MINOR SPOILERS for Fire & Blood, the book House of the Dragon is based on.

Cregan Stark’s reveal in the House of the Dragon season 2 trailers fixes an issue with Ned Stark in Game of Thrones. The prequel show’s first season saw events build toward the Dance of the Dragons, a civil war between rival Targaryen successors fighting for the Iron Throne. Both sides will bring the noble houses of Westeros to their cause. The House of the Dragon season 1 ending saw Rhaenyra Targaryen send her son, Jacaerys Velaryon, on dragonback to Winterfell, hoping to delegate with House Stark and bring the North to their side for the war.

One of the new characters joining the House of the Dragon season 2 cast will be Cregan Stark, the Lord of Winterfell during the Dance of the Dragons. In the latest trailers, audiences have seen early glimpses of the character, who’ll be played by Tom Taylor. While season 1 remained primarily in King’s Landing and Dragonstone, season 2 will briefly return to the North, showing Winterfell and the Wall hundreds of years before Game of Thrones. Cregan Stark will be one of the most exciting new characters in the new season, drawing comparisons to Ned.

Cregan Stark’s Young Age In HOTD Is Way Closer To How Old Ned Stark Was Supposed To Be In GOT

Ned Stark Was Only Meant To Be In His Early 30s In Game Of Thrones

Cregan Stark is a younger lord in House of the Dragon, which actually signs with one of the significant book changes in Game of Thrones. In the original series, several characters’ ages were changed. While many of the Stark children and Daenerys were aged up compared to the books, many of the adult generations are also older than their book counterparts. Sean Bean was roughly 50 years old when filming Game of Thrones season 1, while Ned is only in his early 30s in the book. Cregan Stark should be even younger than that in House of the Dragon.

Tom Taylor is a 22-year-old actor, which is roughly the same age Cregan is at the start of the Dance of the Dragons in Fire & Blood. The decision to advance Ned’s age, along with characters like Robert Baratheon, Tyrion, Cersei, and Jaime, is strange, given that they were all meant to be teenagers during Robert’s Rebellion. It worked out in the series, but Cregan Stark can offer a glimpse of what a younger Northern lord might have looked like. Houses being ruled by young people is quite common in George R.R. Martin’s world, adding to the character’s dynamic.

How Cregan Stark’s Age Compares To Jacaerys Velaryon In House Of The Dragon

Cregan & Jacaerys Are Both Played By Actors In Their Early 20s

In House of the Dragon, Jacaerys Velaryon is played by British actor Harry Collett, who’s 20 years old. Presumably, Jace and Cregan Stark won’t be too far off in age as they end up forming a brotherly bond. Jace reminds Cregan of his younger brother, establishing the idea that Cregan is slightly older, but their bond is of mutual respect and admiration. The two enjoy drinking and hunting, which has been shown briefly in the trailers, and they presumably take a trip to the Wall so Cregan can show his new friend one of Westeros’s wonders.

In Fire & Blood, Cregan and Jace have an age difference of six years, though this could be trimmed down to a slightly smaller number given the actors’ ages. What matters is that they’re close enough to form an enduring bond, leading to a pact between them as brothers and an alliance between their houses. Lucerys Velaryon might not have had great luck dealing with House Baratheon, but Jacaerys’s efforts in the North can’t go unnoticed in House of the Dragon.

House Of The Dragon’s War Will Be A Shocking Reality Check For GOT’s Age Changes

Many HOTD Rulers Are Younger Than 20

Many of the houses in House of the Dragon are ruled by very young people, be it Aegon II, Cregan Stark, Dalton Greyjoy, or Kermit Tully. Game of Thrones featured young rulers like Joffrey, Robb, and Robin Arryn, though many of them had older supervision guiding them and truly making decisions. Aegon is one character in particular whose actions will have drastic effects on the world around him. Robert’s Rebellion is a meaningful comparison because, in the books, the war saw characters like Ned and Robert Baratheon changing Westeros as teenagers.

The age differences of characters in charge in House of the Dragon should be a factor to consider. The Dance of the Dragons is another war with enormous long-term effects on Westeros, with some major actions taken by immature individuals. However, as Game of Thrones proved, adults like Cersei were also perfectly capable of making immature choices. House of the Dragon can offer some perspective on the decision to age up characters on the original show.