The Game of Thrones spinoff series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight has apparently wrapped production. Shooting on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms began back in June, and production mostly took place in Northern Belfast, Ireland. There are only six episodes slated for the first season of The Hedge Knight, so that timeline of production tracks.

 There will likely be additional months needed for reshoots or pickups that are needed, as well as post-production (visual effects, editing). That creates an interesting release window for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms; as of now, it looks like late summer or fall of 2025 would be the most likely slot for the premiere. If that’s the case, then the new spinoff series will perfectly fill the gap between House of the Dragon Season 2 this year, and House of the Dragon Season 3, which is expected to arrive in 2026. 

Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin recently sparked controversy by criticizing Season 2 of House of the Dragon, but in a recent interview, he made sure to let fans know that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is looking great: 

“I visited the set in Northern Ireland in July and loved what I saw. Great cast. [The lead characters] Dunk and Egg look as if they walked out of the pages of my book. My readers are going to love them. I certainly do. [Showrunner Ira Parker] is doing a great job,” Martin told THR. 

Game of Thrones: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Cast & Story

Synopsis: A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros…a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.

The series stars Peter Claffey (who plays the legendary knight Ser Duncan the Tall), and Dexter Sol Ansell (as Duncan’s squire, Egg). The larger cast of characters includes Edward Ashley (Masters of the Air) as Ser Steffon Fossoway; Henry Ashton (My Lady Jane) as Daeron Targaryen; Youssef Kerkour (House of Gucci) as Steely Pate; Daniel Monks (Netflix’s upcoming film Kaos) as Ser Manfred Dondarrion; Shaun Thomas (How to Have Sex) as Raymun Fossoway; Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (Avengers: Infinity War) as Plummer; Danny Webb (HBO’s The Regime) as Ser Arlan of Pennytree; Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen; Bertie Carvel as Baelor Targaryen; Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle; Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, and Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen. 

Source: Redanian Intelligence

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Author George R. R. Martin may have strong criticism for HBO’s House of the Dragon, but when it comes to new Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, his opinion appears to be much higher. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Martin didn’t comment on his criticism of House of the Dragon, but instead had nothing but good to say about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms currently in the works and expected to arrive on HBO sometime next year.

“I visited the set in Northern Ireland in July and loved what I saw,” Martin wrote in a statement. “Great cast. [The lead characters] Dunk and Egg look as if they walked out of the pages of my book. My readers are going to love them. I certainly do. [Showrunner Ira Parker] is doing a great job.”

Martin’s praise for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms comes just a week after the Game of Thrones creator took to his blog to address what he called “toxic” story changes in House of the Dragon. In the since deleted post, Martin outlined that one of his issues with House of the Dragon centered around the erasure of Aegon and Helaena Targaryen’s youngest child, Prince Maelor. In the book’s version of the Blood & Cheese storyline, the young prince’s existence is a major facet with significant ramifications later on and, Martin indicated that initial conversations with House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal indicated the character would still appear, albeit later on. However, that did not end up coming to fruition as the series is set to end with Season 4, prompting Martin to reveal that it could result in an impact to the final two seasons of the series as well as hinted that “there are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if House of the Dragon goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4…”

HBO later responded to Martin’s criticisms, acknowledging the difficult changes that the series had to make when it came to adapting the source material.

“There are few greater fans of George R.R. Martin and his book Fire & Blood than the creative team on House of the Dragon, both in production and at HBO,’ the statement reads (via Variety). “Commonly, when adapting a book for the screen, with its own format and limitations, the showrunner ultimately is required to make difficult choices about the characters and stories the audience will follow. We believe that Ryan Condal and his team have done an extraordinary job and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two seasons will continue to enjoy it.”

As for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Martin has had positive things to say about the series before. Earlier this year, Martin took to his blog to comment on the tone of the series as well as praise Parker and his team.

“The Hedge Knight will be a lot shorter than Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, with a much different tone… but it’s still Westeros, so no one is truly safe,” Martin wrote. “Ira Parker and his team are doing a great job.”

He added, “Oh, and we have our director as well: Owen Harris, a terrific British director whose credits include helming ‘San Junipero’, my all-time favorite episode of Black Mirror. Owen will direct three of our six episodes.”

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, set a century before the events of Game of Thrones and following two unlikely heroes as they wander Westeros, Ser Duncan the Tall and his diminutive squire, Egg, is expected to arrive on HBO sometime in 2025.

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HBO is responding to George R.R. Martin’s criticism of House of the Dragon. On Wednesday, in a now-deleted blog post, Martin made good on his promise from his August 30th post and went into detail about the things he felt had gone wrong with House of the Dragon’s second season, specifically citing changes from the pages of his book to screen when it came to the “Blood & Cheese” plot from the season premiere and what it meant for the story further down the road as well as teased larger concerns in future seasons. Now, in their response, HBO acknowledges the “difficult choices” the series has had to make and expressed confidence in showrunner Ryan Condal and his team going forward.

“There are few greater fans of George R.R. Martin and his book Fire & Blood than the creative team on House of the Dragon, both in production and at HBO,’ the statement reads (via Variety). “Commonly, when adapting a book for the screen, with its own format and limitations, the showrunner ultimately is required to make difficult choices about the characters and stories the audience will follow. We believe that Ryan Condal and his team have done an extraordinary job and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two seasons will continue to enjoy it.”

In his post, which has now been deleted, Martin outlined that one of his issues with House of the Dragon was the erasure of Aegon and Helaena Targaryen’s youngest child, Prince Maelor, whose existence is a major part of the book’s version of the Blood & Cheese storyline and has ramifications further along. Martin wrote that when Condal first spoke with him about the plan for Maelor, he came to understand the practical reason for it, but also was assured that the character was merely being postponed.

“I did not argue long or with much heat, however. The change weakened the sequence, I felt, but only a bit. And Ryan had what seemed to be practical reasons for it; they did not want to deal with casting another child, especially a two-year old toddler. Kids that young will inevitably slow down production, and there would be budget implications. Budget was already an issue on House of the Dragon, it made sense to save money wherever we could. Moreover, Ryan assured me that we were not losing Prince Maelor, simply postponing him. Queen Helaena could still give birth to him in season three, presumably after getting with child in late season two. That made sense to me, so I withdrew my objections and acquiesced to the change. I still love the episode, and the Blood and Cheese sequence overall. Losing the ‘Helaena’s Choice’ beat did weaken the scene, but not to any great degree.”

But he went on to explain that with the character eliminated entirely, there could be impact to the final two seasons to the series, which is set to end with Season 4, by revealing potential spoilers based upon the book, but he also went on to suggest that there were more concerns with House of the Dragon, adding “And there are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if House of the Dragon goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4…”

What is House of the Dragon About?

Based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra respectively. The series is set to enter production on Season 3 in “earlyish 2025.”

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Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin is throwing major shade at House of the Dragon and some of the changes the show has made – and will make – to the lore he established in his book “Fire & Blood”, which chronicles the history of House Targaryen. 

In a seemingly now-deleted post in his “Not a Blog” personal journal, Martin went down the rabbit hole of discussing the infamous ‘Blood & Cheese’ sequence from the House of the Dragon Season 2 premiere. He finally addressed the divisive changes to Blood & Cheese’s story in House of the Dragon – namely, the removal of a pivotal character from the sequence: King Aegon II and Queen Helaena Targaryen’s third and youngest child, Prince Maelor. The show only featured the twins Prince Jaehaerys and Princess Jaehaera, while Blood & Cheese forced Helaena to choose between her male and female child to be the one who lived. In Fire & Blood, it’s written that Helaena had to choose between all three of her kids, and chose Maelor to die as he was too young to understand. In a sadistic turn, Blood and Cheese killed Jaehaerys instead, leaving Maelor to live a life knowing that his mother was willing to sacrifice him. 

Prince Maelor’s arc doesn’t get any better later on: (MILD SPOILERS) The boy never made it past the age of three before he, too, was killed during the “Dance of Dragons” Civil War between the Targaryens. In fact, Maelor’s death (killed in a mob of commonfolk trying to capture him, while fleeing the war) became a powerful metaphor for just how unforgivably far the war between Queen Rhaenyra’s Black and King Aegon II’s Greens had gotten. 

In his blog post, George R.R. Martin revealed some of his own frustrations with the changes to Blood & Cheese’s story, saying “I found myself agreeing with both sides,” i.e., agreeing with those critical of the choice to remove Maelor Targaryen from the show. Martin then confirms that Maelor was never going to be a part of HotD: 

“Sometime between the initial decision to remove Maelor, a big change was made,” Martin wrote. “The prince’s birth was no longer just going to be pushed back to season 3.  He was never going to be born at all. The younger son of Aegon and Helaena would never appear.”

Martin likens cutting Maelor from the show to the “Butterfly Effect,” wherein one minor change causes a snowballing effect of many bigger changes down the line. He runs through some MAJOR SPOILERS about the latter part of the Dance of Dragon conflict, pointing out how one of the most brutal and shocking moments of that conflict (Maelor’s death at the hands of the mob) is no longer a possibility for House of the Dragon to depict. And judging from his words, George R.R. Martin is nervous (at best) and/or upset (at worst) that there is no certainty when it comes to replacing some bigger themes that come with that side story: 

“What will we offer the fans instead, once we’ve killed these butterflies?I have no idea.I do not recall that Ryan and I ever discussed this, back when he first told me they were pushing back on Aegon’s second son.Maelor himself is not essential… but if losing him means we also lose [REDACTED SPOILERSl… that’s a considerable loss.”

Game of Thrones Creator Teases “Toxic” Changes to House of the Dragon

If all that wasn’t controversial enough, Martin ended by outright casting a whole shadow of doubt on Hosue of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal and the work being done on House of the Dragon Seasons 3 and 4: 

“And there are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if HOUSE OF THE DRAGON goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4…” Martin wrote. 

It seems likely that the powers-that-be at HBO and House of the Dragon caught wind of this post going up, and that’s why it just as quickly vanished from Martin’s blog page. Too late, though: this is surprising tension to be found between Martin and Condal. It’s also fuel for Martin to get flamed by some searing backdraft, if fans come at him about not cementing his lore in fully-completed texts for the shows to follow. We’re STILL waiting on those final two Game of Thrones books… 

Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are streaming on HBO. 

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There’s a new update for one of HBO’s spinoffs of Game of Thrones. With Season 2 of House of the Dragon now concluded, we’re now in a waiting period for the third season to arrive. There are spinoffs such as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight up next in the pipeline, along with Aegon’s Conquest, which details how the Targaryen’s conquered Westeros and kicked off many of the events in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Mattson Tomlin, the writer of Aegon’s Conquest, recently revealed how his discussions with author George R.R. Martin are helping to shape the series.

“It starts with what George has done. I’ve now gotten to spend quite a bit of time with him, and there have been a lot of pinch-me moments of just kind of going through fire and blood, highlighting passages, and asking him, What did this mean? What is this? What I think it is. You know sometimes really grilling him going, I don’t understand, what’s happening here,” Tomlin told the Game of Thrones site Westerosies (via Nexus Point News). 

“And then other times going, I think that it could mean this. But it’s really taking that text and treating it like it’s real history. That’s one of the things that my approach to it was to [that] fire and blood is written like a real history and these things happened. We know the history of Alexander the Great; we know the history of Napoleon. We know what the battles were. We know a lot of the people who died. We know in some cases what was said or what might have been said, but we don’t know everything,” he continued.

Tomlin concluded with, “For me, it’s about making sure that I respect George and I respect the text. And then also, it still has to be a dramatic story. Those characters have to go on a journey; they have to change; they have to go from a beginning to a middle to an end. Figuring out how to do all of that with the clues that that textbook has left for me and go, okay, I’m going to interpret this very real history and try to make it a really vivid show that hopefully people love and don’t hate, doing the best I can.”

George R.R. Martin has an issue with House of the Dragon

Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon creator George R.R. Martin is going to address his issues with House of the Dragon. That’s what he stated in a recent blog post, and while he didn’t give any clues as to what he found wrong with the Game of Thrones spinoff, he revealed that he will address it as some point in the future.

The main focus of the post covers his time in Santa Fe for “the Burning of Zozobra (the original Burning Man, for those of you who have never heard of him).” Martin also discusses how this has been a trying time not only for him, but for the entire world. “This has not been a good year for anyone, with war everywhere and fascism on the rise… and on a more personal level, I have had a pretty wretched year as well, one full of stress, anger, conflict, and defeat,” he says.

He then turns his attention to some of those things that have been causing him grief this year, and states how he’s not looking forward to writing about them, including House of the Dragon. “I do not look forward to other posts I need to write, about everything that’s gone wrong with HOUSE OF THE DRAGON… but I need to do that too, and I will,” George states. “Not today, though. TODAY is Zozobra’s day, when we turn away from gloom.”  

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George R.R. Martin declares that he will soon address all of the things he found wrong with House of the Dragon. The second season of the hit HBO original series concluded earlier this summer, and with that came news that House of the Dragon will end with Season 4. There will be a bit of a wait between Seasons 2 and 3, with production beginning in the early part of 2025. The finale of House of the Dragon Season 2 was light on the action, leaving some fans disappointed. There are certainly other parts of House of the Dragon you can nitpick, but when the creator of the Game of Thrones universe speaks up about inefficiencies he’s spotted, you tend to take notice.

A new post on George R.R. Martin’s personal blog is where he addresses House of the Dragon. The main focus of the post covers his time in Santa Fe for “the Burning of Zozobra (the original Burning Man, for those of you who have never heard of him).” Martin also discusses how this has been a trying time not only for him, but for the entire world. “This has not been a good year for anyone, with war everywhere and fascism on the rise… and on a more personal level, I have had a pretty wretched year as well, one full of stress, anger, conflict, and defeat,” he says.

He then turns his attention to some of those things that have been causing him grief this year, and states how he’s not looking forward to writing about them, including House of the Dragon. “I do not look forward to other posts I need to write, about everything that’s gone wrong with HOUSE OF THE DRAGON… but I need to do that too, and I will,” George states. “Not today, though. TODAY is Zozobra’s day, when we turn away from gloom.”

