Warning! Possible SPOILERS for House of the Dragon from the Fire and Blood source material ahead.The Targaryen family tree who lived (and died) some 200 years before the events in the original series. Based on characters from George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood novel, the Game of Thrones prequel cast leads audiences through a deep dive into the history of Westeros' dragonriders, about a century after Aegon's Conquest united the Seven Kingdoms under the banner of House Targaryen. House of the Dragon, was developed by Martin himself alongside Ryan Condal, with the latter serving as showrunner alongside longtime Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik. Other key players returned too, including composer Ramin Djawadi.
Outside of production, however, the House of the Dragon cast is composed of all new characters. Moreover, as some House of the Dragon's season 1 episodes are divided by massive time jumps, the Game of Thrones prequel cast includes different actors for younger and older versions of certain characters. This can be observed in the House of the Dragon episode 6 cast, in which the series jumped a full 10 years into the future, and several main characters were recast with more mature actors to reflect the age of time. Here's everything viewers need to know about the Game of Thrones prequel cast and characters.
House Targaryen Characters In House Of The Dragon
Unlike Game of Thrones which featured only the last three living Targaryens in its timeline - Daenerys, Maester Aemon, and Jon Snow - the House of the Dragon cast is composed mostly of of House Targaryen. In House of the Dragon, the Targaryens have ruled Westeros for over a century, with the series beginning in the latter end of the relatively peaceful rule of King Viserys I Targaryen. Here's every Targaryen in House of the Dragon.
Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen
The grandson of Jaehaerys I Targaryen, King Viserys I Targaryen has to not only succeed the former King, but live up to his standards. Jaehaerys is generally recognized as one of the greatest kings to ever sit on dragons in House of the Dragon, and whose skull was shown in the crypts of the Red Keep.
Milly Alcock/Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen
As the firstborn child of Viserys I Targaryen, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen is a key player in the House of the Dragon cast. Rhaenyra was named Viserys' heir after the death of Baelon, Viserys' second son. Viserys' first son died during infancy like Baelon, while their mother, Aemma, also ed away. Her appointment to the Iron Throne was an unusual move at the time, done in part to spite those who mocked the death of Baelon, and it ultimately gave Westeros its first ruling Queen. In House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra spends most of her childhood preparing to succeed her father and maintain her position as heir even after Viserys re-marries Alicent Hightower and has several more sons. After Rhaenyra is named Princess of Dragonstone at the age of 16, Rhaenyra marries Laenor Velaryon, with whom she has three sons, although the marriage was, as is often the case in Westeros, one built for political and strategic gain than out of love.
After Laenor was killed in Fire & Blood - a fate which changes in House of the Dragon - Rhaenyra marries her uncle, Daemon Targaryen. Following Viserys' death, Daemon s Rheanyra's claim to the Iron Throne, which is challenged by her younger half-brother, Aegon - Alicent and Viserys' first son. This split is what leads to the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen Civil War that divides Westeros into two factions – the greens (ing Aegon) and the blacks (ing Rhaenyra) – and ultimately sees Viserys' named heir Rhaenyra crowned Queen of the Seven Kingdoms - at least from the blacks' point of view. Described as beautiful, stubborn, and quick-tempered, Rhaenyra is played by Milly Alcock during the first half of House of the Dragon, and then by Emma D'Arcy from episode 6 onwards.
Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen
Prince Daemon Targaryen is the younger brother of Viserys, and a complicated character in his own right. While Daemon s his brother's claim to the Iron Throne at the Great Council, he largely does so out of his own lofty ambitions, believing it will place him next in line if Viserys fathers no sons. Daemon and King Viserys have an often-fractious relationship, which isn't helped by the former's rivalry with the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower. House of the Dragon's Daemon Targaryen is regarded as one of the greatest warriors of his age, although he's also strong-willed, roguish, and bad-tempered. For a time, Daemon rules as the self-proclaimed King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea, but eventually gives up the mantle to re his brother's side and take a place on the small council.
That itself doesn't last long, though, as rumors of Daemon taking Princess Rhaenyra's virginity before her 16th birthday leads to his exile on the King's orders. This saga would go on, with Daemon eventually winning back his brother's favor and returning; eventually, he marries Rhaenyra, albeit without Viserys' knowledge. After the King's death, Daemon declares Rhaenyra as the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, standing proudly by her wife and queen's side at the very forefront of the war that ensued. In House of the Dragon, Daemon Targaryen is played by Matt Smith, best known as the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who.
