WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1 and George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book, on which the show is based!

The famous Stark words are uttered by Lord Cregan Stark in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1’s opening scene, with this line highlighting a shortcoming of Ned in Game of Thrones. As an omen, a warning, and a reminder, “winter is coming” is said on several occasions by members of House Stark throughout Game of Thrones’ eight seasons, typically as a way to advise more vigilance as the harshness of winter approaches. However, in both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, “winter is coming” doesn’t just warn of the weather, but another darker, more dangerous force that comes with it.

In Game of Thrones’ ending, the Starks’ “winter is coming” words became an omen for the arrival of the White Walkers. While many Starks (such as Ned), Northerners, and even those in the Night’s Watch didn’t believe in the White Walkers’ return during Game of Thrones, others heeded the stories of their existence and feared their potential impact. Though the White Walkers haven’t awoken in House of the Dragon, Cregan Stark’s words to Jacaerys Velaryon in the season 2 premiere and the reveal of Aegon the Conqueor’s prophetic dream in season 1 emphasize one of Ned Stark’s greatest mistakes from the original show.

Cregan Stark Clearly Believes In The White Walkers In House Of The Dragon

Cregan heeds the truth of death that lurks beyond the Wall

Cregan Stark is essentially set up as House of the Dragon’s version of Ned Stark in Game of Thrones season 1. But, there are some very important differences between these two characters and how they approach their duties to the North. Both Cregan and Ned understand the importance of House Stark’s words, but only one of them understands how crucial it is to accept their meaning as they relate to the death that lurks deep in the North.

Game of Thrones’ series premiere revealed that Ned Stark didn’t believe the White Walkers had returned, but Cregan Stark’s House of the Dragon season 2 introduction confirms he not only believes in them, but also recognizes the significance of protecting the realm against them. When Cregan Stark says “winter is coming,” he’s referring both to the season itself and the deadly White Walkers that may come with it. Cregan never actually says “White Walkers” in House of the Dragon season 2, but when he tells Jacaerys that his ancestors built the wall to keep out “death,” they’re what he’s referring to.

Curiously, Cregan’s line about death and rejecting that the First Men built the wall to keep out “snow and savages” reveals that Jacaerys still doesn’t know about Aegon’s dream. Had Rhaenyra told him, Cregan and Jacaerys could have had a more honest and urgent discussion about the threat that looms in the North and the importance of uniting the Starks and Targaryens against it. If that had happened, then perhaps Cregan’s descendants wouldn’t have begun to undermine the existence of the White Walkers and their prophesied return. Maybe then, Lord Ned Stark wouldn’t have brushed them off as stories.

Why Didn’t Ned Stark Believe The White Walkers Still Existed In Game Of Thrones?

Ned Stark would have needed more sensible proof to believe in the White Walkers’ return

It had already been thousands of years since the White Walkers were first defeated when Lord Cregan Stark took Jacaerys to the Wall in House of the Dragon. Yet, he still hinted at the White Walkers as a threat that shouldn’t be completely discounted. However, only about 170 years later in Game of Thrones, the Lord of Winterfell doesn’t believe they exist. It isn’t really Ned Stark’s fault though, as even the men of the Night’s Watch who were guarding the Wall were skeptical of the rumors and claims that the White Walkers were back.

Of course, part of the reason why Ned Stark didn’t believe in the White Walkers is because he had never seen any evidence of them. Ned believed in what he could see and prove. Had he been alive when they were born, Ned likely wouldn’t have believed that Daenerys Targaryen hatched dragons in Essos, as they seemed to be a present impossibility after already being gone for so long before his own time. Long before Ned even became the Lord of Winterfell, dragons were reduced to stories by elders and skulls and bones in the Red Keep. Considering White Walkers were gone for thousands of years before Game of Thrones, their return would appear even less credible.

Still, both happened: dragons and the White Walkers returned in Game of Thrones. It’s implied that Benjen Stark had already known about their return before his disappearance in Game of Thrones season 1, with many on the Night’s Watch only believing in them once they saw them with their own eyes beyond the Wall. Ned Stark was occupied with helping to rebuild and unify the realm after Robert’s Rebellion; he wasn’t making regular visits to the Wall his ancestors built to hear the stories of those men and potentially incite panic in the North.

How Cregan Stark Compares To Ned Stark

Cregan and Ned share several important similarities and differences

While Ned was an honorable man who prioritized loyalty, he wasn’t ruthless. Cregan Stark is also extremely loyal and honorable, but has far less tolerance and mercy. The Fire & Blood book reveals that the younger Cregan saves little mercy for traitors, is much harder and fiercer in his vigilance, and is more traditional in his Northern beliefs than Ned. Had Ned been more like Cregan, he would have been stern about remaining in Winterfell to prepare for winter instead of going South. Cregan is affable with Jace in House of the Dragon, but his efficiency as a Northern leader may be due to his differences from the moral character of Ned Stark.

New episodes of House of the Dragon season 2 release Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.