What does George R.R. Martin find wrong with House of the Dragon?

The blog post from George R.R. Martin is vague, and doesn’t point out the faults he’s found in House of the Dragon. Of course, he states that he will address what went wrong at a later date, leaving fans to speculate on what those issues could be.

Much of the online discourse surrounding Martin’s anti-House of the Dragon post is targeted at his Game of Thrones novel series still not being completed, with fans waiting years for the story to come to its official conclusion. Plus, House of the Dragon hasn’t garnered as much negativity as the final season of Game of Thrones.

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Funko Games, an imprint of Goliath Games, has announced a new House of the Dragon-themed game. House of the Dragon: Dark Dealings is a new card game that mixes bluffing, negotiation, and hidden agendas. The game plays out over a number of rounds, with each player vying for control of three areas of influence – Politics, Military, and Economy. Each player has cards valued between 1 to 3 in each of these influence, along with character cards with effects and deceit cards that indicate one suit but actually belong to another. In the game, each player puts one of their cards inside a vault, which has a small open to show what suit they (allegedly) played. Once each player puts a card in the vault, the vault is opened and each suit is revealed and tallied. Each player that contributed to the highest suit draws a scoring card, but if all players used the same suit, only the first player of the round scores a card. 

Players can choose whether to “reveal” what card they placed in the Vault by placing it at the front of the Vault, thus showing all future players what they put inside. However, thanks to deceit cards, this could be a bluff, or a feint to help push players into a specific direction. 

This marks one of the first House of the Dragon tabletop games to be released, which is something of a surprise given the overall Game of Thrones franchise’s popularity. Plenty of tabletop games have been made based on both the Game of Thrones book series and the television shows, House of the Dragon has not yet seen the same level of attention.

House of the Dragon: Dark Dealings will cost $24.99. The game is currently available for purchase on GameStop’s website. 

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Even Game of Thrones star Kit Harington can admit that there were major issues with the ending of the series. In a new interview, Harington opened up about the ending of GoT, and was quite candid about it, saying in no uncertain terms that “there were mistakes made” with a Final Season that was “rushed.” 

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I think there were mistakes made, story-wise, towards the end maybe,” Harington said to GQ. “I think there were some interesting choices that didn’t quite work.”

Kit Harington Explains Why Game of Thrones Final Season Failed

According to Kit Harington, the downfall of Game of Thrones‘ Final Season was deep fatigue amongst the cast and crew:

“I think if there was any fault with the end of Thrones, is that we were all so fucking tired, we couldn’t have gone on longer,” Harington explained. “And so I understand some people thought it was rushed and I might agree with them. But I’m not sure there was any alternative. I look at pictures of me in that final season and I look exhausted. I look spent. I didn’t have another season in me.” 

That fatigue was readily apparent all throughout the final press tours for Game of Thrones Season 8. Daenerys Targaryen actress Emilia Clarke went viral for red carpet awkwardness when trying to answer whether Season 8 landed the plane; in the years since Game of Thrones ended, many other stars of the show have opened up about their displeasure with the finale season – including Varys actor Conleth Hill, who echoed Harington’s take that Season 8 was “rushed”: 

“I thought I’d done something wrong. Right up until the last two series, I had no complaints at all,” Hill told The Times last year. “I just felt frustrated with the last couple of series because Varys wasn’t the all-knowing character he had been. I think the writers wanted to do one thing to end it and the studio HBO wanted to do another. I felt that last series was a bit rushed. I was inconsolable, but now I’m fine about it.”

To his credit, Kit Harington tried to jump back into the Game of Thrones Universe: Harington was attached to a Game of Thrones sequel series that would follow Jon Snow after the events of the original series. However, HBO recently canceled that series while still in development:

“We spent a couple of years back and forth developing it. And it just didn’t… nothing got us excited enough,” said Harington in the same interview. “In the end, I kind of backed out and said, ‘I think if we push this any further and keep developing it we could end up with something that’s not good.’ And that’s the last thing we all want.”

Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are streaming on Max. There are three additional spinoff shows in development. 

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Former members of the Game of Thrones cast and crew have had a variety of reactions to the prequel series House of the Dragon, and in the wake of the Season 2 finale of the series airing earlier this week, Jon Snow actor Kit Harington admits that he doesn’t think he’ll “ever” watch the prequel. Harington was a key figure in all eight seasons of Game of Thrones, with the experience occupying a decade of his life, so it’s understandable that he won’t ever be able to enjoy the fantasy franchise the way audiences do, especially with rumors and reports that he could reprise his role as Jon Snow for a sequel series.

“I just can’t watch it. For me, it’s just I spent too long there. And I wish them all the best and I hear it’s wonderful and going really well, but I don’t think I’ll ever watch that show,” Harington confirmed to the Associated Press. “I don’t think I’ll ever watch Game of Thrones again for very many years.”

While everyone involved in Game of Thrones have different connections to the massively successful HBO series, Harington has been one of the more vocal figures who has addressed the toll the experience took on his own mental health. The George R.R. Martin adaptation concluded five years ago, but Harington is still working on finding distance from the experience.

“It’s taken a few years to put it in the rearview and I’m still unsure whether it is fully in the rearview mirror,” the actor continued. As far as why he returned to HBO to join the cast of the series Industry, he noted, “I think it takes a long time but I think now is the right time, or it felt like the thing I wanted to do, was to get into doing a full character arc rather than just an episode of this, an episode of that, or a movie arc, I wanted to do a TV character arc again.”

In the wake of the conclusion of Game of Thrones, it seemed like a given that the concept could expand exponentially, though the coronavirus pandemic and last year’s writers’ and actors’ strikes took a toll on those expansion plans. One spinoff earned a pilot before HBO opted not to order it to series, and reports emerge on a regular basis about new projects moving forward or being delayed.

Both Harington and Martin have offered more disappointing updates than promising ones about the Jon Snow sequel series in recent years.

Stay tuned for updates on the future of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.

What do you think of the actor’s remarks? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

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WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for House of the Dragon Season 2! Continue reading at your own risk… There were plenty of surprising moments in Sunday’s , but perhaps none as important as the confirmation of Helaena Targaryen’s abilities. In a major change from George R.R. Martin’s source material, Helaena was revealed as a dragon dreamer, aka a Targaryen with a prophetic gift. 

After seemingly predicting the future on different occasions, Helaena appeared in Daemon’s haunting vision in the season finale, telling him about his place in the overall Targaryen story. This was a massive demonstration of power on Helaena’s part, confirming that there is way more to her than anyone expected. Phia Saban, who plays Helaena on the series, spoke to EW after the finale and opened up about her character’s big change.

“I know that people feel so passionately and lovingly towards the original story, but I think that me, as a fan of things, I love a certain level of loyalty,” Saban said. “Then I love the idea that I can be surprised or something could be subverted. It more flatters the audience’s intelligence when you get to surprise them and subvert things, so I like the idea that people didn’t see that coming for Helaena.”

Saban went on to say that she doesn’t know where Helaena’s story is going, nor how far the character’s powers extend. But this puts her at the center of the story in a way that she wasn’t prior to the most recent episode.

“The thing is that I really have absolutely no idea what’s happening next season,” she explained. “I think that moment in episode 8 is an example of how clear and how powerful she can be, but I don’t think that’s the beginning of now she can just communicate like that. I wouldn’t be surprised if she walks away from Aemond, [mimes shaking her head and shoulders and blows out a breath], and she goes inside and goes to her room and that doesn’t happen again for a long time.

“So who knows, but it would be really cool if I got to spend more time in that vision dream world. I would love that. There’s that moment when Daemon’s going over to the tree, and then there’s a guy with a deer head or something. I think Helaena should hang out with him.”

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower.

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WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for House of the Dragon Season 2! Continue reading at your own risk… House of the Dragon‘s second season ended in surprising fashion on Sunday night. The entire season seemed to be building towards the devastating conflict known as the Battle of the Gullet, which stands as one of the most pivotal events in the entire Dance of the Dragons war. House of the Dragon cut to black just as both sides were making their way to the war, pushing the battle to next season.

Considering we’re probably two years away from , many were puzzled by the decision not to end Season 2 at the Gullet, but the creative team behind the show had their reasons. Speaking at a post-season press conference (per Variety), House of the Dragon co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal opened up about the situation.

“We were trying to give the Gullet, which is arguably the most anticipated — well, I would say maybe the second-most-anticipated action event of Fire & Blood, trying to give it the time and the space that it deserves,” Condal said. “Obviously, as anybody that’s seen the finale, we’re building to that event. That event will happen very shortly in terms of the storytelling of House of the Dragon. Based on what we know now, it should be the biggest thing to date that we’ve pulled off, and we just wanted to have the time, the space to do that at a level that is going to excite and satisfy the fans and in the way it’s deserved.”

Condal went on to say that the writers wanted to “build some anticipation” towards the Battle of the Gullet, which we now know won’t take place until the start of Season 3.

“I know everybody wants this to come out every summer,” he continued. “It’s just that the show is so complext that we’re really making multiple feature films every season. So I apologize for the wait, but I will just say if Rook’s Rest and the Red Sowing are any indication, we’re gonna pull off a hell of a win with the Battle of the Gullet in the future.”

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

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(SPOILERS) House of the Dragon Season 2 ended by maneuvering its principal characters into the precarious places they needed to be in, as the Targaryen Civil Wars truly got underway. For characters like Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) that meant walking away from the war before the bodies piled too high; for others like Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), it was time to get off sidelines and decide whether he could truly support the reign of Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy). 

Daemon’s storyline was one of the most divisive elements of House of the Dragon Season 2, as the charismatic rascal was sidelined (literally and figuratively) at Harrenhal, trying to usurp the throne for himself. However, in HotD Season 2 Episode 8 “The Queen Who Ever Was” Daemon was finally moved by something greater than himself when he touched a Weirwood tree in Harrenhal’s courtyard and saw a far-spanning vision of the future, and how the Targaryen bloodline (through Daenerys Targaryen) would stand against the darkness of the White Walkers. The vision has a profound effect on Daemon, instilling him with a sense of higher purpose. The vision is also the clearest depiction of “Greensight” or dream visions – the “superpower” that runs through the Targaryen line and first helped change the family’s fate. 

The Legend of Daeney the Dreamer

Daeneys Targaryen was the daughter of Aenar Targaryen – aka “Aenar the Exile.” Aenar and his family lived in Old Valyria; 12 years prior to the Doom of Valyria, Aenar’s daughter Daeneys had a prophetic vision of the apocalyptic event. Aenar heeded the vision, selling off his holdings in Valyria and moving is family, slaves, wealth, and dragons to Dragonstone in Westeros. When The Doom of Valyria happened, all the families of Valyrian Dragonlords were wiped out – except for the Targaryens. In the era of chaos that followed (known as the “Century of Blood”), Aegon Targaryen expanded his family’s empire, leaving Dragonstone to conquer all of Westeros (except for Dorne) and establishing the Targaryen Dynasty’s rule for generations to come. 

The Dream Is the Song 

House of the Dragon has added some expansive dimensions to the idea of the Targaryens and their prophetic dreams – establishing the gift as one passed down through the family. In Season 1, King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) revealed to Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) that Aegon the Conqueror had the same kind of prophetic dreams of The Long Night that Daeney the Dreamer did of The Doom. Aegon’s visions became “The Song of Ice and Fire” prophecy that foretold the coming of Aegon Targaryen/Jon Snow (Ice) and Daenerys Targaryen (Fire). 

“He [George R.R. Martin] told us very early on in the room – just as he casually mentions the fact that Aegon the Conqueror was a dreamer,” Condal revealed in a previous interview. “He saw a vision of the White Walkers coming across the wall and sweeping over the land with cold and darkness. And but it never made the history book because [Aegon] never told anyone, or at least the people they told didn’t tell the history to the history writers. So it’s in George’s head.”

House of the Dragon Is A Link In The Chain of Destiny

The Season 2 Finale of House of the Dragon has now expanded the power of Targaryen Dream Vision to include two characters from the series: Daemon and Queen Helaena Targaryen. 

Viserys and Rhaenyra heard about Aegon’s visions second-hand through the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy that Aegon passed on to his descendants as a sacred mission: Daemon and Helaena experience it first-hand when Daemon touches the Weirwood – and Helaena has teased an ability to see the future since her introduction. The vision Daemon sees includes an Easter egg cameo from Brynen Rivers, the bastard son of a future Targaryen ruler, who became the first Three-Eyed Raven, as well as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. 

That only further indicates how this secret ability guided the Targaryen bloodline over generations, and helped them make the moves that would eventually save Westeros from the Night King and White Walkers. It also gives legitimate credit to the Targaryens being an almost divinely blessed family, and therefore makes the blood shed in the “Dance of Dragons” even more tragic. 

House of the Dragon is streaming on HBO and Max. 

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WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS from the Season 2 finale of House of the Dragon! Continue reading at your own risk… Sunday night’s Season 2 finale of House of the Dragon left fans with plenty of questions as the wait for Season 3 begins, especially when the episode cut to black just before a highly anticipated battle could begin. Additionally, one of the biggest puzzles stemming from the finale focused on Otto Hightower, who hasn’t been present for most of the season.

Otto, played by Rhys Ifans, was dismissed from his post as Hand of the King early on in the season, and he said he’d be returning to Oldtown. Fans haven’t seen or heard from Otto since, until a very mysterious scene in the final minutes of the Season 2 finale. Otto was being held captive in some sort of prison cell, only looking up when a light approached. We have no idea how he got there, how long he’s been imprisoned, or who is holding him. Unfortunately, it appears we won’t have any answers until the show returns.

At a press conference on Monday (per Variety), co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal was asked about Hightower’s return, and he kept things as cryptic as possible.

“We were delighted to have Rhys reenter the story, and I will just say that the Otto Hightower tale has not yet come to an end,” Condal explained.

Geeta Vasant Patel, House of the Dragon‘s Season 2 finale director, was also asked about the big Otto reveal in her own interview with Variety. Like Condal, she didn’t reveal any major information.

“I was asked to shoot that scene,” the director said. “I want to know where he is, too. I don’t know! Those guys talk about a lot of things in the writers’ room, and then they don’t tell us. They don’t tell any of us! They don’t tell the actors, either. I don’t think it’s fair.”

