The House of the Dragon Season 2 Theories & How Else the Show Could Deviate From the Books

Rhaenyra and Syrax Ride into Battle

In the book, Rhaenyra is absent from the action of the Dance of the Dragons, ruling while others carry out the actual warfare. In the show, the Greens and the Blacks implore their respective monarchs to protect themselves. However, moments from the season 2 trailer showed Rhaenyra wielding weapons and riding Syrax like they are headed into battle, inciting debate over how the show will depict her role in the war. Rhaenyra is likely to get more bloodthirsty as the war goes on, and her arc may progress as a complex story in which she leads as a politician and a warrior.

Season 2 has started foreshadowing the Battle of the Gullet, but the Battle at Rook’s Rest takes place first. Rook’s Rest results in Rhaenys Targaryen’s death, while Rhaenyra’s oldest son Jaecerys “Jace” is killed at the Gullet, and her youngest son Viserys is presumed dead. These tragedies are reason enough for Rhaenyra to get personally involved. If House of the Dragon takes some creative liberties with the source material, Rhaenyra could ride to retake Rook’s Rest or end the Battle of the Gullet.

Aemond Is the Father of Helaena’s Children

Aemond being the biological father of Aegon and Helaena’s twins is an old theory, but one that could still influence the characters’ arcs. As the Targeryens are fine with incest, Aegon and Helaena are arranged to marry each other in their teens. However, no one would know the difference whether Aegon or Aemond fathered Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, as they and their sister are all too genetically similar.

Aegon and Aemond have a pernicious relationship, while people have pointed out Aemond subtly defending Helaena at Aegon’s disastrous coronation. Additionally, Aegon and Helana’s youngest child Maelor could still be born, which would inherently prompt debate about who his father is. If the theories about Aemond and Helaena’s relationship are true, it could incite extra drama as the dynamics among the siblings become more tense—while a war rages outside the castle walls.

Jace Returns to the Wall

The season 2 premiere features an intriguing scene where Cregan Stark takes Jace to the Wall to impart the magnitude of the ever-present threat that lies beyond. When marketing first revealed parts of this scene, it sparked debate over why Jace was even there. House of the Dragon wants to maintain the Game of Thrones theme of how political squabbles are meaningless in the face of a greater threat. Jace is busy fighting his mother’s war but is meant to spend more time in the North, cementing his friendship with Cregan. These plot elements could all tie together if Jace revisits the Wall and learns more about the White Walkers. Jace could then become another voice of how dangerous it is to divide the country when they need to stand united.

Rhaena Becomes Nettles

Daemon Targaryen’s daughter Rhaena still doesn’t have a dragon and has now been sent away with Rhaenyra’s younger sons in her charge. Rhaena’s dragon Morning is supposed to hatch too late for her to have a dragon big enough for battle during the war. However, theories propose that Rhaena could enter the Dance of the Dragons sooner if she becomes Fire & Blood’s Nettles, who claims the dragon Sheepstealer. Nettles is one of the “dragonseeds,” bastards of Valyrian descent recruited by Jace to ride the Blacks’ extra dragons.

Rhaena wants to fight, even if it means leaving the youngest Targaryens and adopting a new identity. Jace and Daemon would recognize her but may accept her as Nettles if she tames a dragon. Nettles becomes a valuable dragonrider in Rhaenyra’s service; she is also rumored to be Daemon’s lover. However, Daemon may have just encouraged the rumors to conceal that his second daughter had become a part of the conflict after all. Rhaena could then have a fascinating double life in her later years: Rhaena marries multiple times after the war for political reasons, while Nettles allegedly becomes the inspiration for stories about a “fire witch” told in the Vale.

Alicent Becomes Melisandre

In Fire & Blood, Alicent spends her final days in a tower, mourning her children and hating the color green, until she dies of a fever. However, fans have proposed the radical new fate for her of becoming Melisandre from Game of Thrones. Melisandre is centuries old and spends her life searching for the “Prince who was Promised.” Alicent knows the barest details about the “Song of Ice and Fire” and the kingdom’s prophesized savior. If Alicent ends House of the Dragon filled with regret for her part in the bloodshed, she could make it her mission to carry on the legacy of preparing Westeros to fight the White Walkers, setting out to learn Melisandre’s skill set as a means to an end.

Laenor Returns to Westeros

The original hypothesis counted among the most popular House of the Dragon Season 2 theories was that Laenor Velaryon would return as Addam of Hull, another dragonseed who claims Laenor’s dragon Seasmoke. However, this theory is now officially debunked because Addam and his brother Alyn debuted in the show as distinct characters. According to Fire & Blood, Addam and his brother Alyn are most likely the bastard sons of Corlys Velaryon (Laenor’s father). 

Yet Laenor is still alive, with a vested interest in protecting Rhaenyra and her family. The Daily Post seemingly confirmed that Laenor is returning for season 2, but under what pretense is still a mystery. Some theories suggest that he plays a role in saving Rhaenyra’s younger sons, which could work if Rhaena takes off to become Nettles: Leanor takes charge of the children (or just Viserys, as Joffrey and Aegon return to their mother in Fire & Blood) in Essos so Rhaena can return as a dragonrider.

Larys Is a Warg

Larys Strong is now officially Aegon’s Master of Whisperers, and some fans believe he may be supernaturally qualified for this position. They have speculated that Larys is a Warg like Bran Stark, able to possess animals and spy on others through their eyes. Rats that conspicuously wander across the camera have given rise to the idea that Larys is always watching. If this is true, he is more dangerous than ever to Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra has allied with Mysaria, who has a veritable knowledge of every inch of King’s Landing. However, it will end in disaster if Larys has a supernatural advantage over her.

Daemon Survives the Dance of the Dragons

Daemon meets his end when he and Aemond engage in a brutal battle on dragonback; allegedly, both of them and their dragons are killed. However, Fire & Blood states that Daemon’s body is never found, inspiring theories about what may have become of Daemon. It would take a lot for Daemon to go into hiding and never meddle in Westerosi politics again. However, a recent episode shows that he is haunted by Jaehaerys’s murder. If his inner turmoil builds over the years, he may believe disappearing is in everyone’s best interest. Some people even say that Daemon could become the Night King—but more on that later.

The Maester Conspiracy

The maester conspiracy is also an older theory that the Westerosi maesters have long worked to rid Westeros of magic—namely, the Targaryens and their dragons—so an order of science and logic may prevail. House of the Dragon has shown more instances where the maesters may have turned the tide of history: Fans speculate that they mistreated both Queen Aemma and King Viserys (resulting in their deaths), misinformed the noble families, and stunted the dragons’ growth. Any comment made by one of the maesters could be a careful manipulation of how the Dance of the Dragons plays out.

One of the Targaryens Becomes the Night King

Different theories have arisen that either Aemond or Daemon could become the Night King, despite much of the canon contradicting it. Aemond is mostly due to the visual connection between his sapphire eye and the Night King’s glowing blue eyes, while Daemon is the more likely contender as no one knows for sure what happens to him after the war. The Children of the Forest created the Night King who was once a normal person; nothing is known about his human life. 

However, Game of Thrones shows him to have been “born” centuries before House of the Dragon. For this theory to work, the writers would either have to explain one of the Targaryens replacing the Night King before the Battle of Winterfell or completely retcon Game of Thrones. And given how unhappy people were with the final season of Game of Thrones, they possibly could get away with some of the House of the Dragon Season 2 theories that completely undo those events.