Presently, the Game of Thrones universe is defined by the Targaryen family. follows the Dance of the Dragons succession battle between Rhaenyra Targaryen and Aegon II. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows Rhaenyra’s great-great-great-great-great-grandson, and then Game of Thrones takes up with Aegon’s great-granddaughter.
However, that isn’t the sole family connection among the different shows. Lyonel Baratheon, the “Laughing Storm” who parties with Dunk during the first night of the tourney, is either the great-grandfather or great-great-grandfather of Robert Baratheon (who is also a great-grandson of Egg).
But now, we may be able to add another family line to this list: Ser Dunk might actually be related to one of the most beloved characters in Game of Thrones, and the showrunner might have just confirmed it.
One of the most long-standing fan theories surrounding The Tales of Dunk and Egg is that Ser Duncan the Tall might actually be an ancestor of another historically tall knight: Brienne of Tarth, the Amazonian knight sworn to protect the Starks in Game of Thrones. The resemblance is hard to disregard: Peter Claffey is 6’5”, while Gwendoline Christie is 6’3”, and even their chivalrous-but-slightly-naive personalities are similar.
The most significant link between these two characters occurs in A Feast for Crows, when Brienne decides to paint her shield with a sigil of an elm tree and a shooting star, something she remembers seeing in her father’s armory.
But now there’s a new clue to add to this conspiracy board. In an interview with , Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker revealed that the wooded part of the kingsroad that young Dunk and his friend Rafe use to get back to Flea Bottom is actually the same road as the one Brienne and Jaime are seen on when they part ways in Game of Thrones Season 4.
“It’s the exact same road in Belfast, same trees and everything,” Parker said. “There’s no attention drawn to it, but anyone who’s a deep, deep fan of the show, hopefully, will pick up on that.”
The article continues by stating “Parker said he liked the idea of distant relatives crossing paths generations apart.”
Believe it or not, this is the first confirmation that in show canon, these two characters are related. Even in book canon, the only proof is a statement George R. R. Martin made in 2016, where he said the details of how they’re related will be “revealed in time.” Given his writing pace, it seems the show might confirm that first.
But if Dunk is related to Brienne, then how did he—and his shield—end up in Tarth? Could this be related to that strange spoiler leak that led fans to believe Dunk might during the fire of Summerhall? Maybe this also confirms that he’s able to get away and live a quiet life in Tarth, away from King’s Landing.