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post House of the Dragon Showrunner Addresses Otto Hightower’s Season 2 Finale Twist appeared first on ComicBook.com.

House of the Dragon will officially be ending with Season 4. HBO has also announced that Season 3 of HotD will begin production in “earlyish 2025,” according to showrunner Ryan Condal. 

Condal also hinted that Season 3 (and Season 3) of the show will also follow the format of Season 2 and consist of eight episodes, stating: “I haven’t had discussions with HBO about it, I would just anticipate the cadence of the show, from dramatic storytelling perspective, will continue to be the same from Season 2 on.”

The news of House of the Dragon ending was revealed during a press conference today, hours after the Season 2 Finale premiered on HBO and Max streaming. The sophomore season proved that House of the Dragon is one of the dominant TV shows in pop-culture right now – it’s also proven the viability of HBO’s Game of Thrones franchise as a larger universe of spinoff shows.  

How Many Game of Thrones Spinoff Show Are There?

House of the Dragon takes place nearly 175 years before GoT; HBO has announced an Aegon the Conqueror series set 300 years before GoT, which would chronicle how the Targaryen Dynasty is first established in Westeros. HBO just revealed first footage of another prequel series in development, The Hedge Knight, which will be set less than 100 years before GoT and chronicle the legend of “Dunk and Egg.” The most recent announcement was that 10,000 Ships, a series set roughly 1,000 years before the events of Game of Thrones, is still in development.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

Via Variety

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The Game of Thrones spinoff series House of the Dragon draws inspiration from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novel about the history of House Targaryen. With Season 2 concluding on HBO this past weekend, Funko is launching a new wave of Pop figures that includes Rhaenyra Targaryen, Baela Targaryen, and Jacaerys Velaryon. 

Pre-orders for these new House of the Dragon Funko Pop figures are live here at Entertainment Earth (free shipping on US orders $59+) and here on Amazon now. Details on previously released Pop figures in the House of the Dragon lineup can be found below.  You can also find a ton of new House of the Dragon merch here at the WB Shop. 

House of the Dragon Funko Pop wave 3 included Pop figures of Daemon Targaryen, Alicent Hightower, and a Deluxe Pop Ride of Rhaenys Targaryen with Meleys. 

Again, re-orders for all of these new figures are available here at Entertainment Earth (free US shipping on orders $79+ and here on Amazon now. A Ser Christon Cole Funko Pop is also available as a Target exclusive. As you’ll see below, wave 2 included some pretty eye-popping Chase figures.

• House of the Dragon Funko Pop Ride – Rhaenyra w/ Syrax: See at Entertainment Earth 
• House of the Dragon Funko Pops – Aemond Targaryen with Chance at a GITD Chase: See at Entertainment Earth 
• House of the Dragon Funko Pops- Masked Viserys with a chance at the gnarly unmsked Chase pictured above: See at Entertainment Earth 
• House of the Dragon Funko Pops – Viserys on the Iron Throne: See at Entertainment Earth 
• House of the Dragon Funko Pops- Crabfeeder: See at Entertainment Earth 

• House of the Dragon Caraxes (Metallic) Pop! Vinyl Figure – WB Shop Exclusive
• House of the Dragon Caraxes Pop! Vinyl Figure – Target Exclusive 
• House of the Dragon Daemon Targaryen with Dragon Egg Pop! Vinyl Figure – Funko Exclusive / eBay
• House of the Dragon Otto Hightower Pop! Vinyl Figure – Pre-order at Entertainment Earth 
• House of Dragon Alicent Hightower Pop! Vinyl Figure – Pre-order at Entertainment Earth
• House of Dragon Alicent Hightower with Dagger Pop! Vinyl Figure – SDCC Exclusive 
  
• House of the Dragon Corlys Velaryon Pop! Vinyl Figure – Pre-order at Entertainment Earth
• House of the Dragon Viserys Targaryen Pop! Vinyl Figure – Pre-order at Entertainment Earth
• House of the Dragon Daemon Targaryen Pop! Vinyl Figure – Pre-order at Entertainment Earth
• House of the Dragon Rhaenyra Targaryen Pop! Vinyl Figure – Pre-order at Entertainment Earth
• House of the Dragon Syrax Pop! Vinyl Figure – Pre-order at Entertainment Earth

What Is House of the Dragon Season 2 About?

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post House of the Dragon Season 2 Finale Brings New Funko Pops appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The second season of HBO’s Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, came to a surprising conclusion on Sunday night, as the eighth and final episode of the shortened installment wrapped the story up in a way few fans were expecting. No spoilers quite yet, but House of the Dragon Season 2 left things with a pretty massive cliffhanger, with every character on the verge of a key moment in the story. After that finale, fans are already anxiously awaiting the show’s third season, which may still take quite a long time to arrive.

HBO has renewed , but there hasn’t been any information about the next installment of the series. Production hasn’t started on new episodes and the cast haven’t talked about heading back to set just yet. All that to say, House of the Dragon Season 3 is further away than you want it to be.

House of the Dragon‘s first season aired in 2022, which means it took nearly two years for the show to return for Season 2. The production worked around multiple Hollywood strikes and shortened its episode count to eight and still took over a year from filming start to season premiere. Given how massive the scope of the show is, don’t expect a quick turnaround from season to season, though Game of Thrones did prove that annual seasons can be accomplished. The big difference here is the inclusion of the dragons, which take a lot of work to bring to life.

Another factor worth thinking about is the release of HBO’s second Game of Thrones spinoff series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. That series is already in production and HBO confirmed, with some early footage on Sunday night, that this new spinoff will be arriving in 2025. 

What does that have to do with House of the Dragon? Well, with The Hedge Knight airing on HBO next year, the premium network won’t be in as big of a rush to get House of the Dragon back on TV. The more likely scenario is Hedge Knight airing in 2025, followed by House of the Dragon Season 3 in 2026.

Nothing is confirmed at this point, which means just about anything can happen, but I wouldn’t plan on expecting new House of the Dragon episodes for at least a year and a half.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post When Is House of the Dragon Season 3 Coming Out? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The second season of House of the Dragon has come to an end. Sunday’s new episode of HBO’s hit Game of Thrones spinoff will be its last for some time, as the cast and crew get ready to produce Season 3, but it certainly left fans with quite a lot to talk about in the meantime. Given the title, it should be expected that this is absolutely filled with spoilers from the House of the Dragon finale, but what’s the harm in mentioning it one more time? SPOILERS AHEAD!

Making Final Plans

The Season 2 finale begins with Tyland Lannister pleading the case of the Greens to the Triarchy, hoping to enlist their help in taking down the blockade at sea. The leader of the pirates, Sharako Lohar, tests Tyland and takes a liking to him, agreeing to aid Aegon’s side in the coming battle. By the end of the episode, Tyland and Sharako will lead a horde of ships to war, and there’s a possibility Tyland also tried to help get all of Sharako’s wives pregnant (at her request). It’s also worth noting that there was some mud wrestling involved.

Back in King’s Landing, Aegon continues to struggle through his long recovery. Larys arrives in his quarters and does his best to convince the king to flee the city until the war is over. He believes that Aemond, furious over Rhaenyra’s new dragon army, will come back and take his anger out on Aegon, finishing the job he started at Rook’s Rest. Aegon is wary that leaving will paint him a coward, but Larys is able to sway him into believing that he’ll be able to return a hero, a survivor of a war the people didn’t even want.

Aegon also, unfortunately, made it known that his penis “burst into flames” when he was burned by the dragons. It’s a detail that no one asked for, but everyone will have a hard time forgetting. 

Jacaerys continues his anger over the new “low-born” dragonriders. Add to that the anger over Aemond burning down an entire town of innocent people in his rage and you’ve got one enraged young man. Ulf is disrespectful to him from the jump and Jace doesn’t have patience for it, despite Hugh’s best efforts to keep everyone’s tempers and manners in check. This spills over into a key sequence in which Rhaenyra assembles all of her dragonriders to discuss her battle plans.

This is the moment when Rhaenyra curves into slightly villainous territory. She’s willing to burn down entire areas with their dragons in order to keep her momentum and truly put the Greens back on their heels. Not everyone seems to be on board with the idea, especially Addam, who Rhaenyra appears to have the most trust in when it comes to her riders.

Visions and Armies

Part of Aemond’s grand plan is to get Helaena to ride her dragon, Dreamfyre, into battle alongside him. She refuses, as someone who barely rides and has no desire to harm others. Aemond obviously isn’t one to take no for an answer, but Alicent eventually gets him to leave Helaena’s quarters and drop the subject.

Later, when Aemond tries to appeal to Helaena one-on-one, she again shuts him down. This time, though, she tells him of a couple of her prophetic visions. She saw him try to kill Aegon at Rook’s Rest. She also tells him that she saw him die at the God’s Eye, the lake beside Harrenhal. 

Criston Cole has been gone awhile and finally makes his return in the finale. Confronted by Gwayne over his affair with Alicent, Cole reveals his newly found nihilistic view of the world. Seeing the dragons in battle changed him, and he believes that nothing they do as soldiers matters anymore. 

“To die will be a kind of relief. Don’t you think?”

When Rhaenyra gets a letter from Simon Strong about potential treachery on Daemon’s part, she takes Addam and flies to Harrenhal to confront him. Before she can arrive, though, he touches the Weirwood tree as it bleeds, and he has a chilling vision of what awaits House Targaryen. Daemon sees his own death, as well as the coming of the Night King, and a glimpse of Brynden Rivers, aka the Three-Eyed Raven. He sees Daenerys Targaryen, a couple centuries into the future, hatching her trio of baby dragons in the fires of Khal Drogo’s funeral. He finally sees Rhaenyra on the Iron Throne, wearing her crown, and Helaena appears to tell him that he’s simply one part of the story.

This, thankfully, changes Daemon’s outlook on his entire situation with Rhaenyra. When she appears in Harrenhal in front of his armies, he decidedly kneels before her and pledges his unending loyalty. He has now seen the prophecy known as the Song of Ice and Fire, which Viserys shared with Rhaenyra when she was younger and she recently shared with Jace. 

To Battle

The pieces are in place for the fames Battle of the Gullet, with both sides readying all of their forces for the conflict. As Corlys prepares his ships, he and Alyn have a conversation that has to go down as one of the best of the season. Corlys says he’s trying to help Alyn, which leads the latter to confront his father about only wanting to be helpful after his other heirs have been killed. They’re heading into battle on shaky ground with one another.

Despite the fact that it has felt for a long time that too much has happened for Rhaenyra and Alicent to ever find common ground again, the latter secretly travels to Dragonstone to make a final attempt at peace. She tells Rhaenyra that Aemond is flying to Harrenhal to confront Daemon, which will leave Helaena in charge of King’s Landing. When that happens, she wants Rhaenyra to fly in and claim King’s Landing and the Iron Throne, and that she and Helaena will not offer any violent resistance. Rhaenyra tells Alicent that she has to kill Aegon in order to prove she earned the crown, knowing Alicent doesn’t want to see any more lost children. They separate without coming to any real agreement.

And that sends everyone involved in the story into battle. Daeron, Alicent’s youngest son, flies the dragon Tessarion above the marching Hightower army. Rhaena, who has been tracking down the wild dragon through the Vale, finds Sheepstealer and comes face-to-face with the beast. Aegon listened to Larys’ advice, riding away from King’s Landing in a covered wagon. Otto Hightower was imprisoned at some point, as we see him behind bars. The two Queens just stare out into the distance as the episode ends, knowing that a massive conflict is on the horizon.

The entire season comes to a close on the eve of battle, leaving fans to wait until Season 3 to see the dragons fight once again.

The post House of the Dragon Season 2 Finale Recap With Spoilers appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale! Continue reading at your own risk… Daemon’s vision at the Harrenhal Weirwood tree will likely go down as the most talked-about scene in the , mainly because of the cameos from Daenerys Targaryen and the Night King, as well as the introduction of a young Brynden Rivers. One of the scene’s most important reveals, however, arrives before Daemon’s prophetic vision even begins. In a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, House of the Dragon seemingly introduces a sacred and mysterious order known as the Green Men.

When Daemon is talking to Alys, before putting his hand on the tree, he looks up to see some sort of humanoid being in the darkness. Before the creature disappears, you can hear that its footsteps sound like hooves, and that it has antlers on its head. Unfortunately, it’s so dark that you can’t make out a whole lot of details.

This is likely a member of the Green Men, a sacred order that was tasked with guarding the trees on the Isle of Faces (the island in the God’s Eye just across the water from Harrenhal, which was also seen in the episode when Rhaenyra flew to meet Daemon). The Green Men were created for that very purpose, after a pact was made between the First Men and the Children of the Forest to stop their ongoing war.

Very little is known about the Green Men, as boats are unable to dock at the Isle of Faces due to the order’s interference. For years and years, throughout much of the history of Westeros, the Green Men were the subject of fairy tales. Old Nan in Game of Thrones hinted that the Green Men had antlers of their own, though others believe they wear headdresses.

Seeing both the Isle of Faces and the Green Men in this finale could be setting up a storyline in House of the Dragon. While no men ever sailed to the Isle of Faces, it was said that Addam flew to the island on his dragon, Seasmoke, and sought council with the Green Men. Addam flew over the island in this Season 2 finale, so all of the seeds are there for him to begin asking questions and potentially returning to the forested isle.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post Did House of the Dragon Just Introduce the Green Men? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale! Continue reading at your own risk… Daemon Targaryen’s eerie visions throughout have focused entirely on his past, but what he saw in Sunday night’s season finale was all about the future. Daemon touched the Weirwood tree in Harrenhal and received not only a vision, but a look into the future of his family and Westeros, one that included glimpses of multiple Game of Thrones characters.

The vision from the tree essentially shows Daemon the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy that Viserys told Rhaenyra about when he decided she would be his heir. Daemon foresaw his death, the devastating winter that would bring the Night King, and the eventual Targaryen queen who would bring dragons back to Westeros.

