why did daenerys kill varys

Daenerys kills Varys in Game of Thrones because she concludes he has betrayed her and is actively undermining her claim to the Iron Throne, so she carries out the execution she had long promised for any betrayal.

Quick Scoop: What Actually Happened

In Season 8, Episode 5 (“The Bells”), Varys is caught doing three major things that Daenerys reads as treason.

• He is trying to poison Daenerys through one of his “little birds” on Dragonstone, worrying she is becoming dangerous.

• He is writing letters across Westeros revealing that Jon Snow (Aegon Targaryen) is the true heir to the Iron Throne, not Daenerys.

• He is quietly shifting his loyalty from Dany to Jon, arguing that Jon would be the better, kinder ruler “for the realm.”

Daenerys already warned him in an earlier season: if he ever betrayed her, she would burn him alive. When Tyrion tells her that Varys is spreading the truth about Jon’s parentage and making moves behind her back, she decides that moment has arrived and has Drogon execute him by fire.

In‑Story Reasons: Why Daenerys Thinks She Must Kill Varys

From Daenerys’s own perspective, the execution is meant to be a necessary act to protect her claim and project strength.

1. Betrayal of trust
   • She explicitly demanded that Varys speak to her directly if he ever thought she was failing the people, not conspire behind her back.

 * Instead, he plots in secret, tries to replace her with Jon, and possibly attempts to poison her, which for her is a clear line-crossing.

2. Threat to her legitimacy
   • By broadcasting Jon’s true parentage, Varys is tearing down the fragile support Daenerys still has among Westerosi nobles, right before the decisive battle for King’s Landing.

 * With many already preferring Jon, this could cause defections or even coups if she appears weak or forgiving.

3. Fear, isolation, and paranoia
   • By this point she has lost Jorah, Missandei, and one of her dragons, and she feels betrayed by Jon’s emotional distance and by Tyrion’s repeated political mistakes.

 * That emotional spiral primes her to see Varys’s scheming as confirmation that everyone is turning against her and that only fear will keep power.

So in‑universe, Daenerys kills Varys because he’s committing treason at the worst possible moment, and she enforces the brutal promise she made: betray her, and she will burn you.

Behind the Scenes: Writing Choices & Fan Debates

Outside the story, the choice has been heavily debated since the episode aired in 2019.

• Many viewers felt the motivation is clear on paper : Varys has finally decided Daenerys is too dangerous and moves to back Jon, so she executes a known traitor.

• Others argue the execution feels rushed : Varys is a master spy who suddenly makes open, sloppy moves (obvious poisoning attempt, unsubtle letters, meeting conspirators in his room), seemingly just to get him caught quickly.

• Some fans see the scene mainly as a pivot for Daenerys’s “mad queen” turn , using his death to mark her slide into fear-based rule and the later destruction of King’s Landing.

Writers and commentators have pointed out that the show, having run out of book material, needed to push Daenerys toward a darker ending quickly, and Varys’s death is one of the big story beats used to do that.

How This Differs From the Books (So Far)

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels (which are still unfinished), Varys’s long‑term plan looks different.

• His core goal is to restore a Targaryen monarchy, but in the books he secretly supports Aegon/“Young Griff,” not Daenerys.

• Because that character was removed from the show, the TV version reshapes Varys into a more straightforward “for the realm” schemer who initially backs Dany, then flips when he thinks Jon is safer for Westeros.

That means his ultimate fate in the books will likely come from different choices, though the theme of him backing the “wrong” Targaryen or being punished for his plotting is expected to remain.

Forum & “Latest News” Style Discussion

Even years after the finale, fans are still talking about why did Daenerys kill Varys on forums and in explainer pieces, especially whenever people rewatch the series or newcomers binge it.

Common discussion threads include:

• Was Varys morally right to betray Daenerys “for the realm”?
• Did Daenerys overreact, or was this exactly the kind of treason any ruler would have to punish?
• Did the show earn Daenerys’s shift from “breaker of chains” to someone who burns an adviser she once valued, and later a city full of civilians?

In most recent commentary, you’ll often see the scene framed as both:

• a logically understandable move for an embattled queen who feels cornered, and
• a symbol of the show’s accelerated, divisive final‑season storytelling.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.