The 15 House of the Dragon Characters You Need to Remember Ahead of Season 2

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Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen look disconnected successful House of the Dragon cardinal art

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Emma D’Arcy plays Rhaenyra Targareyn, who was successful enactment to inherit the Iron Throne from her father, King Viserys—only to spot Team Green rip it from nether her aft her father’s death. As play 2 begins, she’s mourning the nonaccomplishment of her 2nd lad (killed successful a dragon conflict with Aemond Targareyn successful the play 1 finale) and plotting her adjacent determination from House Targaryen HQ connected Dragonstone. She’s joined to Daemon, her uncle, and has 2 surviving sons with her archetypal hubby (ostensibly; arsenic was a large season-one crippled point, their acheronian hairsbreadth confirmed the unfastened concealed that they were fathered extracurricular her marriage), arsenic good arsenic a brace of blonde sons with Daemon.

With her lad Aegon connected the Iron Throne, Queen Alicent Targaryen (Olivia Cooke) is present the Dowager Queen. She was the 2nd woman of King Viserys, a generation-gap lucifer made astatine the behest of her father, Hand of the King Otto Hightower, and 1 that that soured her lifelong relationship with Rhaenyra. When Alicent gave commencement to her archetypal lad successful play one, it spelled occupation for Rhaenyra’s presumption arsenic heir—Westeros is just that sexist, contempt the king’s steadfast declaration that helium inactive wanted his girl to rule.

On his deathbed, a hardly coherent Viserys mumbled astir his ancestor, Aegon the Conquerer, which Alicent mistook arsenic a impervious he’d changed his caput astir the enactment of succession. At the extremity of play one, King Aegon II was hastily crowned; successful play two, we’ll spot however Alicent deals with beingness successful King’s Landing present that her arrogant, impulsive lad is moving the show. She besides has 2 different kids with Viserys: Heleana, who’s joined to Aegon (Targaryens emotion to inbreed); and the dangerously ruthless Aemond.

The precocious King Viserys’ younger brother, Daemon (Matt Smith) had his accidental astatine inheriting the Iron Throne yanked distant acknowledgment to his ain unpredictable, untrustworthy, and sometimes horribly cruel behavior. He has 2 daughters with his precocious archetypal woman and 2 sons with Rhaenyra, but fatherhood isn’t Daemon’s priority. In play two, expect to spot him grapple with the affectional turmoil of archetypal losing his brother, past seeing his wife’s assertion usurped—all portion trying to fig retired however helium fits into the representation arsenic Westeros plunges into war.

We didn’t get to cognize the aboriginal King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) excessively good successful play one, but we bash cognize immoderate important facts—like, for instance, helium thinks raping maids and watching hopeless small kids combat to the decease is large fun. We besides saw him effort to fell alternatively than look his coronation, but helium did statesman to reverse his “I don’t wanna beryllium king!” stance erstwhile helium realized however overmuch attraction it would bring him. Now that he’s had immoderate clip to settee in, it’s an implicit fixed that royal chaos awaits.

Older than her relative Viserys, but passed implicit for the Iron Throne simply due to the fact that she’s a woman, Rhaenys (Eve Best) is simply a fierce dragonrider arsenic good arsenic a root of contented and—for some Rhaenyra and Alicent successful play one—full of world checks astir however Westeros’ patriarchal strategy prefers to behaviour itself. She’s joined to Lord Corlys Velaryon; portion some their children died (or “died,” since their lad faked his death) successful play one, they person 2 granddaughters successful Daemon’s kids Baela and Rhaena.

Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) mislaid his oculus successful a puerility fight—and inactive has a spot connected his enarthrosis the size of his dragon, Vhagar, the largest successful Westeros. Aemond hasn’t made a concealed of the information that helium thinks his older member is an idiot, oregon that “King Aemond” has a amended ringing to it than “King Aegon II.” At the extremity of play one, Aemond encouraged Vhagar to pursuit aft the dragon being ridden by Rhaenyra’s lad Luke—and portion helium didn’t exactly springiness the bid for Vhagar to gobble them some alive, that’s what ended up happening.

In play two, expect the fallout from that calamity to adhd much substance to the atrocious humor betwixt the Greens and Blacks—though it’ll beryllium adjacent much absorbing to spot however Aemond faces playing 2nd banana to his loathsome member successful the Red Keep.

Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint)—the Lord of the Tides and Master of Driftmark—heads up House Velaryon, a clan astir arsenic almighty arsenic the Targaryens. His nickname is the Sea Snake, owing to his large accomplishment arsenic a sailor, though arsenic we prime backmost up with him successful play two, he’s conscionable recovered from a near-fatal accident. Like his wife, Rhaenys—theirs is 1 of fewer marriages successful House of the Dragon that really contains communal respect and affection, though they bash person their bumps successful the road—Corlys isn’t successful enactment to rule, but he’s acold excessively intelligent and experienced to beryllium relegated to the sidelines.

House of the Dragon’s astir roller-coaster arc conscionable mightiness beryllium to Ser Criston Cole (Fabian Frankel). In play one, helium impressed a young Rhaenyra truthful overmuch with his tourney triumph against Daemon that she insisted helium beryllium named to the Kingsguard, contempt his humble origins. They had a little concealed affair, but it crumbled erstwhile Rhaenyra refused to tally distant with him. Thereafter, a bitter Cole joined Team Green, trained Alicent’s sons (mostly Aemond) however to fight, and offered nationalist displays of his convulsive temper—including a memorable head-stomping brawl astatine Rhaenyra’s archetypal wedding.

In play two, Cole has much powerfulness than ever arsenic the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard—and with the Dance of the Dragons heating up, nary uncertainty Team Green volition beryllium making usage of his battlefield expertise.

Alicent’s begetter Otto (Rhys Ifans) is simply a shrewd, skilled seasoned of the interior workings of the Red Keep; helium served arsenic Hand of the King to King Viserys arsenic good arsenic Viserys’ predecessor. He’s ne'er 1 to miss an opportunity, and has a singular quality to spot the large picture—most notably demonstrated erstwhile helium realized the realm mightiness 1 time cull Rhaenyra’s assertion to the Iron Throne, and finagled his teenage girl into the relation of Viserys’ 2nd wife, correctly betting connected the information that she’d disturbance the succession cookware by having a son.

But of people that lad is Aegon, and you person to fishy Otto’s moving narration with his petulant grandson won’t beryllium the aforesaid arsenic what helium enjoyed with the erstwhile rulers. Otto and Alicent succeeded successful lassoing the Iron Throne, sure—but the powerfulness dynamics successful King’s Landing are apt going to rattle astir a batch successful play two.

Technically, Lord Larys (Matthew Needham) is Team Green; successful play one, we saw him orchestrate the execution of his begetter and brother arsenic a mode to get into Alicent’s bully graces, and besides supply her with strategical proposal and information, gleaned from his extended spy network, on the way. But the information is, he’s serving Team Lord Larys Strong, with a lust for control—and feet—propelling him to bash his astir important enactment from the shadows. Based connected what we’ve seen from this feline already, it seems astir definite he’ll beryllium more powerful successful play two.

Kept successful the inheritance for astir of play one—aside from random moments that signaled her odd-duck personality—Alicent’s girl Heleana (Phia Saban) became Queen Heleana erstwhile her brother/husband/baby daddy King Aegon was crowned. Now that House of the Dragon is putting much absorption connected the procreation aft Rhaenyra and Alicent, expect Heleana to person much of a beingness successful play two.

Two much second-generation kiddos who’ve grown up capable to play a relation successful the action: Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia), Daemon’s daughter; and Jacaerys “Jace” Velaryon (Henry Collett), Rhaenyra’s lad and heir. They’re betrothed though not hitched yet, and some thrust dragons. We didn’t get overmuch penetration into their personalties successful play one—ditto Baela’s sister Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell)—but it’s apt they’ll travel into amended absorption successful play two.

She was erstwhile portion of Daemon’s interior circle, but erstwhile Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno)—also known arsenic the White Worm, she’s got a spy web to rival Lord Larys’—realized helium was conscionable utilizing her, they had a falling out. She was past seen revealing a sniveling Aegon’s favourite hiding spot to Team Green up of his coronation. We cognize she’s backmost for play two, but we don’t cognize what relation she’ll play, oregon whose broadside she’ll take.

The signature Targaryen beasts volition get much surface clip than ever earlier successful House of the Dragon play two—the cardinal struggle is virtually called the Dance of the Dragons, aft all. On some Team Green and Team Black, the dragons stay loyal to their riders; portion they’re ostensibly trained, they’re inactive chaotic beasts who mightiness spell rogue if the temper strikes—as the season-one finale gruesomely demonstrated. We each cognize Vhagar (Aemond’s dragon) and Meleys (Rhaenys’ dragon) from play one, but it seems apt we tin expect much scaly scene-stealers to look arsenic the warfare progresses.

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