The one and only Night King made an appearance in Daemon’s vision, showing him the evil that would eventually come. He also saw Daenerys Targaryen, the main character of , who sought to take back the Iron Throne for her family a couple centuries after the events of House of the Dragon. While you don’t see her face, it’s clear that Daenerys is the woman near the end of the vision, as she sits naked on the ground with soot all around her, as three baby dragons emerge from her lap. This is a recreation of the scene at the end of Game of Thrones Season 1, when Daenerys hatched her trio of dragons in the funeral pyre of her late husband, Khal Drogo.

Seeing what the future likely holds for the Targaryen’s caused Daemon to instantly shift his mood. He bent the knee to Rhaenyra and told her he saw what would happen, and that the only way to fight it would be together. He even dropped the iconic Game of Thrones line, “Winter is coming,” though he spoke it in High Valyrian.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post House of the Dragon Season 2 Finale Brings Back Iconic Game of Thrones Characters appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale! Continue reading at your own risk… Daemon’s chilling experiences in Harrenhal have been one of the biggest subplots throughout House of the Dragon Season 2. The rogue husband of Rhaenyra went to the ancient castle to raise his own Riverlands army, but got more than he bargained for as hallucinations of the dead from his past have plagued the majority of his stay. Daemon’s vision in the finale, however, was the most monumental of all, showing him the prophecy known as the song of Ice and Fire. That came with a key character in Targaryen history, who will play a massive part in the future of Westeros.

While the vision included clear looks at the Night King and Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones, there was one more mysterious Targaryen that made an appearance. The young, silver-haired man with the deep red birthmark on his face is none other than Brynen Rivers, the bastard son of King Aegon IV who goes on to become known as the Three-Eyed Raven.

The Three-Eyed Raven (known as the three-eyed crow in George R.R. Martin’s books) is the last living greenseer in Westeros, and that gift of prophecy helps make him an integral part to the fight against the Night King and the dangers above the Wall. Like the Night King and Daenerys, Brynden comes along after Daemon’s time, so this entire vision is based in the future, not his past.

Brynden is known by several defining characteristics, including that birthmark on his face that earned him the name the Blood Raven. According to Martin’s books, Brynden is one of several bastard sons of King Aegon IV, which earns him the name Rivers. A skilled archer and someone who many believe possesses mystical abilities, Brynden eventually makes his way to the Wall and takes over as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. He ends up serving in that post for 13 years before disappearing north of the Wall.

In Game of Thrones, the Raven was played by Struan Rodger in Season 4 and by Max von Sydow in Season 6.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

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WARNING: This article includes MAJOR SPOILERS for the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale! Continue reading at your own risk… House of the Dragon‘s second season concluded on Sunday night in dramatic fashion, but the finale definitely didn’t end up where most fans expected it to. Not only did the show’s latest episode cut to black at a surprising time, but it also left everyone desperate for the arrival of Season 3 so we can see what happens next.

As Daemon has built his army in the Riverlands and Rhaenyra has sought out a new batch of dragonriders, it has felt as though Season 2 of House of the Dragon has been leading up to an epic battle between the Blacks and the Greens. So much has been building toward the bloody and all-important Battle of the Gullet, as depicted in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. All the pieces on House of the Dragon are in place for the massive conflict, with just about every known dragon set to participate, but the Season 2 finale stops just short of showing fans the fight.

In the final minutes of the episode, just about every key character is featured in a substantial montage of battle preparations. The new dragonriders are suited with armor, ships sail for the blockade, the army of Oldtown marches to the Riverlands, Rhaena finds Sheepstealer; the list goes on. With Rhaenyra and Alicent both looking out to where the battle will take place, however, the finale abruptly ends, leaving the fight for Season 3.

The Battle of the Gullet will have to wait a while, as House of the Dragon Season 3 will need to be filmed. When the show eventually returns, fans can expect the next installment to begin with the major battle that they thought would take place in Season 2.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

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WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale… House of the Dragon really stuck true to its name in Season 2, as the winged beasts controlled by the Targaryens took on a much more prominent role in the show’s story. The Dance of the Dragons has become just that, with more and more dragons joining the fight throughout the season. In the final moments of Sunday night’s Season 2 finale, another pair of dragons finally made their debuts. 

Over the course of the couple of episodes leading up to the Season 2 finale, House of the Dragon teased two additional dragons, neither of which had been seen on the show before. One is Sheepstealer, the wild dragon roaming the Vale of Arryn. The other is Tessarion, who has been growing up in Oldtown with Alicent’s youngest son, Daeron Targaryen.

Both of those dragons arrived in the last few minutes of . Tessarion’s debut was actually revealed in the preview for the finale. She can be seen flying above the army of Oldtown as they march to battle. 

Sheepstealer has been teased for a few weeks now, with Rhaena Targaryen in the Vale, curious about the wild dragon. She spends entire finale wondering through the hills trying to find the beast, only coming face-to-face with the dragon at the very end of the episode. We don’t see her bond with Sheepstealer, but all of the hints point towards Rhaena becoming a dragonrider with the wild dragon, taking over the story of Nettles from Fire & Blood.

The Death of a Dragon

In addition to revealing a couple of new dragons, the Season 2 finale also brought news that another dragon from the series had died, though it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone.

Early in the episode, King Aegon II told Larys that his dragon, Sunfyre, had died after the Battle of Rook’s Rest, where he received his devastating injuries. To this point, we just knew that the dragon remained at Rook’s Rest to potentially heal. According to Aegon, his recovery was going better than Sunfyre’s, which is saying a lot.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

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The second season of House of the Dragon comes to an end tomorrow, and fans of the Game of Thrones spinoff are already eager for more. While a third season will eventually be coming to HBO, it’s not the only thing fans have to look forward to. Author George R.R. Martin recently confirmed that there are currently seven more spinoffs in development. It’s hard to imagine all seven ideas will get off the ground, especially considering shows in this universe have been scrapped before, but it’s safe to say it will be a long time before Westeros is no longer a major part of our television experience. 

Martin recently spoke about the next Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, at the Oxford Writers’ House. The author also dropped the news that seven more series are currently in development, three being animated and four being live-action. While it has not been confirmed what these shows will be about, there’s been a lot of speculation, and there’s a good chance we’ll be getting a live-action series about Aegon the Conqueror. 

Is the Jon Snow Sequel Series Still Happening?

A series about Kit Harington’s Game of Thrones character, Jon Snow, was revealed to be in development in 2022, but the actor confirmed earlier this year that the show seems to be dead. 

“I hadn’t really ever spoken about it, because it was in development. I didn’t want it leaked out that it was being developed, and I didn’t want the thing to happen where people kind of start theorizing, getting either excited about it or hating the idea of it, when it may never happen. Because in development, you look at every angle, and you see whether it’s worth it,” Harington explained to Screen Rant.

“And currently, it’s not [in development]. Currently, it’s off the table because we all couldn’t find the right story to tell that we were all excited about enough. So, we decided to lay down tools with it for the time being. There may be a time in the future where we return to it, but at the moment, no. It’s firmly on the shelf,” he added. 

Is the Ten Thousand Ships Prequel Happening?

While the Jon Snow show probably won’t be moving forward, Martin recently claimed that the scrapped prequel series Ten Thousand Ships is back in development at HBO. Martin took to his blog to congratulate playwright Eboni Booth for winning the Pulitzer Prize for her play Primary Truth. In sharing praise for Booth’s work, Martin also revealed that she’s been working with HBO on expanding the Game of Thrones universe. 

“Never having won a Pulitzer Prize myself, I am at a loss to explain why the medal shows Ben Franklin rather than Joseph Pulitzer, but Eboni has promised to fill me in after the ceremony.She’s an amazingly talented young playwright, and a joy to work with; when not writing and producing her prize-winning plays on- and off-Broadway, she has been kept busy by me and HBO, working on a new pilot for TEN THOUSAND SHIPS, a GAME OF THRONES spinoff about Nymeria and the Rhoynar.We’re all very excited about this one… though we’re still trying to figure out how we’re going to pay for ten thousand ships, three hundred dragons, and those giant turtles,” Martin wrote.

Stay tuned for more updates on the Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon spinoffs coming to HBO.

The post Game of Thrones: George R.R. Martin Reveals How Many Spinoffs Are In the Works After House of the Dragon appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Aemond Targaryen has emerged as one of the most important characters in House of the Dragon Season 2, taking charge of King’s Landing while his brother, Aegon II, recovers from devastating injuries that he himself helped cause. It’s Aemond that has been pushing his family further into war, and pushing away the people of Westeros in the process. Now that he has become the show’s most ruthless and terrifying villain, fans have been wondering if and when Aemond might meet his fate. George R.R. Martin has an answer for that in Fire & Blood, the book that House of the Dragon is based on.  

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, as well as the first seven episodes of House of the Dragon Season 2…

Heading into the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale, Aemond is in control of the army of the Greens, and is waging war against his half-sister, Rhaenyra. That said, the penultimate episode of Season 2 saw Aemond learn of the three additional dragons Rhaenyra recruited to her side, leaving him more vulnerable than he thought.

In Fire & Blood, Aemond continues to rule from King’s Landing and lead the Greens to war, but his hubris continued to get the best out of him. After Daemon leaves Harrenhal, Aemond goes to take it for himself, but his absence from King’s Landing allows for Rhaenyra and Daemon to take the city. This leaves Aemond with little but Harrenhal as a home base, and it’s there he meets his end.

Daemon and Caraxes eventually returned to Harrenhal to face off against Aemond and Vhagar once and for all, pitting the two strongest dragons in Westeros against one another. When two forces that great meet, it usually doesn’t end well for anyone.

The fight, known as the Battle Above the God’s Eye, saw the two dragons duel over the lake beside Harrenhal (the same place where Alys told Daemon he would die). Caraxes eventually latched onto Vhagar, which allowed Daemon to leap from his mount and attack Aemond with his sword, Dark Sister. Daemon killed Aemond by shoving the sword through his blind eye, and the two men fell thousands of feet down into the God’s Eye alongside their dying dragons.

As we’ve seen over the first two seasons of House of the Dragon, the show does take some opportunities to make changes from the book, so things might play out a little differently when the Battle Above the God’s Eye does arrive. But it would be very surprising if the fates of Aemond or Daemon are altered in any significant way.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

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HBO has released a statement in response to the Season 2 finale of House of the Dragon leaking online. The second season of the Game of Thrones spinoff concludes Sunday night, but that hasn’t stopped the online detectives from scouring the darkest corners of the interwebs to spoil not only themselves, but others as well. On Tuesday, several days before the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale is set to air on HBO, several clips from the episode were uploaded to TikTok. The TikTok account appeared to be newly created just for the intended purpose of sharing the House of the Dragon footage on social media. ComicBook reached out to HBO for a statement, which you can read below”

“We are aware that clips from the House of the Dragon season finale have surfaced across social media platforms. The clips were posted after an unintentional release from an international third-party distributor. HBO is aggressively monitoring and removing clips from the internet, and fans can watch the episode in its entirety this Sunday night on HBO and Max.”

Since HBO’s statement was released, the TikTok account and other accounts attempting to pass along the House of the Dragon footage have been taken down. 

House of the Dragon renewed for Season 3

House of the Dragon was renewed for a third season back in July, even before Season 2 premiered.

“George, Ryan, and the rest of our incredible executive producers, cast, and crew, have reached new heights with the phenomenal second season of House of the Dragon,” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films. “We are in awe of the dragon-sized effort the entire team has put into the creation of a spectacular season two, with a scope and scale that is only rivaled by its heart. We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three.”

What is House of the Dragon about?

Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. The Season 2 finale of House of the Dragon premieres Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

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Updated with HBO statement. As the Targaryens prepare for battle heading into the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale, HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery have had to battle some substantial leaks online, again. On Tuesday, several days before the House of the Dragon season 2 finale is set to air on HBO, several clips from the episode were uploaded to TikTok, and quite a few fans got a look at what the show has in store.

More than a dozen videos from the House of the Dragon finale, captured by someone filming a screen with another device, were uploaded to a new TikTok account on Tuesday. The account had no prior videos and seemed to serve the sole purpose of sharing the videos online. It’s unclear how this user was able to access the House of the Dragon episode early. ComicBook reached out to HBO for comment who released the following statement: 

“We are aware that clips from the House of the Dragon season finale have surfaced across social media platforms. The clips were posted after an unintentional release from an international third-party distributor. HBO is aggressively monitoring and removing clips from the internet, and fans can watch the episode in its entirety this Sunday night on HBO and Max.”

The account and videos have since been taken down, but not before a lot of fans got their eyes on major House of the Dragon spoilers. More than half of the videos on the account had over 100,000 views prior to their removal. 

House of the Dragon Season 2 has continued to be a major hit for both the HBO network and Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service, Max. The Season 2 premiere earlier this summer helped lead Max to its biggest single day of streams ever. 

The eight-episode season comes to a close on Sunday night, but HBO is already preparing another installment. The series was renewed for Season 3 before Season 2 had even premiered. The current season has continued the storyline of the devastating Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. True to its title, the massive dragons have taken on a much more prominent role over the course of the season.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

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WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS from House of the Dragon Season 2! Continue reading at your own risk… House of the Dragon finally introduced its trio of oft-teased dragonriders in Sunday’s penultimate episode of Season 2. Addam, Hugh, and Ulf have all bonded with dragons and look to add to Rhaenyra’s numbers in the ongoing Targaryen civil war. All three of those dragonriders existed as part of the story in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, but House of the Dragon did make one massive change about their origins, specifically Hugh’s.

In Fire & Blood, the Dragonseeds are revealed as people who may have some traces of royal Targaryen blood still in their veins, meaning they were likely connected to a lord or king generations prior. None of those connections were explained, because they were too far back to trace or completely unknown. In House of the Dragon, however, it was revealed that Hugh was actually a direct relative to King Jaehaerys, the Targaryen that sat on the Iron Throne just before Viserys.

Hugh told his wife that his mother worked in a brothel and was the sister of Jaehaerys, giving him a very clear connection to the Targaryen bloodline. That also helps explain why Vermithor chose to bond with him. Vermithor hadn’t bonded with any human since the death of his previous rider: King Jaehaerys.

