HBO’s Game of Thrones, much like its sprawling cast, knows how to fill a room — and so it did at the San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, letting slip with a few pieces of Season 2 scoop, a hint at what Season 3 won’t be like, much ruminating on ghastly deaths, and one response to the question of who is Jon Snow’s mother. Here’s a peek at the Thrones panel discussion.

* The casting of fan favorite Jason Momoa actually came from fans. The producers couldn’t find the right guy for the role until they stumbled upon a fan suggesting the actor on a message board. ““No offense, I hadn’t heard of you before,” said executive producer David Benoiff. “I hadn’t kept up on my Baywatch.”

* Why does author George R.R. Martin like to kill off beloved characters? “It keeps you on your toes,” he replied. “I want people emotionally involved in my story. … I want readers to be afraid to turn the page, not knowing who’s going to live and die.”

Season 2 Scoop: Thrones Casts Maester Cressen, Melisandre and Stannis

* Surveying Season 2, “Everyone dies, sorry,” Benoiff joked. “It was all a dream,” added Weiss before getting serious. The EPs promised lots of new characters like the Red Priestess and “bad stuff lurking north of the wall.” We’ll also “see those dragons and wolves start to grow up,” teased Benoiff. “It’s a season of exploration.”

* The Season 1 DVD and Blu-ray release won’t have any deleted scenes, sadly. “We didn’t really have any deleted scenes,” said executive producer D.B. Weiss. “We pretty much used everything we shot. It was an ambitious and challenging schedule.” But that doesn’t mean fans can’t expect some treats on the DVD release like Jason Momoa’s audition, featuring the “dance that won him the role.” EP David Benoiff pointed out that the dance wasn’t even in the actual scene, but Momoa went for it, ripping his shirt open before.

* If the show is lucky enough to get to a third season, it will not correspond with the books at that point, revealed Benoiff. It’s “too big to do in one season,” he explained. Whatever happens, the Battle of Blackwater will be in the show even if they have to collect fan donations to fund the epic scene. “We’re going to pass my hat around to get some extra contributions,” joked Martin.

* Does Martin feel pressure to give fans a proper ending and “not pull a Lost,” one fan asked. “I guess I am concerned about the ending,” he replied, who singled out the end of “Lord of the Rings” asa great ending. “I certainly hope that the ending will tie together. Hopefully, it will make some people happy. I’ve always been a fan of the bittersweet ending. I’ve said to people that’s what to expect.”

* Don’t ask Kit Harrington who Jon Snow’s mother is. “I have no idea,” he said. But he was more than happy to share his dream ending for the end of the book series. “I want Jon Snow to be on the throne. That’s the brilliant thing. It’s so up in the air. Who knows who’ll be sitting up there, who’ll be dead and who’ll be alive.”