Warning! This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2.

House of the Dragon season 2 introduced an ancestor of Game of Thrones‘ Stark family, potentially removing a hilarious gag from the original books. Like Game of Thrones before it, House of the Dragon is based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series. House of the Dragon is based specifically on Fire and Blood, telling the history of House Targaryen that led to the family’s eventual downfall thanks to the deadly civil war known as the Dance of Dragons.

As such, many of the elements found in House of the Dragon come from the mind of Martin. The various dragons in House of the Dragon are from the original book, as are the characters and their dynamic that lead to outright war. Although the subject matter is admittedly grim, Martin’s books are no stranger to including elements of humor. That said, one of the most ridiculous gags from Martin’s Fire and Blood may have been omitted from the HBO adaptation thanks to the inclusion of a Stark ancestor in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 4.

Oscar Tully’s Role Suggests House Of The Dragon Cut Elmo & Kermit Tully

The Interim Lord Of Riverrun Suggests Two Fire & Blood Characters Are Missing

The Stark ancestor in question is Oscar Tully, the young acting Lord of Riverrun who visited Daemon in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 4. Oscar appears in front of Daemon to relay information about his grandfather’s illness. Daemon insists that Oscar kill his grandfather and take control of Riverrun in order to pledge his army to Rhaenyra’s cause. While Oscar Tully is a character from Fire and Blood, his inclusion in House of the Dragon at this point in the show’s timeline suggests two other Tully characters have been removed from the story: Elmo and Kermit Tully.

In Fire and Blood, Oscar is not depicted as the heir to Riverrun as there are two others in the line of succession before him. One of those is his father, Elmo, and the other is his older brother, Kermit. Given that Oscar appears in House of the Dragon as the next in line after the death of his grandfather, Elmo and Kermit have seemingly been removed from the show, suggesting that Martin’s funniest gag linking to the Tullys’ obvious namesakes has been removed.

Elmo & Kermit’s Absences Ruin George R.R. Martin’s House Tully Muppet Joke

The Tully-Muppet Joke From Fire & Blood Is No More

As evidenced by the names of the Tullys, George R. R. Martin named the members of the house after various Muppets. Oscar Tully is named after Oscar the Grouch, the trash-dwelling Muppet from Sesame Street. Then you have Oscar’s older brother, Kermit Tully, named after the iconic frog from several Muppet productions. Above the two brothers in Fire and Blood is Elmo Tully, carrying on the hilarious Muppet theme for the Westerosi House by linking to perhaps the most iconic puppet from Sesame Street, Elmo.

However, with Oscar Tully playing a prominent role in House of the Dragon season 2, it seems the HBO show is not as committed to the Muppet gag as Martin was. Oscar’s inclusion as the heir to Riverrun means Elmo and Kermit must not exist in the world of House of the Dragon, which was likely a decision made to match the show’s more serious tone. Oscar is certainly a more normal name than Elmo and Kermit, with the character keeping somewhat faithful to the source material without the admittedly jarring – albeit hilarious – Muppet theme of Martin’s Fire and Blood.

What Happens To Oscar Tully & How He’s Related To Game Of Thrones’ Starks

Oscar Tully’s House Of The Dragon Future And Game Of Thrones Connections Explained

With Oscar Tully essentially serving as an amalgamation of his book counterpart, Elmo, and Kermit Tully in House of the Dragon, he will likely have a big part to play in the wars to come. In Fire and Blood, Oscar fights for House Tully, sworn to Rhaenyra, in the Dance of Dragons. Oscar fights in the Battle of the Kingsroad, one of the final skirmishes in the Targaryen Civil War. After the war ended, Oscar was said to leave Westeros in favor of Essos. There, Oscar began a company of sellswords called the Stormbreakers which operated in the Free Cities.

Afterward, it is unclear what happened to Oscar Tully. Interestingly, the line of Tully leaders between the Dance of Dragons and the rule of another Targaryen king, Aerys II from before Game of Thrones, is relatively unclear in the books. However, Oscar and his family members are ancestors of the Tullys from Game of Thrones, including Edmure and Catelyn. Catelyn goes on to marry Eddard Stark and give birth to the Stark children who serve as the protagonists of Game of Thrones, giving House of the Dragon‘s Oscar Tully an interesting link to the Song of Ice and Fire.