A similar situation played out with Seasmoke, who chose Addam of Hull as his next rider. Seasmoke had bonded with Laenor Velaryon, who we know now is Addam’s half-brother. Not to mention Ulf has claimed to be the bastard half-brother of Daemon and Viserys, though he hasn’t yet proven to be a reliable narrator.

So what’s the point of all this? In Fire & Blood, the Dragonseeds just had some distant connections to the Targaryens (save for Addam). Nettles, who hasn’t been on the show at all, wasn’t connected to the family in any way that we know of. House of the Dragon is simplifying the story a bit with this new information about Hugh. We can now connected all of these new dragonriders directly to known Targaryen and Velaryon royals.

It seems like that theory may hold true when it comes to the dragon Sheepstealer. The wild beast has been teased on House of the Dragon, but its rider, Nettles, has yet to appear. Instead, Rhaena Targaryen seems to be getting the Nettles storyline, which would mean all four riderless dragons will have bonded with immediate Targaryen relatives.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

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Believe it or not, House of the Dragon Season 2 ends next week. Sunday night saw the debut of the season’s penultimate episode, as the biggest storyline on the show finally became the main focus. One of the riderless dragons found a companion at the end of Episode 6, and Rhaenyra is looking to find matches for the other two. All of this, of course, is building to an even more violent and devastating war between Targaryen factions. WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for House of the Dragon Season 2! Continue reading at your own risk…

The Next Dragonrider Arrives

Sunday’s edition of House of the Dragon picks up right where last week’s episode left off, as Rhaenyra flies out to meet the mysterious dragonrider that has taken flight on Seasmoke. When she confronts Addam of Hull, expecting some pushback, he immediately bends the knee and says Seasmoke sought him out. He pledges loyalty to her and is the first domino to fall with this next wave of dragonriders.

What Rhaenyra doesn’t know, however, is that Addam is Corlys’ son. Addam simply tells her that he is low born, which eventually moves her to put out a call for anyone who has silver hair or could be of Valerian descent to try and bond with Vermithor or Silverwing, even if you aren’t high born. She gets pushback on this from all sorts, including some in the council, the dragon keepers, and her own son, but she continues with the plan. This gets people like Hugh and Ulf to Dragonstone to try and answer the call. More on that later…

Learning of Addam’s ability to ride a dragon, and always thinking of his late wife’s words, Corlys starts handing more responsibility to Alyn. There’s a moment where he brings up Addam’s bond with Seasmoke to his older brother, saying he worries he may lose Alyn to the skies as well. But Alyn replies that he is “salt and sea,” echoing the words that Laena said to Corlys when she turned down his offer to be heir to Driftmark. It’s Alyn’s work that gets word about the dragonrider search to King’s Landing, and helps ship the possible riders back to Dragonstone.

A Struggling King

Things aren’t going well in King’s Landing. As Aegon tries to recover from his wounds and the citizens continue their restlessness, Alicent decides it’s time for a change of scenery. She takes one member of her guard out into the woods to stay for a while, with no set plan or timetable for return.

Aegon continues to try and walk again, but his road to recovery is a bumpy one. Larys insists that he keep up a ridiculous pace, even though the king is exhausted, because be believes needs the young king back in charge.

There’s also a tidbit near the end of the episode involving Alicent’s family that could have a profound impact down the line. Aegon and Aemond’s younger brother, Daeron, has been growing up in Oldtown, and is known there as a good, respectable young man. He also has a dragon, Tessarion, who Aemond is informed has finally started taking to the skies, adding a potential ally for his forces.

A Star Is Born

Remember when Lyanna Mormont burst onto the scene in Game of Thrones and became an instant fan-favorite, despite being the youngest character on the show? House of the Dragon got its own Lyanna in the form of Oscar Tully, who has now taken over as the head of House Tully and Lord Paramount of the Trident.

Oscar is in charge of the Riverlands, as all of the houses in the area have a loyalty to House Tully. Daemon summons him to Harrenhal, along with the rest of the Lords of the Riverlands, to finally put together his army. Oscar makes it clear that he can’t stand Daemon, and is one of the few people to actually put the King Regent in his place. But he knows that his family swore an oath to Rhaenyra, so he agrees to help Daemon.

What Daemon didn’t expect, however, was for Oscar to turn things back around on him and call out Lord Blackwood for his horrible crimes against the Brackens, crimes that were actually instructions from Daemon. Oscar knew that Daemon ordered Blackwood to do heinous things to his rivals, but also knew that Daemon couldn’t acknowledge that in front of the other lords, and that he would need to punish Blackwood in order to gain their respect. Oscar called for Blackwood to be detained and face retribution, forcing Daemon to behead the man who had been his most powerful soldier in the Riverlands.

Oscar hasn’t been around long, but he’s made an immediate impact.

The Dragonseeds

Before heading to Dragonstone to try and ride a dragon, Hugh tells his wife that his mother worked in a brothel in King’s Landing, and that she was actually the sister of King Jaehaerys, who served before Viseerys. He has Targaryen blood in his veins, just as Ulf claimed to.

An entire group of silver-haired people were taken down into the pit to try and tame the massive Vermithor. The dragon attacked, killing most of the group. When a young woman was about to be killed, Hugh stepped in to save her, standing face-to-face with the beast and offering himself as a sacrifice instead. Rather than kill him, though, Vermithor bowed, connecting with Hugh and allowing him to become his rider. 

It’s worth noting that family connection. Vermithor hasn’t had a rider since Jaehaerys, who is apparently the brother of Hugh’s mother. Perhaps Vermithor noted the same blood running through his veins.

While trying to hide from Vermithor, Ulf ran into another cave in the pit, where he was confronted by another dragon, Silverwing. When he thought he was going to be attacked, Silverwing lowered her head, allowing them to bond.

The final scene of the episode saw Ulf ride Silverwing over King’s Landing, causing Aemond to summon Vhagar to follow them. He backs off when he nears Dragonstone, though, as he sees a group of multiple dragons gathering, led by Rhaenyra.

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WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the latest episode of House of the Dragon! Continue reading at your own risk… The Targaryen civil war in House of the Dragon has finally become more about the dragons than the Targaryens themselves. Rhaenyra has made it her top priority to find more dragonriders to challenge Aemond and Vhagar, and she did just that in Sunday night’s new episode. The Queen has three more dragonriders at her side, finally stacking the odds against the Greens, but there was one exchange near the end of the episode that let everyone know that Aemond and Aegon will have some reinforcements as well.

Aemond, Helaena, and Aegon have a fourth sibling, Daeron, who was sent away from King’s Landing to grow up in Oldtown, the home of House Hightower. He was mentioned for the first time on House of the Dragon, when Alicent learned that her son that is furthest from the Iron Throne may have had the best temperament for it. Now, in this new episode, we learned that not only is Daeron doing well, but that he also has a dragon.

During a council meeting in the episode’s final minutes, Aemond is informed that his younger brother’s dragon, Tessarion, has finally started taking flight. That would mean he’s not all that far away from being battle-ready, which would theoretically mean one more dragon fighting on the side of Aegon and the Greens.

Just how long Tessarion and Daeron will need in order to get ready, though, remains to be seen. With Aegon still out of commission, they’ll need all the help they can get. 

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post House of the Dragon Mentions Another Key Dragon We Still Haven’t Seen appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the latest episode of House of the Dragon! Continue reading at your own risk… The sixth episode of House of the Dragon Season 2 started to introduce the first new dragonrider to the series, fully launching the story of the Dragonseeds. In Sunday’s new episode, Rhaenyra continued the search for more riders with potential Valerian blood in their veins, opening things up to even the low born folks in King’s Landing. By the end of the episode, Rhaenyra’s forces grew by three dragons, as three new riders were chosen.

The first of the new riders was made obvious at the end of the last episode, but it wasn’t made official until the start of this one. Rhaenyra confronted Addam of Hull, who was approached by the dragon Seasmoke to be his new rider. Addam (who Rhaenyra doesn’t know is actually the son of her Hand, Corlys) quickly bent the knee to the Queen and pledged to fight for her.

Two more riders were found after Mysaria sent whispers to King’s Landing, seeking anyone with silver hair who felt they had a shot at bonding with a dragon. Those two characters have been built up steadily throughout the second season of House of the Dragon.

The first was Hugh, the blacksmith from King’s Landing who began the season doing work for Aegon. His daughter was sick and ultimately died, and he told his wife that he felt he was supposed to go work with these dragons. He informed her for the first time that his mother worked in a brothel in King’s Landing and was apparently the sister of King Jaehaerys, who sat on the Iron Throne before Viserys. 

With that lineage in mind, it should come as no surprise that Vermithor chose to work with Hugh, after killing so many other hopeful dragonriders. Vermithor, known as the Bronze Fury, is the largest dragon in Westeros, save for Vhagar. He was previously ridden by Jaehaerys, who now appears to be Hugh’s uncle. There’s a direct connection through their bloodline, similar to how Addam has bonded with the dragon previously ridden by his half-brother, Laenor.

The other dragon in the dragon pit, Silverwing, also found a rider. When Ulf was running from Vermithor and trying to hide, he ventured into another cave that was occupied by Silverwing. Instead of attacking him, she lowered her head and made a bond with the man, making him the third dragonseed of the episode.

Formidable dragons Seasmoke, Vermithor, and Silverwing all now have riders, allowing them to be used in battle against Aemond and Vhagar, potentially putting the odds back into Rhaenyra’s favor.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post House of the Dragon Reveals Which Dragons Chose New Riders appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Things are looking dire for Aegon Targaryen on House of the Dragon, and fans have been wondering if the young king will pull through or succumb to the injuries he suffered at Rook’s Rest. The show hasn’t made any definitive statements one way or the other, but those looking to George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood can find the answers. The book that inspired House of the Dragon has already told the story of King Aegon II from beginning to end. Before we break down the “end” part of that, just be warned that this article contains spoilers for Fire & Blood and, potentially from future seasons of House of the Dragon.

So how does Aegon die according to Fire & Blood? We’ll break it down, but consider this a final spoiler warning. This isn’t spoiling House of the Dragon just yet, but it will likely spoil events of the series down the line.

If you’re wondering how Aegon fares against his current injuries on House of the Dragon, the young man on the Iron Throne is able to overcome the obstacles. Much to the disappointment of some, Aegon spends a year nursing his injuries and taking Milk of the Poppy before being able to take charge of King’s Landing again.

His return isn’t triumphant, though, with his injuries causing him permanent scarring and physical disabilities. He also comes back at a tumultuous time, following the eventual death of Rhaenyra.

After Rhaenyra dies, Aegon takes back his throne and is able to bring Corlys Velaryon into his council. But his forces are depleted and it’s only a matter of time before Cregan Stark’s army arrives from the North to dethrone him. Corlys tries to convince him to take the Black and join the Night’s Watch, but Aegon refuses, leaving him in a tough spot.

It doesn’t take long after that for Aegon to turn up dead, having been poisoned within King’s Landing. Who exactly poisoned him was never confirmed, but that could change once House of the Dragon reaches that point in the story.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. House of the Dragon: How Does Aegon Die in the Book?

The post House of the Dragon: How Does Aegon Die in the Book? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Halfway through the second season of House of the Dragon, a turning point was reached in the war between Targaryens over control of the Iron Throne. A regular battle was turned nuclear when three dragons descended upon Rook’s Rest, fighting one another in the sky and showing all of the soldiers that their battles were now insignificant. One episode later, Rhaenyra put out a call to find more dragonriders to try and even the odds against Aemond and his devastating mount, Vhagar. 

With the search for the Dragonseeds underway, the dragons of Westeros have taken over as the most important figures on the show. The war is now about how many dragons each side wields, and how powerful they can be in battle. 

There are now just two episodes left in House of the Dragon Season 2 and, with new dragons and dragonriders joining the fray, it felt like a good time to break down the full list of the winged beasts currently residing in Westeros. Some of these dragons have been active all season, while others haven’t been seen since House of the Dragon Season 1. There are some who have only been hinted at to this point.

Just how many dragons are there on House of the Dragon right now? Which side of the war are they on? Let’s dive in!

Vhagar

Vhagar is the biggest and baddest living dragon during the time of the show. She bonded with the ruthless Aemond and the two of them have proven their might by slaying two different dragons over the first two seasons of the show. 

The beast is the last remaining dragon from Aegon’s Conquest, making her significantly larger than all of the other dragons present for the series. Vhagar is so massive that Rhaenyra feels more dragons are necessary to even make the fight fare, despite the fact that the Blacks have nearly double the number of dragons as the Greens. Aemond’s beast is worth several dragons on her own.

Syrax

Syrax, unfortunately, hasn’t been featured much on House of the Dragon Season 2, though fans did get to see her fly into action at the end of the sixth episode.

The dragon is bonded with Rhaenyra, who has been kept away from the action since the Dance of the Dragons began, in order to stay safe and maintain her claim to the Iron Throne. As the war continues, however, expect to see more of Syrax flying through the skies.

Caraxes

Syrax may be Rhaenyra’s mount, but the most formidable dragon being ridden by a member of the Blacks is Caraxes, Daemon’s dragon.

The terrifying red-scaled dragon is a battle-hardened warrior, and the only beast who might be able to hold their own against Vhagar. The problem is that Daemon left Dragonstone for Harrenhal and has been on his own selfish quest for most of the season. While he and his dragon could provide Rhaenyra with an advantage, he has largely sidelined Caraxes while trying to build an army of his own.

Sunfyre

To say the health of Sunfyre is up in the air would be a massive understatement. The mount of Aegon II was severely wounded in the Battle of Rook’s Rest, where he sustained injuries from both friend and foe.

Aegon is attempting to recover from his injuries under the care of the maesters in King’s Landing. Due to his injuries, Sunfyre stayed back at Rook’s Rest to be looked after. Some believe he won’t survive. Others believe he’s already did. Either way, Aegon’s dragon has not had a good go of things this season. 

Dreamfyre

Dreamfyre is an older dragon bonded to Helaena Targaryen, Aegon’s twin sister and wife. Unlike most of the others in her family, however, Helaena doesn’t ride very much, so Dreamfyre hasn’t been seen since Season 1 of House of the Dragon.

