As the mastermind behindGame of Thrones' intricate plot lines, writer George R. R. Martin knows a thing or two about writing a story. Now, it turns out he isn’t a fan of the way some fans pile on series likeGame of Thrones, the still unreleasedLord of the Rings: Rings of Power, or even the MCU.
Martin, whose latest published work is seenin his contributions toElden Ring, went over these topics recently, and he of course had to addressGame of Thrones' controversial final season, but he also took the time to explain a bit about his thought process when writing. The interview even covers Martin’s opinions on the work of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, both of which he considers highly influential figures as a confessed comic book fan.
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However, Martin doesn’t let any online talk, rumors, or hate get to him. “I don’t understand how people can come to hate so much something that they once loved,” Martin said during a recent interview with The Independent, claiming if fans really don’t like a show they shouldn’t watch it instead of spreading toxic comments. He specifically tookthe upcomingRings of Power(out in September) as an example, noting how said toxic discourse affects popular franchises even before the show comes out. “Maybe it’s because it’s changing, but as a writer you’d go crazy if you didn’t change it somehow. You want to tell new stories, not tell the same stories over and over again,” he said.
On that same note, he mentions the controversies surrounding popular franchises like Marvel, DC, andStar Wars.“It used to be if you were a fan ofStar Trek, you likedStar Trek. Now it seems like half the people who call themselvesStar Trekfans hateStar Trek,” Martin said. He also referenced how he didn’t like the first batch of Marvel shows from the ’70s but he didn’t send the creators ofThe Incredible HulkandCaptain Americahate mail simply because he didn’t like them.
Just for clarification’s sake, no, Martin did not address any new potential advances inThe Winds of Winter, his sixth book in theSong of Ice and Fireseries. However, he did explain a bit about his writing style and how he tackles death, and that when he’s “going to write a death scene, particularly for major characters, I want to make the reader feel it. That’s what the Red Wedding, I think, successfully accomplished. People felt that death.” That should serve as a warning that perhaps fans shouldn’t get too attached to any one specific character inthe upcomingHouse of the Dragonseries.
HBO’sHouse of the Dragonand Amazon’sRings of Powerare set to battle it out when the first one premieres on August 21, and although Martin is more than happy to see the two series succeed, his competitive drive keeps him wanting to beat out the latter at least by one Emmy. Meanwhile,Elden Ringcontinues to inspire fans of both franchises who dream of seeingan open world soulslikeLord of the Rings.
