One of season 7’s biggest moments came in “Beyond the Wall,” when the Night King threw an ice javelin at Viserion the dragon, killing one of Daenerys’ children. But just how authentic was that spear toss? Was it physically possible?
It might seem silly to question whether an ice demon could bring down a fire-breathing dragon with a magical ice spear, but that’s exactly what The Ringer did when they they spoke to Kara Winger, a three-time Olympian in the javelin for the USA track and field team. Winger, who also holds the American record in the women’s javelin, examined the scene in the name of science. And unlike when an archery instructor broke down whether Ramsay Bolton could have actually killed Rickon Stark in “Battle of the Bastards,” the Night King’s take-down of Viserion was less rooted in reality.
EUGENE, OR – JUNE 26: Kara Winger competes in the Women’s Javelin Throw Final during day two of the 2015 USA Outdoor Track
Still, that doesn’t mean Winger couldn’t admire the Night King’s throw from a purely results-oriented standpoint. She guessed that the distance of the throw was “maybe 1,000 meters,” a distance she points out is “way past world records.” Winger was also complimentary of the Night King’s initial positioning. “Well, he seems to get into a pretty good position with his right arm — he pulls the spear back behind him and it’s pretty long,” Winger said. “The one shot where you can see the white part of the spear right down next to his cheekbone? That’s perfect; that’s exactly where you wanna be.” Maybe the Night King took so long to get to the Wall because he was practicing his javelin throwing?
Probably not, as after that moment, Winger says it “all falls apart.”
He has no speed coming into the throw; he’s not nearly patient enough with his upper body to generate dragon-killing force. He shortens the arm at the last second, and he loses his chest — he doesn’t keep the tension, as we say.
We thought there was plenty of tension in that scene, although not the kind Winger was referring to. And that wasn’t the only mistake the Night King made, as Winter thinks he could have done a better job using his whole body for the throw.
So this guy gets into a pretty good position with his nice, long right arm, but you can’t throw the javelin your furthest if you break your elbow and turn it into a throw. You have to generate all of your force from your lower body, through your core, and into your upper body.
Amateur move there, Nighty.
Winger did appreciate the Night King’s “game face,” as well as his “javelin caddy,” aka the other White Walker who assisted him. And even though his form was off, Winger had a theory as to how he achieved such impressive results. “Yeah — [something] supernatural, doping of some sort. … I think we need an anti-doping campaign, because his results are unbelievable with this technique.”
We’ll get right on that. Just don’t ask us to be the one to administer the doping test.
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