Ty Tennant/Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen
Aegon II Targaryen is Viserys and Alicent's firstborn son. While Aegon and Rhaenyra are siblings, they form no real relationship save for the enmity caused by their latter conflicting claims to the Iron Throne. Despite being named after the greatest conqueror in the history of Westeros, Aegon was mostly concerned with bedding women in his youth, earning him a lustful reputation among the common folk and nobility alike. Though reluctant to rule at first, Aegon eventually accepts Alicent and Otto Hightower's wishes for him to sit on the Iron Throne following the death of King Viserys I Targaryen, setting the stage for the Targaryen civil war, also known as the Dance of the Dragons. First appearing in the House of the Dragon cast as an infant, Aegon II Targaryen is played by Ty Tennant during his younger years, and then by Tom Glynn-Carney in the latter half of the first season.
Minor Targaryens in House of the Dragons
Like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon features an ensemble cast, with several minor characters. While Viserys, Daemon, Rhaenyra, and Aegon are the main Targaryens of season 1, there are many other Targaryens in House of the Dragon. Here are the other of House Targaryen in the Game of Thrones prequel cast:
- Aemond Targaryen is played by Ewan Mitchell. Aemond Targaryen is the third child and second son of Viserys, is Rhaenyra's half-brother, and wears a distinctive eyepatch. The actions of Aemond Targaryen and his dragon Vhagar, the largest living dragon in House of the Dragon, are partly responsible for setting off the Dance of the Dragons.
- Helaena Targaryen is played by Phia Saban. Helaena Targaryen is the daughter of Viserys and Alicent Hightower, making her Aegon and Aemond's sister. In the Fire and Blood book, Helaena is described as being notably liked by the common people throughout Westeros.
- Baela Targaryen is played by Bethany Antonia. She is Daemon's daughter, and her mother is Laena Velaryon. In the books, she and her sister Rhaena were twins, but this has been changed for House of the Dragon, and Baela is now Rhaena's older sister.
- Rhaena Targaryen is played by Phoebe Campbell. She is Baela's younger sister but was her twin in George R. R. Martin's story Fire and Blood.
House Hightower Characters In House Of The Dragon
House Hightower is a vassal house hailing from the Reach that swears fealty to a now-extinct Game of Thrones house — the Tyrells, the notorious thorns in the Lannisters' sides. House Hightower's sigil is, fittingly, a tower. House Hightower is another key family in House of the Dragon, mainly due to Alicent Hightower, who is married to Viserys Targaryen. Her relationship with Rhaenyra is a key feature of the show, as is her father Otto, who is the Hand of the King. Here's everything audiences need to know about the characters from House Hightower in the House of the Dragon cast.
Emily Carey/Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
The second wife of King Viserys I Targaryen, Alicent Hightower is the daughter of Otto, Viserys' Hand. A close companion of Jaehaerys before his death, Alicent remained a constant figure in King's Landing throughout the reign of King Viserys, and, when it eventually came time for him to wed again, he chooses Alicent as his new bride despite Rhaenyra and the small council's objections. Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen's rivalry serves as the very roots of the Targaryen civil war that brews in House of the Dragon season 1. With both women setting eyes on the throne, the resentment between them grows when Rhaenyra remains the King's heir despite Alicent giving him several sons. Alicent is an intelligent, shrewd operator who grew up watching the political machinations of the kingdom, and when Viserys died - with Rhaenyra away on Dragonstone - she quickly makes a move to install her own son, Aegon, as the new King.
Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower
The father of Alicent, Otto Hightower serves as the Hand of the King, a job he dutifully performed for Jaehaerys I and continued to do so for Viserys when he took the crown. The head of House Hightower of Oldtown, House of the Dragon's Otto Hightower is a master manipulator who becomes crucial to Aegon's ascension to the Iron Throne. Otto's ambition leads Viserys to strip him of his title as the Hand, only to resume the role later when his replacement dies of mysterious circumstances. Following the death of King Viserys, Otto continued to serve as the Hand of the King, this time for his grandson Aegon II. Otto is played by The Amazing Spider-Man actor Rhys Ifans.
House Velaryon Characters In House Of The Dragon
House Velaryon is the second most prominent house in House of the Dragon, second only in the number of characters to the Targaryens themselves. Driftmark is their seat of power, and their sigil is a majestic horse with the lower half of a fish. The Velaryons and Targaryens are connected both by marriage and a shared heritage - the only Westerosi families with dragonriders who can claim to hail from the blood of Old Valyria. In fact, House Velaryon's dragons comprise half of the living dragons in Westeros in the House of the Dragon timeline. The Velaryons are a seafaring people and their leader, Corlys Velaryon, holds the official title of Lord of the Tides. Here's everything else viewers need to know about the House Velaryon characters in the Game of Thrones prequel cast.