That doesn’t mean she isn’t important, though. While unconfirmed, it is implied in Fire & Blood that Dreamfyre is the mother of the dragons hatched by Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones.

Vermax

Vermax is a green and orange dragon that bonded with Prince Jacaerys Targaryen. Jace and Vermax were quick to develop a good rapport, as Rhaenyra’s son was able to command the dragon at a very young age. The two have basically grown up together.

Moondancer

While Moondancer doesn’t have the size or power of bigger, older dragons like Vhagar, she’s known for being incredibly fast and agile.

Like Vermax and Jace, Moondancer formed a close bond with Baela Targaryen when they were both very young. She was featured prominently earlier in Season 2, when Baela chased Criston Cole’s army from the skies.

Seasmoke

Seasmoke has been without a rider since Laenor Velaryon faked his own death and disappeared back in Season 1 of House of the Dragon. That is finally changing, thanks to Addam of Hull.

Addam, a son of Corlys Velaryon, was approached by Seasmoke at the end of the show’s latest episode, and Rhaenyra rode Syax out to see who had been able to mount Laenor’s dragon. Fortunately for her, Addam is not an enemy.

Vermithor & Silverwing

Vermithor is the biggest reason why Rhaenyra wants to find more dragonriders. The mount of late King Jaehaerys I, Vermithor is the second-largest and second-oldest dragon alive during the Dance of the Dragons, trailing behind only Vhagar in both categories.

Daemon attempted to connect with Vermithor back in Season 1, but to no avail. In Season 2, Vermithor remains beneath Dragonstone with his mate, Silverwing, both of them currently without riders. That will likely change by the time the season comes to a close…

Sheepstealer

While we haven’t officially seen Sheepstealer on House of the Dragon just yet, the presence of the beast was all-but confirmed in the show’s latest episode. Rhaena came across a charred patch of earth and some dead sheep while walking through the Vale of Arryn, and it was later revealed to her that there has been a wild dragon causing problems in that area.

In Fire & Blood, Sheepstealer is tamed by a young woman named Nettles, who becomes a dragonrider and joins Rhaenyra’s ranks. Nettles hasn’t appeared on the show to this point, leaving many fans to wonder if Rhaena will end up taking over her story and bonding with Sheepstealer instead.

Hatchlings and Eggs

Stormcloud and Tyraxes are very small hatchling dragons that belong to two of Rhaenyra’s young sons, Aegon III and Viserys. Rhaenyra sent both dragons to the Vale of Arryn with Rhaena and her boys, hoping they will be able to grow up away from the war.

Rhaena was also sent with a collection of dragon eggs, one of which could hold the dragon Morning, whom she bonds with in Fire & Blood. There is also the prevailing theory that those dragon eggs are the same ones that eventually make it to Daenerys more than a century after House of the Dragon, though the show’s creative team have been going back and forth on that.

The post House of the Dragon: Every Living Dragon We Know About in Season 2 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2! Continue reading at your own risk… Sunday night’s new episode of House of the Dragon delivered a major tease regarding the dragon known as Sheepstealer, one of the beasts that helps turn the tide of the war and has gone unmentioned to this point. The news of a wild dragon killing livestock in the Vale was undoubtedly exciting for fans of George R.R. Martin’s books who have been hoping to see the creature on TV, but the hints about Sheepstealer have also made the absence of a key human character even more frustrating and confusing. Is Nettles going to be on House of the Dragon at all?

If you’re not familiar with Fire & Blood, Nettles is one of the four Dragonseeds, who bond with the riderless dragons and help Rhaenyra take the fight to the Greens. Three of those Dragonseeds — Hugh, Ulf, and Addam — have been appearing throughout . Nettles, arguably the most popular of these new riders amongst book fans, is nowhere to be found. In Fire & Blood, the young drifter bonds with the wild dragon Sheepstealer and becomes a key part of the war.

For a while, it seemed as though both Nettles and Sheepstealer might have been completely written off, with neither being mentioned or appearing throughout House of the Dragon‘s second season. After all, every other known dragonseed had a corresponding dragon that was already a part of the show. The addition of Sheepstealer in this week’s episode makes it clear that four new dragons will enter the fray, but Nettles is still not around to ride it.

It could be that Nettles will be making a last-minute debut on House of the Dragon, arriving just in time to tame Sheepstealer and become a Dragonseed. Judging by the way the show has handled the other three, however, it seems more likely that Nettles may be replaced with another character.

In that increasingly likely scenario, it feels like Rhaena will be adopting Nettles’ story as her own. There has been a lot of discussion throughout the season regarding Rhaena’s inability to bond with a dragon, and she’s the only potential dragonrider anywhere near Sheepstealer. It would make perfect sense for her to mount the wild dragon and return to Rhaenyra’s side as a formidable ally.

The only frustrating part of this scenario is that it means Nettles was ultimately cut from the story. To many longtime fans, that’s going to be a real bummer.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post House of the Dragon: Is a Fan-Favorite Dragonrider Being Kept Off the Show? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6 follow! The adventures of Daemon Targaryen in Harrenhal during House of the Dragon season 2 have been filled with creepy imagery, but also given the series a prime opportunity to bring back some fan-favorite characters (and introduce new ones). Earlier this season on House of the Dragon, Daemon was haunted by a vision of a young Rhaenyra, which allowed House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock to return to the role for two scenes. In this week’s episode of House of the Dragon, the series brought back another heavy hitter in the form of Paddy Considine as Daemon’s brother, King Viserys I Targaryen.

As with the previous visions that Daemon has encountered in House of the Dragon season 2, Paddy Considine returning as King Viserys arrives in a scene that could be described as loaded. All of Daemon’s visions in Harrenhal at this point have been reminders of his own failings, how choices he has made have rippled outward and turned the world into what it is now. Not only that, but how those same decisions have lessened his own ambition. His vision of King Viserys in House of the Dragon season 2 is a repeat of a major moment from the very first episode of the series. 

Paddy Considine’s King Viserys delivers the same dialogue he had in that moment when he revealed to Daemon that he would be making Rhaenyra his heir and that he was exiled from King’s Landing. There are two major differences in the new scene and the one from the first episode however, first is that Daemon doesn’t even attempt to argue in his own favor, only observing his brother with a grimace of sadness on his face. The second is that after he’s finished speaking, King Viserys begins to weep. Emotion erupts out of Daemon in that moment, eventually rocking him out of his vision and back to the reality of Harrenhal. 

Only three episodes remain in House of the Dragon season 2, but Daemon’s visions are getting wilder by the week. Last week saw Emeline Lambert appear as Princess Alyssa Targaryen, the mother of Daemon and Viserys, in a dream that was befitting the Targaryen family. What dead characters might make their return next week? So far these have been fitting moments of character building for Daemon, but also great reminders for us as viewers about how good these actors on the first season really were. 

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post House of the Dragon Brings Back Another Fan-Favorite Character appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2! Continue reading at your own risk… As the war between Targaryens rages in House of the Dragon, the focus has shifted from traditional tactics to the flying beasts that adorn the family’s sigil. After the Battle of Rook’s Rest, dragons are now the key to the war, and the side of the greens has a significant advantage in the form of Vhagar, the biggest dragon alive at the time of the show. Especially with Meleys gone, Rhaenyra and her forces have no answer to Vhagar, but those tides may finally be shifting.

At the end of the fifth episode of House of the Dragon Season 2, Rhaenyra put in motion a plan to find the dragonseeds, potential dragonriders for the riderless dragons living beneath Dragonstone: Seasmoke, Vermithor, and Silverwing. As it turns out, there is a fourth dragon that looks to play a part in the conflict, and its arrival on the show was teased during Sunday night’s new episode.

Rhaena was sent to the Vale by Rhaenyra to look after her two youngest sons, as well as her baby dragon and a collection of dragon eggs. While there, she came across a burned area in the grass filled with the scorched corpses of sheep. This was clearly the work of a dragon, and Rhaena gets confirmation later that there is a wild dragon roaming around near the Vale, but it has never been tamed and many don’t think it could be.

Sheepstealer and Nettles

The hint about the dead sheep is enough of a hint to indicate that this wild dragon is none other than Sheepstealer, one of the four dragons that bonds with a dragonseed and fights for Rhaenyra. Fans have wondered if Sheepstealer would appear on House of the Dragon, though, because the beast’s rider has yet to appear.

While Addam, Hugh, and Ulf have all been made a part of , Nettles has been completely absent. The character is a favorite amongst fans of George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, an a confident young woman without a family or home, who rises to some power after bonding with Sheepstealer. As the other dragonseeds have debuted, there has been doubt as to whether Nettles was going to be included.

Now that Sheepstealer is being teased, there seem to be two main options for the storyline. First and foremost, Nettles could be on the verge of appearing at any time, showing up to bond with the dragon and immediately becoming part of the story. Secondly, there is a popular theory that Rhaena could be having her story shifted to absorb elements of Nettles’, which would mean she would be the person to bond with Sheepstealer. After all, there has been a lot of talk about Rhaena not being able to bond with dragons to this point. 

Nettles has yet to appear on House of the Dragon, but Sunday’s new episode did enough to confirm that Sheepstealer is definitely around, and that there will indeed be four dragonseeds joining the war.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post House of the Dragon Just Teased Its Next Important Dragon appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2! Continue reading at your own risk… The fifth episode of House of the Dragon‘s second season kicked off one of the most anticipated storylines of the war. Rhaenyra put into motion a plan to find riders for the beasts dwelling beneath Dragonstone, hoping to even the odds against Vhagar. The search officially began to find the people who will come to be known as the dragonseeds, and Sunday’s new episode of House of the Dragon revealed the first of these new riders.

For weeks now, House of the Dragon has been teasing Addam of Hull as a dragonrider. It has been all-but confirmed that he and his brother, Alyn, are sons of Lord Corlys Velaryon, whose family is full of dragonriders. Laenor, Corlys’ other son, disappeared in Season 1, faking his own death and leaving his dragon, Seasmoke, without a rider. Addam has seemingly had a connection to Seasmoke, watching him from afar earlier in the season. This episode saw the two of them come face to face.

After refusing to bond with Ser Steffon Darklyn (and killing him in the process), Seasmoke got restless and flew off. The dragon apparently went to find Addam, likely knowing he shares blood with Laenor. Seasmoke is seen stopping in front of Addam, but the show doesn’t go as far as to actually depict Addam riding the dragon. 

At the very end of the episode, Rheanyra is given word that Seasmoke has been spotted with a rider, and she goes off to confront the beast, believing the rider to be one of her rivals. While we don’t completely see Addam riding Seasmoke, the episode does enough to let us know exactly who is on the dragon.

There are still a couple of dragonseeds left to be revealed on House of the Dragon. Two of which, Hugh and Ulf, have already been teased on the show, but they haven’t yet had the chance to bond with dragons.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post House of the Dragon Reveals a Brand New Dragonrider appeared first on ComicBook.com.

A brand new episode of House of the Dragon debuted Sunday night on HBO, bringing fans to the final three episodes of the season. The sixth edition of Season 2 picks up the story of Rhaenyra trying to find new dragonriders and turn the tide of the war, while Aegon recovers from his wounds and Aemond rules over King’s Landing. WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for House of the Dragon Season 2! Continue reading at your own risk…

War Continues

The dragons have changed the rules of war, but armies on the ground and at sea continue to operate as key pieces of the puzzle. The Lannister forces are now in the Riverlands, though they are refusing to launch an attack until Aemond and Vhagar can join them, showing that having a powerful dragon can also have its disadvantages.

Aemond is running the show with an iron fist, prioritizing his military tactics over all else. After Alicent again tries to impart her wisdom onto him, Aemond has her removed from the small council, thanking her for her “duty to the crown.” Even Cole seems to be afraid of Aemond at this point, and many are wondering if they made the right call supporting him.

As Aegon continues to improve, Aemond pushes the maesters to prolong his recovery, keeping the younger brother in power for as long as possible. There’s also the matter of the Hand of the King to deal with, and Aemond doesn’t feel like Cole suits his needs. Larys tries to work his way into the situation but Aemond knows his tricks. He tells Larys to send for Otto Hightower, hoping his grandfather will return to his position.

Speaking of Hands, Corlys accepted Rhaenyra’s request to become Hand of the Queen. At her latest council meeting, she calls on Ser Darklyn, who she has learned shares an ancestry with her family. She wants him to attempt to ride one of the dragons, giving her another knight in the sky. She still isn’t sure if Daemon can be trusted to return.

And then there’s Daemon, who has completely lost it over in Harrenhal. His latest vision featured his late brother, Viserys, and the burial of their mother. He lashes out at those who are living with him in the haunted castle, save for Alys Rivers, who is shaping up to be a serious ally. There’s no confirmation yet, but it seems Alys took it upon herself to kill the old and sickly Lord Grover Tully, masking her interference as an expert healer trying to make him better. Getting the old man out of his seat could allow Daemon a path forward.

Dragons and Smallfolk

Rhaenyra has two potential advantages at the moment: The riderless dragons beneath Dragonstone, and the uprising ready to take place in King’s Landing. Without food or adequate wages, the smallfolk in King’s Landing are ready to riot. Rhaenyra and Mysaria push them over the edge by fanning the flames with spies, then sending boatloads of food across the bay for the people. This is enough to send the streets spiraling.

As for the dragons, the road seems a little more complicated. Ser Darklyn’s attempt at bonding with Seasmoke doesn’t go very well and he is killed in the process. The dragon flees and Rhaenyra feels hope on that front is lost. Little does she know, Seasmoke goes to find one Addam of Hull, who is one of two common-born sons of Corlys Velaryon. Addam’s brother, Alyn, is finally given a prominent position in Corlys’ army, sailing alongside him as his first mate.

In addition to the three dragons at Dragonstone, we learn of a fourth in this episode. There is a wild dragon that has been running loose in the land surrounding the Vale, a dragon hat has been burning and taking sheep from local farmers. For those who have read Fire & Blood, this is likely alluding to the arrival of Sheepstealer, but Nettles is still nowhere to be found.

