step up and try to take the throne for himself above Dany, that doesn't mean that nothing would make him move. What could prompt him to act against Dany is if she were to go mad. Becoming a Mad Queen is something that Dany actually fears and for good reason. Her father, after all, was the Mad King Aerys whose own reign was ended in part due to his descent into paranoia and, well, madness. That said, Game of Thrones has been laying the groundwork for Dany to turn. There's been the frequent mention of her mental state as well as her fears that if people knew about Jon's heritage, they'd put him on the throne over her. She's not wrong, but she also is presented as being somewhat paranoid about it, seeing enemies everywhere instead of support.

Sunday night's episode may have been the biggest push towards Dany losing it, so to speak. After having lost Jorah in the Battle of Winterfell, she lost not only her dragon Rhaegal as her forces moved towards King's Landing, but the person most loyal and closest to her, Missandei, was captured, shackled, and beheaded right in front of her. The last image of the episode is of a rage-filled Dany glaring at Cersei. Those losses, along with everything else she's suffered -- particularly at the hands of the Lannisters -- might just be enough to push her over the edge to the point she full on attacks King's Landing.

If that's the case and Dany goes full Mad Queen, Jon may see it as his duty to stop her both as someone who loves her and as someone who wants what's best for the kingdom. It wouldn't be difficult to see Jon clashing with Dany in that scenario, and it's something that may have even been teased by Dany actress Emilia Clarke herself. The actress told Vanity Fair last year that she was troubled by how things work out for Dany.

"It f***ed me up," Clarke said. "I think if I knew there was another season maybe it wouldn't have f***ed me up in the same way but knowing that is going to be a lasting flavor in someone's mouth of what [Daenerys] is. It just puts more weight on it. It becomes harder to separate you from the role when you've been with it for so long."

Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

Do you think Game of Thrones is heading for a showdown between Dany and Jon? Let us know in the comments below.