The Original ‘Game of Thrones’ Night King Concept Art Looks Very Different

Game of Thrones is long gone. Given that, and the disappointing taste the final season left in many fan’s mouths, there’s nothing to do now but look back on what might have been. A new art book coming in November reveals the Night King, who served as the looming boogeyman for several seasons, looked wildly different from his concept art when he finally made it to the screen. 

Vanity Fair points out that the designers behind Game of Thrones had no grounding in reality or the book series to deal with. There is no character of The Night King in A Song of Ice and Fire and the role wasn’t yet cast. The result, included in the book The Art of Game of Thrones, looks a bit like a ghoulish take on The Ice King from Adventure Time. He wears a long robe and a tall, jagged crown. It’s a far cry from the “promoted former general” look of The Night King on screen, who looks the part of the head of an undead army.

In an excerpt from the book, prosthetics designer Barrie Gower explained how the look shifted.

He would be the leader of the White Walkers, the original White Walker, so we needed him to have a sense of power. We talked about creating a crown that could be fused into his head, something organic, that felt very much a part of him. As the White Walkers have a very icy and cold palette, it made sense to explore sharp and angular forms, with a translucent quality to help sell the subzero temperature of his flesh.

Since his creation became one of the most recognizable characters on the entire show, it’s hard to fault him.