A New Romance

Things take an unexpected turn in the relationship department in the final minutes of the episode. Having worked side by side for quite a while now, Rhaenyra and Mysaria have gotten very close. When Mysaria shares that she trusts Rhaenyra completely, the Queen embraces her, and that embrace ultimately leads to a kiss. 

Their physical intimacy was cut short by a guard popping in to tell Rhaenyra that Seasmoke had been spotted flying with a rider. Naturally, she believes someone on the opposing side has gotten ahold of the dragon, and she flies off on her own beast to go confront them. 

The post House of the Dragon Recap With Spoilers: Season 2, Episode 6 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin’s world of Westeros has exploded into being an entire franchise universe at HBO, with spinoff like House of the Dragon growing the mythos well beyond the edge of the book pages. As such, HotD has added so many new elements to the story of Targaryen civil war known as the “Dance of the Dragons” that even Martin himself is a bit jealous of the ideas he didn’t come up with, originally. 

Case in point: Martin went his personal blog to confess that House of the Dragon writer/showrunner Ryan Condal and Season 2 premiere director Alan Taylor had wowed him with one new addition: the dog who belongs to the treacherous rat-catcher known only as “Cheese.” 

“The show added a brand new character as well.The dog,” Martin said in his blog post, admitting that “I am… ahem… not usually a fan of screenwriters adding characters to the source material when adapting a story.Especially not when the source material is mine.”

However, the “Song of Fire and Ice” author had to admit “that dog was brilliant.” He explained that even though he had created the story of “Blood & Cheese” in his books, the show made Cheese, in particular, a whole rounded character in just a short amount of screen time – thanks to the dog.

Cheese is one half of the hired assassin duo “Blood & Cheese,” with “Blood” being a Gold Cloak hired by Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) to get revenge on The Greens for killing Prince Lucerys Velaryon. Using Cheese’s knowledge of the tunnels under the Red Keep, the two assassins snuck in and murdered young Prince Jaehaerys in his bed. If child-murder wasn’t vile enough, Cheese disgusted audiences when he kicked his pet dog along through the tunnels, in a pathetic display of “power” after Cheese himself is manhandled by Blood. However, the dog got justice(?) when it ultimately got to see Cheese hung for his crime – but the mournful look on the still-loyal dog’s face broke hearts – including Martin’s:

“I was prepared to hate Cheese, but I hated him even more when he kicked that dog,” Martin wrote. “And later, when the dog [stays] at his feet, gazing up… that damn near broke my heart. Such a little thing… such a little dog… but his presence, the few short moments he was on screen, gave the ratcatcher so much humanity. Human beings are such complex creatures. The silent presence of that dog reminded us that even the worst of men, the vile and the venal, can love and be loved.”

Martin made sure to give credit where credit is due, by saying “I wish I’d thought of that dog.I didn’t, but someone else did.I am glad of that.”

House of the Dragon Season 2 is streaming on Max and airing on HBO. 

The post House of the Dragon: George R.R. Martin Reveals Series Character He Wishes He Created appeared first on ComicBook.com.

House of the Dragon brought the action last week, as the fourth episode of HBO’s acclaimed series ended with the infamous Battle of Rook’s Rest. Rhaenys, one of the best characters on the show, was killed in action, while the life of King Aegon II was left hanging in the balance. On Sunday night, House of the Dragon continued its momentum, as both sides of the war made some very important decisions. WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS from House of the Dragon Season 2! Continue reading at your own risk…

Rook’s Rest Fallout

The episode begins with the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Rook’s Rest. Corlys mourns the loss of his wife, Rhaenys, who was killed by Aemond and Vhagar. The head of her dragon, Meleys, is paraded through the streets of King’s Landing as a way to show strength, claiming that Aegon killed the enemy. But it has the opposite effect with the citizens, who see it as a bad omen.

Hugh is among those who sees the head of Meleys and worries for what the war has become. He knows it’s all about dragons now, which means danger for people in places like King’s Landing. As we’ll see later, he finally agrees with his wife that they should leave town, but things don’t quite break the way they’d hoped.

Aegon was almost killed in the conflict, with many of his wounds actually coming from Vhagar. The scene of the maesters trying to peel off the armor melded to his flesh is gnarly, and it’s not surprising to learn that he’s not in good shape. He’s alive, but there’s a fear he won’t ever be himself again. He’s clearly not in a good enough place to rule from the Iron Throne, which means someone will need to take his place until he recovers. There are quite a lot of hints throughout these scenes that Aemond did, in fact, try and kill his brother, but nothing is every fully confirmed. Just know that Alicent is suspicious and none of the men involved are willing to be honest with her.

Over at Dragonstone, Rhaenyra is now without her biggest ally, and the men in her council are growing impatient with her strategies. Rhaenyra reminds everyone, multiple times in the episode, that she is also sick of sitting around, and would much rather fly into battle herself. Jace wants to get in on the action, too, and he believes he can force Daemon’s hand in the Riverlands. Before getting to Daemon, though, he heads to the Twins to gain the loyalty of House Frey. Thanks to an agreement that promises them Harrenhal after the war, the Freys agree to stop Cole’s armies from passing and buy time for Cregan Stark’s army to arrive from the north.

Control of the Riverlands

Daemon’s war, which is quickly becoming more about himself than Rhaenyra, is slipping out of control. When the Brackens won’t bend the knee, he sends their rivals, the Blackwoods, to pillage and murder innocent people until House Bracken agrees to become part of his army. 

His issues go well beyond war, as Daemon’s visions inside the walls of Harrenhal have not stopped. In his most disturbing waking dream yet sees him sleeping with another Targaryen woman, who is later revealed to be his mother. His madness is becoming an outward issue that it would be impossible not to notice.

Rhaenyra is making moves of her own, working with Mysaria to potentially gain some traction with the frightened people of King’s Landing. She also makes a move to offer the position of Hand of the Queen to Corlys. 

Replacing Aegon

Someone has to rule while Aegon is recovering from his injuries. Alicent makes the most sense, since she did the same for King Viserys at the end of his life, but she is surprised to find the rest of the small council doesn’t agree. Aemond is named King Regent and Protector of the Realm, much to Alicen’t dismay, with even Cole refusing to back her. Now in charge, Aemond kicks right into all-out-war mode, almost as though this has been his plan from the jump.

One of Aemond’s first acts as King Regent is to deal with the unrest in King’s Landing by bringing down the gates to the city and keeping anyone from leaving. This includes Hugh and his family, who are stopped at the exit with little other plan to escape the walls.

Despite their differences of opinion on the war, Rhaenyra sends Ser Alfred to try and reason with Daemon, and find out if he’s acting on behalf of her interests or his own. She also, with the help of Mysaria, sends a spy into King’s Landing. Alfred can’t get to Harrenhal soon enough, as the Lords of the Riverlands have turned on Daemon for his treatment of House Bracken. They tell him they will not bend the knee to a tyrant before turning their backs on him and leaving the stronghold. He is losing hope of building the army he had wanted so desperately to assemble.

The episode comes to an end by beginning a story that fans have been waiting for all season. With Meleys and Rhaenys gone, Rhaenyra knows that she can’t stand against Vhagar in a war of dragons. Jace has the idea to find people with traces of Valerian blood in their veins and see if they can ride either of the formidable, riderless dragons that live beneath Dragonstone. Getting Vermithor and Silverwing into action could turn the tide of the war in Rhaenyra’s favor.

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WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS from House of the Dragon Season 2! Continue reading at your own risk… The fourth episode of House of the Dragon Season 2 revealed that the Targaryen civil war had turned into a war of dragons, and those dragons are in short supply. That said, there are a few dragons still without riders that could, in theory, turn the tide of the war, and the series has been planting the seeds for those new dragonriders throughout Season 2. In Sunday night’s new episode, the story of the people known as “dragonseeds” was finally set in motion, setting up as many as four new dragonriders in the coming weeks.

A couple of men have been featured very sparingly in House of the Dragon Season 2 to this point: Hugh Hammer, Ulf, and Addam of Hull. Addam has already been teased as a dragonrider, as he watched Seasmoke flying off the coast of Driftmark, and Rhaenys all-but confirmed that both Addam and his brother were the bastard sons of her husband, Lord Corlys Velaryon. 

Hugh and Ulf have only been seen in King’s Landing to this point, but that started to change in this new episode as Hugh tried to get his family out of town. It seems he will eventually be drawn to Dragonstone, where he’ll find out he can actually ride one of the dormant dragons living beneath Dragonstone. Ulf wasn’t shown in the episode, but he has been telling people all around town that he’s actually a Targaryen, so maybe he wasn’t totally lying after all.

Hugh trying to leave King’s Landing was the first step towards beginning the story of the dragonseeds, but the plot was really kicked into high gear in the final scene of the episode, thanks to a conversation between Jace and Rhaenyra.

What Are Dragonseeds?

While Jace never actually said the word “dragonseed” out loud to his mother in their conversation, his idea essentially explained the history of them from Fire & Blood. These dragonseeds are essentially people who have some Valerian blood in them, though they haven’t been known as Targaryens or Velaryons for generations. Fire & Blood explains it as old Valerian lords sleeping with newlywed women on their wedding nights, and their bloodline continuing through commonfolk from there.

Jace’s plan is to track down anyone who potentially has Targaryen blood in their veins to try and bond with one of the dragons that doesn’t have a rider. If Vermithor and Silverwing, the two dragons beneath Dragonstone, can match with riders, they are big enough to challenge Vhagar and potentially turn the tide of the war.

In Fire & Blood there are actually four dragonseeds that join the war at this point. Hugh, Ulf, and Addam have all been accounted for, but the character Nettles has yet to appear on the show. With the dragonseed plan now in place, fans will be waiting to see if Nettles actually takes part in the story.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post House of the Dragon Finally Sets One of Its Biggest Stories in Motion appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Daemon Targaryen is starting to say the quiet part out loud. It has been clear since he arrived in Harrenhal earlier in House of the Dragon Season 2 that he wasn’t thinking only of winning the war for Rhaenyra. There has long been something more sinister up his sleeve. In Sunday’s new episode, Daemon made his longterm intentions quite clear, while also showing just how far he will go to achieve victory for himself. WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS from House of the Dragon Season 2! Continue reading at your own risk…

Since stepping foot in Harrenhal, Daemon has been having terrifying visions of the people in his life he has hurt in his quest for power, or those who had a hand in him arriving at his current place. It’s no secret that he always wanted to rule, and that he believed he should’ve been named king over Viserys. It’s safe to say a reason he even pursued Rhaenyra is so he could be attached to the Iron Throne once Viserys died. 

To this point, he has worked to make his quest for power seem like a noble husband fighting on behalf of his queen. While talking to Simon Storm in this new episode, Daemon essentially laid his cards on the table, asking to be referred to as “King.” He was corrected and referred to as the King Consort, but he simply said the end part didn’t really matter.

Daemon’s move to build an army at Harrenhal and take control of the Riverlands will aid Rhaenyra in the war, but he also believes he will be able to control that army beyond that. And he intends to rule with an iron fist. When the Brackens refused to bend the knee, he sent the Blackwoods to change their rivals’ minds by any means necessary. This included pillaging their towns and slaying innocents.

This plan has already started to bite him, as the Lords of the Riverlands came to Harrenhal near the end of the episode and renounced their loyalty, saying they refuse to fight for a tyrant. Now, Daemon has to scramble to secure at least one of the victories he set out to accomplish when first flying to Harrenhal.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

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The fourth episode of House of the Dragon Season 2 ended with the biggest battle of the season, a fight between dragons at Rook’s Rest that resulted in the death of Rhaenys and Meleys. The battle also left the fate of Aegon II up in the air. The young man on the Iron Throne flew into battle when he wasn’t called and it nearly resulted in his death. While that episode’s ending left his fate in question, the start of this Sunday’s episode brought a lot of clarity to the situation. WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS from House of the Dragon! Continue reading at your own risk…

Many assumed that Aegon wasn’t actually dead after that devastating battle, and that assumption were proven correct on Sunday night. Just like in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Aegon barely survived the Battle of Rook’s Rest, and his injuries are going to keep him out of commission for quite some time. 

Aegon was badly burned in the confrontation (much of the fire that caused it coming from his own brother’s dragon) and his fall from the sky caused several broken bones. As Maester Orwyle told Alicent, there’s no telling if Aegon will ever return to his previous health, or fully wake up at all. For the time being, however, he is still alive.

A New Protector of the Realm

Aegon may be alive, but he’s in no condition to lead as King. A regent needed to be named to rule in his absence and, unfortunately for Westeros, the job didn’t go to the most qualified candidate.

Alicent ruled for Viserys when he fell ill in Season 1, and she’s about as level-headed as anyone left in the Red Keep. She assumed she would take over ruling Westeros until her son regained his strength. But a near-unanimous decision from Aegon’s small council named his young brother, Aemond, King Regent and Protector of the Realm. Even Criston Cole turned on Alicent to vote in favor of Aemond’s appointment.

Aemond is fierce and has shown his talents on the battlefield. With a war of dragons underway, Cole and the others believed that a dragonrider should be the one calling the shots. 

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post House of the Dragon: Aegon’s Fate Confirmed appeared first on ComicBook.com.

George R.R. Martin fans are still waiting for him to release Winds of Winter, but he admitted last year that he’s been struggling with the novel and that it might take a while before it is released. However, the author did take to his blog this week to share some exciting news about the Song of Ice and Fire series. A new box set is being released with brand-new cover art. According to Martin, the new set will be available online and in stores in October. 

“The new design tries to capture the vastness of Westeros and the dangerous journey readers will encounter. There is a raw and gritty quality to linocut and woodcut art. A certain starkness that seemed to fit the stories, and a long history to the art form that felt right for this world,” Martin wrote. 

“This cover design process paired linocut artist Mark Seekins and designer Tim Green, with art direction from David G. Stevenson. They worked together to develop sketches and carve the designs into blocks of linoleum, where the raised areas were inked and pressed onto paper. The covers feature several colors, which required separate blocks for each color layer. The finished prints were then photographed and incorporated into the covers.” 

You can view the book covers below….

