House Of The Dragon Season 2 Is Fixing A Huge Season 1 Targaryen Complaint With Devastating New Twist

WARNING! This article contains potential future spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 & George R.R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood!

House of the Dragon season 2’s first trailer reveals it will be fixing a significant complaint about House Targaryen’s characters from season 1, but this positive move may come with a tragic book change. Ahead of its summer 2024 release, House of the Dragon season 2 has dropped its first trailer teasing the battles, dragon fights, and deepened Targaryen feuds to come. As Rhaenyra and Aegon vie for the Iron Throne as their father Viserys’ true successor, resentments continue to spread and fester between the Blacks and Greens across multiple Targaryen generations. Based on the trailer, some younger Targaryens underrepresented in season 1 will also take on bigger roles in House of the Dragon season 2’s war.

With Game of Thrones’ expansive Targaryen family tree encompassing some of the franchise’s greatest, most complex characters across the original and prequel series, it’s expected that some members won’t receive the screen time they deserve. This happened to be the case for a few characters in House of the Dragon season 1, as some of the younger Targaryens weren’t built up enough ahead of their increasingly important roles in the Dance of the Dragons. However, House of the Dragon season 2’s trailer highlighting Daemon Targaryen’s eldest daughter on dragonback indicates the second outing won’t be repeating this shortcoming of the debut season.

House Of The Dragon Season 2 Trailer Hints Baela Will Have A Much Bigger Role Than Season 1

One of the biggest criticisms by the end of House of the Dragon season 1 was that the series had largely sidelined Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon’s daughters Baela and Rhaena, even cutting some big Baela dialogue in the finale. While Rhaenyra’s sons Jacaerys and Lucerys as well as Alicent’s children Aegon, Aemond, and Helaena received their fair share of character establishment across their season 1 episodes, others of this generation such as Baela, Rhaena, Joffrey, and the yet-unseen Daeron Targaryen haven’t received much if any development. However, House of the Dragon season 2’s trailer scene of Baela screaming on dragonback suggests she’ll receive more focus in the upcoming installments.

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As the Daemon’s daughter, Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen’s granddaughter, and the fiancée to Rhaenyra’s heir to the Iron Throne, Jacaerys Velaryon, Baela is an extremely important figure in the war’s politics. Not only does she ride the dragon Moondancer – with skills doubtlessly inherited from Daemon and her mother Laena, the former rider of Vhagar – but Baela and Jacaerys’ betrothal crucially ties together Houses Targaryen and Velaryon following the death of Lucerys, who was betrothed to her sister Rhaena. House of the Dragon’s trailer, thankfully, indicates that Baela will play a stronger part in the battles, political strategy, and feuds between the Blacks and Greens in season 2, improving upon season 1 and the book Fire & Blood.

HOTD’s Hinted Rook’s Rest Change Will Make Baela’s Season 3 Revenge More Shocking

In addition to the trailer’s shot of Baela on Moondancer pointing to a more present role, it also hints at a change to one of the most important battles teased for House of the Dragon season 2. The Battle at Rook’s Rest is among the biggest conflicts in the war, which concludes with Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys being killed by Aegon and Aemond on dragonback. However, while Fire & Blood revealed Rhaenys was the only Targaryen on dragonback for the Blacks at Rook’s Rest, House of the Dragon season 2’s trailer shot of Baela screaming could occur during this conflict – potentially at the moment she sees Rhaenys and Meleys die.

Baela joining Rhaenys on their dragons to fight back against Aegon and Aemond’s ambush would mark a huge change to George R.R. Martin’s book, and would add a more shocking twist to Baela’s future. Baela and Aegon are expected to battle at Dragonstone in House of the Dragon season 3, with their conflict culminating in Baela being captured, Aegon being gravely injured, and their dragons Moondancer and Sunfyre dying. If Baela previously witnessed Aegon killing her grandmother Rhaenys, her dragon battle against him would take on a new, more revenge-filled meaning.