The dragonlords of Old Valyria ruled for thousands of years because they commanded fire-made flesh. Aegon Targaryen then brought fire and blood to Westeros to begin a new dynasty. But long before Robert Baratheon took the Iron Throne, that famed house started its own demise. The Dance of the Dragons war saw House Targaryen nearly burn itself down. It’s a tragic tale for their loyal bannermen, but if House of the Dragon‘s latest trailer is any indication, that civil war will make for one entertaining Game of Thrones spinoff.
War is coming to Westeros in the trailer for House of the Dragon. Again. Always. And just like HBO’s original hit series, it will feature a Targaryen woman fighting to rule over the realm. Only she won’t be trying to reclaim her family’s lost seat of power like Daenerys did two centuries later. Princess Rhaenyra fought her own kin for the right to sit on that chair in a war that split the Seven Kingdoms in half. The war we see in House of Dragons will cause dragon fight dragon, both on the land and in the skies.
This latest trailer for House of the Dragon focuses on how both factions long knew what was coming for them. Rhaenyra and her stepmother fought a cold war while King Viserys still ruled. And his brother, the “Rogue Prince” Daemon Targaryen, had his own claims to the throne as well. The show’s first ten-episode season will explore how a chilly detente turned dragon flame hot.
The series stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik serve as showrunners. And you can read everything we know about House of the Dragon in our full primer.
But if nothing else, this House of the Dragon trailer hints at one undeniable truth about Westeros – Robert’s Rebellion never would have happened had House Targaryen not brought fire and blood upon itself. Not great for them, but it should be wildly entertaining to watch when House of the Dragon debuts on HBO Sunday, August 21.