Game of Thrones:

Clash of Kings:

Storm of Swords:

Feast For Crows:

Dance with Dragons:

George R.R. Martin Gives Winds of Winter Update:

“The main thing I’m actually writing, of course, is the same thing… I wish I could write as fast as [The Last Kingdom author Bernard Cornwell] but I’m 12 years late on this damn novel and I’m struggling with it,” Martin said in November after acknowledging he’s made very little progress in the last year. “I have like 1100 pages written but I still have hundreds more pages to go. It’s a big mother of a book for whatever reason. Maybe I should’ve started writing smaller books when I began this but it’s tough. That’s the main thing that dominates most of my working life.”

This update from Martin is about the same as his previous update from December 2022 when he indicated that he had “another 400, 500 pages” to finish before concluding the novel.

Stay tuned for more updates about Martin’s books as well as House of the Dragon, which releases a new episode tonight on HBO.

The post Game of Thrones Author George R.R. Martin Reveals Stunning New Art for Series Re-Release appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The second season of House of the Dragon is currently in full swing on HBO, and the prequel series follows the Targaryen reign nearly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin has always been open about his feelings towards the adaptations of his works and recently praised House of the Dragon‘s second season. However, there is one thing about the series and its predecessor that he’s not too happy with. In a recent blog post, the author revealed he doesn’t care for the way the Targaryen sigil is depicted in the series. 

Martin originally designed the Targaryen sigil as a dragon with three heads, two legs, and two wings. When Game of Thrones first started, it followed Martin’s design for the house’s sigil. However, it was changed along the way and House of the Dragon continues to use the second design, which features four legs. 

“No animal that has ever lived on Earth has six limbs,” Martin wrote. “For what it’s worth, the shows got it half right,” Martin added. “Someone got sloppy, I guess. Or someone opened a book on heraldry, and read just enough of it to muck it all up. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” he added, referring to the show’s fifth season changing when Daenerys Targaryen’s (Emilia Clarke) fleet finally headed towards Westeros. 

“Muchof the confusion about the propernumber of legs on a dragon has its roots in medieval heraldry,” Martin wrote. “In the beginning both versions could be seen on shields and banners, but over the centuries, as heraldry became more standardized, the heralds took to calling the four-legged beasties dragons and their two-legged kin wyverns.No one had everseen a dragon or a wyvern, of course; neither creature actually existed save in legend, so there was a certain arbitrary quality to this distinction… and medieval heralds were not exactly renowned for their grasp of zoology, even for real world animals.Just take a look at what they thought a seahorse looked like.” 

“Dragons DO exist in the world of Westeros, however (wyverns too, down in Sothoryos), so my own heralds did not have that excuse.Ergo, in my books, the Targaryen sigil has two legs, as it should,” he explained. “Why would any Westerosi ever put four legs on a dragon, when they could look at the real thing and could their limbs?My wyverns have two legs as well; they differ from the dragons of my world chiefly in size, coloration, and the inability to breath fire.(It should be stressed that while the Targaryen sigil has the proper number of legs (two), it is not exactly anatomically correct.The wings are way too small compared to the body, and of course no dragon has three heads.That bit is purely symbolic, meant to reflect Aegon the Conqueror and his two sisters).” 

What Is House of the Dragon About?

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s Fire & Blood book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

House of the Dragon‘s fifth episode of Season 2 drops on HBO on July 14th. 

The post House of the Dragon: George R.R. Martin Calls Out “Sloppy” Targaryen Sigil Change in Game of Thrones appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games franchise is getting a new story, with a new book and film titled Sunrise on the Reaping announced to massive fanfare earlier this summer. The new prequel is expected to build on existing franchise lore surrounding the Fiftieth Hunger Games, and fans have assumed that the games’ victor, a young Haymitch Abernathy (played by Woody Harrelson in the movies), will factor in some way. There have already been plenty of fan campaigns over who should take on the role of Haymitch, and one of those contenders is breaking his silence on the possibility. In a recent interview with Vestal, House of the Dragon star Tom Glynn-Carney addressed fans wanting him to play Haymitch in the Sunrise on the Reaping movie, and hinted that he is more than willing to take on the role.

“No way, that’s the first I’ve heard of it!” Glynn-Carney revealed. “But I’m incredibly flattered that people would like to see me on screen again. If all goes well, I’ll fight for my life in the Hunger Games!”

What Is the New Hunger Games Movie About?

Sunrise on the Reaping revisits the world of Panem twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.

“With Sunrise on the Reaping, I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few,'” Collins said in a statement announcing the book. “The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day.”

Will There Be More Hunger Games Movies?

In addition to the story of Haymitch’s Hunger Games, fans have also hoped to one day get a prequel surrounding Finnick Odair, who won the 65th Hunger Games and became a pivotal and tragic part of the next Quarter Quell. Collins has repeatedly stated that her Hunger Games entries are a way for her to “examine” a real-world topic, with franchise director Francis Lawrence indicating that another film installment wouldn’t happen without Collins having a specific narrative in mind. 

“If Suzanne has another thematic idea that she feels fits into the world of Panem — whether that’s with new people [or] familiar characters [like] Finnick, Haymitch, whoever — I’d be really interested in looking at it and being a part of it,” Lawrence told Entertainment Weekly in an interview last year. “But I don’t have any pull of just going, ‘I would love to do Finnick’s games.’ He’s a great character, but what’s the thematic underpinnings that make it worth telling and relevant?”

Sunrise on the Reaping will be released wherever books are sold on March 18, 2025, followed by the movie adaptation on November 20, 2026.

The post The Hunger Games: House of the Dragon Star Addresses Young Haymitch Fancasts appeared first on ComicBook.com.

In the third episode of House of the Dragon Season 2, Rhaenyra sent her young sons and niece off to the Vale to stay safe during the war. She also sent a case of unhatched dragon eggs that fans immediately theorized would eventually make their way to Daenerys Targaryen and hatch into the first trio of dragons in Westeros in nearly two centuries. The director of that episode, Geeta Vasant Patel, actually confirmed last week that those were indeed meant to be the eggs that are given to Daenerys in the Game of Thrones premiere. House of the Dragon co-creator Ryan Condal is now pumping the brakes on that narrative.

“Those are Daenerys’ eggs,” Patel told Mashable in an interview. “All of us who work on the show are big Game of Thrones fans, so it was very exciting to shoot that scene.”

Now, following the fourth episode of , Condal is walking Patel’s comments back just a bit. He doesn’t go as far as to say the eggs won’t eventually belong to Daenerys, but he does explain that nothing is definitive.

“I think the fun of the history as it was written is that there’s room for interpretation,” Condal told EW. “I like to think of it as one possible future.”

Fire & Blood, George R.R. Martin’s book on which House of the Dragon is based, reads like a historical account of the Targaryen history, with information coming from a couple of different sources. Neither of those sources can be counted as the “definitive” story of what happened, and House of the Dragon is aiming to keep that same kind of uncertainty throughout the show.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

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WARNING: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 4… House of the Dragon delivered one of the most devastating moments of the series on Sunday night, as Rhaenys rode Meleys into the Battle of Rook’s Rest and met an unfortunate end at the hands of Aemond and Vhagar. The Queen Who Never Was has been the strongest ally to Rhaenyra and one of the show’s moral cornerstones to this point, and the significance of her loss to the other characters on House of the Dragon cannot be understated.

Following the airing of “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” House of the Dragon star Eve Best spoke to Entertainment Weekly about her beloved character’s demise. 

“She’s got that nobility of that absolute samurai: honorable, noble, f—ing cool-ass warrior queen,” Best said. “The honorable thing is that she could have escaped, and then she’s like, ‘No, we’ve got to go back.’ Because there’s the potential to end it. I think she knows she’s going back to die, but she has to try because if Vhagar can be taken down, then it’s done. It’s cauterized. The potential for nuclear war is cut down.”

Best went on to talk about Rhaenys’ final moments, when she finally let go of the weight she’d been carrying throughout the series to that point.

“There was something very beautiful about it,” the actress explained. “It was a moment of total surrender and letting go of everything she’d been carrying for two seasons: never, ever letting anybody see any of her pain, any of her anguish, any of her fear, any of her vulnerability, and just being this rock of wisdom and grace and stoicism and goodness and badassery at the same time. I think for her to finally let go was the most wonderful relief.”

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

The post House of the Dragon Star Opens Up About Their Character’s Heartbreaking Death appeared first on ComicBook.com.

With Sunday night’s new episode in the books, House of the Dragon is officially at the halfway point of Season 2. The HBO series couldn’t have arrived at that halfway point with a bigger moment than it delivered at the conclusion of “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” as fans got to see a massive dragon battle that took the life of one major character, leaving another hanging in the balance. Thanks to HBO’s teaser trailer for Episode 5, we’ve been given a glimpse of what the fallout from that enormous battle will look like. WARNING: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2…

Rhaenys and her dragon were killed by Aemond at Rook’s Rest at the end of House of the Dragon‘s latest episode. The Battle at Rook’s Rest also left King Aegon II badly wounded and seemingly near death. In the teaser trailer for Episode 5, which you can check out below, the members of Aegon’s council try to piece things together. Take a look!

In addition to some hints about Aegon’s future, the teaser also shows what the next episode will hold for Daemon Targaryen, who is being consistently haunted while staying at Harrenhal. The Riverlands are of vital importance to Rhaenyra and the blacks, and Daemon continues to try and build a bigger army to mark against Aegon’s forces. The voices in his head aren’t stopping, though, and he will have to continue fighting them as well as his actual enemies.

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

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The cast and crew of Game of Thrones have wildly diverse reactions to the prequel series House of the Dragon, with some intentionally avoiding learning anything about the project while others merely think it’s too soon to attempt to watch such a familiar world just as a fan. In the case of Iwan Rheon, who played Ramsay Bolton in the original series, he hasn’t watched the series yet he thinks it’s merely a matter of time before he catches up with the prequel. One reason he’s been too busy to watch the prequel is he’s been making the TV series Those About to Die for Peacock, which premieres on July 18th.

“I haven’t seen it, no. But not because of any particular reason,” Rheon confirmed to ComicBook. “I will watch it, I’m sure, at some point. I just probably haven’t quite had the time or whatever. But yeah, I’ll give it a watch. I hear it’s very, very good.”

Rheon’s costar in Those About to Die Sara Martins shared her endorsement of the prequel, expressing, “I’ve seen Season 1, Season 2 is just coming now and for some reason to find the platform where it has changed in France. But yes, I will find the time to watch it. Definitely.”

Rheon’s Ramsay was easily one of the most ruthless figures in Game of Thrones, and while he might not be as overtly brutal in his new series, fans will be thrilled to see him back in a historical-inspired drama.

Those About to Die is an epic drama set in the corrupt world of the spectacle-driven gladiatorial competition, exploring a side of ancient Rome never before told — the dirty business of entertaining the masses, giving the mob what they want most…blood and sport. The series introduces an ensemble of characters from all corners of the Roman Empire who collide at the explosive intersection of sports, politics, and dynasties.

The ensemble cast of Those About to Die includes Anthony Hopkins, Iwan Rheon, Sara Martins, Tom Hughes, Jojo Macari, Moe Hashim, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Rupert Penry-Jones, Gabriella Pession, Dimitri Leonidas, Emilio Sakraya, David Wurawa, Pepe Barroso, Gonçalo Almeida, Eneko Sagardoy, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Lara Wolf, Angeliqa Devi, Kyshan Wilson, and Alicia Edogamhe.

Those About to Die premieres on Peacock on July 18th. Season 2 of House of the Dragon debuts new episodes on HBO on Sundays.

What do you think of the actor’s remarks? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

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Spoilers for follow! Though the episodes arrive two years after the first season, House of the Dragon season 2 takes place just weeks after that first batch of episodes. That in mind fans were a little surprised when the first episode revealed that Alicent Hightower and Ser Criston Cole have taken their working relationship to the next level and are now engaged in a full blown affair. House of the Dragon delivers an even more startling revelation about the pair, that all of their secret time together has perhaps resulted in Alicent getting pregnant. 

About 11 minutes into the latest episode of House of the Dragon, Alicent receives a visitor in her quarters, Grand Maester Orwyle, who brings her something concealed in a cloth. Fans of House of the Dragon should have recognized this little clay pot immediately as being none other than Moon Tea, and if the container itself didn’t give it away then the way Alicent and Maester Orwyle speak about it should. Maester Orwyle makes note of having brewed “it” himself, adding that Alicent should let him know if the “recipient” needs a remedy for any adverse effects. Alicent of course plays her part as well, noting that she will “deliver it herself.” House of the Dragon viewers will recall the first instance of the moon tea in the series came after season 1’s icky moment between a young Rhaenyra and her Uncle Daemon. 

They’re talking in circles around what’s actually going on here, which is that Grand Maester Orwyle has brought her moon tea so that she might prevent/terminate a potential pregnancy that may have been conceived between she and Ser Criston Cole. Naturally the Dowager Queen becoming pregnant weeks after her bedridden husband has finally died would no doubt cause a stir in the kingdom, but especially when the crown is engaged in a bloody conflict about the true line of succession. 

House of the Dragon fans, many of whom already have no love for Alicent, basked in the schadenfreude of this moment. “Cannot believe Alicent was pregnant with Criston’s bastard. Greens can’t say sh-t to me,” one X user posted. Fans were quick to point out the irony of Alicent needing the moon tea herself as well. In season one of House of the Dragon, Alicent did not hide her feelings about Princess Rhaenyra giving birth to three “bastard” children in a row, and now she’s got one herself (fathered by the Hand of the King no less). 

There’s another wrinkle to Alicent and her moon tea though, which is that Lord Larys Strong, the King’s Master of Whispers, comes to her quarters to speak to her after she missed a meeting of the High Council. While there of course, he makes a note of the presence of the moon tea, and like a good Master of Whispers makes a mental note for later about it.”Alicent over there drinking moon tea like the hypocrite she is and Larys peeping the whole thing,” one user wrote about the later scene, a popular sentiment for most House of the Dragon viewers it appears.

The biggest question remaining from this scene is two-fold, is Alicent actually pregnant or was she just taking the moon tea as a preventative measure? But also, will the moon tea work as intended or is another major twist in the cards for the Dowager Queen?

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. 

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