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Rhaenyra to Daemon: Ranking the Best and Worst Characters of House of the Dragon

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Aug 14, 2024 / 7993 Views

Evan Walker

With the second season of the HBO fantasy drama series House of the Dragon coming to a close, fans are eager to return to Westeros more than ever given the Season 2 ending. Besides the dragons and mythical elements conjuring Harrenhal dreams, the biggest draw for the show is still its interesting cast of characters that populate its world. Here is a ranking of all the major House of the Dragon characters, from the best to the worst.

House of the Dragon is only one of the many Game of Thrones spinoffs announced even before the original show finished. The series follows the events leading up to and during the Dance of the Dragons, a civil war among two competing factions among the Targaryens for the Iron Throne, one known as the Greens and the other as the Blacks.

The show is based on George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, the first volume in his two-volume history of the Targaryens, the noble house that ruled Westeros for almost 300 years. Though quite faithful, the book differs from the show in several key aspects.

What do we mean by the ‘best’ and the ‘worst’ here?

In this article, we do not intend to rank the characters based on moral terms. This is because if we were to do so, we would be left with… no one. While GoT had its share of truly vile individuals like Ramsay Snow with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, it also had noble and kind people like Ned Stark.

In House of the Dragon, however, even the most morally upright characters have done some reprehensible things. So, to return to the “best” and the “worst” characters’ rankings, we consider the most interesting and the least interesting, respectively. For instance, Littlefinger may have been a depraved man, but it was fascinating to witness him manipulate people and events and craft plots to gain more and more power.

Note: The ranking is from best to worst, so 1 is the best and 20 is the worst. Also, I am refraining from using the titles of the House of the Dragon characters.

From dragons to duds: Ranking top 20 House of the Dragon characters

1. Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith)

While in season 2, most of Daemon’s time has been spent moping around Harrenhal tormented with strange visions, his character remains by far the most compelling to watch among all the House of the Dragon characters.

Yes, he is definitely a blackguard, but he is more complex than simply evil personified. Above all, Daemon is extremely unpredictable. He keeps the viewers guessing, and you have no idea what he’ll do in a given situation. Every action he takes is spurred by a mix of resentment, ambition and a dash of loyalty. He is like Jaime Lannister, only better. One thing is certain, he is never dull.

2. Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock/Emma D’Arcy)

Designated heir by her father, King Viserys I Targaryen, Rhaenyra’s birthright was usurped by Team Green, who instead installed her half-brother Aegon II Targaryen on the throne. But still, her biggest priority was to avoid war and bloodshed, and she did her best to make peace. That is all you need to know about Rhaenyra.

While Aegon also has the capacity for compassion, he is too young, impulsive and insecure. However, Rhaenyra is patient and kind. Despite the death of her son Lucerys Velaryon and Rhaenys, she pays heed to the advice of her Small Council and does not ride Syrax to battle.

Her character also focuses on the male-dominated nature of Westeros, a world inspired by mediaeval Europe (particularly Britain). Even though she is the rightful heir, she is not allowed to sit on the throne for being a woman.

3. Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans)

house of the dragon characters — (Image: Ollie Upton/HBO)

The closest thing to Tywin Lannister in HotD, Otto Hightower’s biggest failure is he does not have the aura of the Lannister patriarch which coMMAnds unspoken respect and instils fear in equal measure. He is calculating and patient but surrounded by younger buffoons who often undermine him. He is also deceitful and ruthless and would go to any lengths to safeguard his own.

It helps that Ifans is a fantastic actor who perfectly captures the duality of Otto: his ambition and frustration at being subverted at every turn by lesser (and younger) men.

4. Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine)

In an ideal world, Considine not receiving even one Emmy nomination would be a punishable crime. Nevertheless, his portrayal of Viserys is one for the ages. A well-intentioned but mostly toothless ruler whose biggest flaw was he was eager to please everyone around him. He also wanted peace to prevail but did not have the iron will to navigate the treacherous landscape of Westerosi Politics.

He was also indecisive about whether Rhaenyra would inherit the throne. Though he made it clear earlier and even made many lords pay fealty to his first-born daughter, his resolve waned. Had it not been for his indecision, there won’t be a war. Yet, Considine infused the character with a sense of poignancy, effectively making him a tragic hero rather than the bumbling fool he was in the books.

5. Aemond Targaryen (Leo Ashton/Ewan Mitchell)

Aemond lost his eye in a childhood fight against Jace and Luke, for which he has held a vendetta against them ever since. And boy, can he hold grudges!

As we have seen in season 2, when he delivers vengeance, he does it tenfold. He was also bullied by his elder brother Aegon II Targaryen and, well, we know what happened earlier in season 2.

His story nicely depicts what happens when personal grievances escalate to major, even global, coNFLicts. He rides Vhagar, the greatest dragon in the world at the time.

6. Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best)

Also known as the Queen Who Never Was, Rhaenys Targaryen shared a kinship with Rhaenyra not only because they were actually related, but because she went through what Rhaenyra is going through. She was also denied the Iron Throne, not because she was incapable, but because she was a woman.

Rhaenys was also brave, fierce and not afraid to tell even the fearsome Daemon how full of crap he is. She knew her husband, the great Corlys Velaryon, slept with another woman, but as prideful as she was, she bore that pain in silence. She chose an almost suicidal mission to face Vhagar and died as she lived: unafraid.

7. Jacaerys Velaryon (Leo Hart/Harry Collett)

Also called Jace, he is a loyal and smart young man who Rhaenyra deeply values. I said smart because he is smart enough to know why his hair is jet black when both his parents had the silver hair of Old Valyria. Being a bastard does not bother him overmuch, because he remains his mother’s heir. He is also wise beyond his years, and it was he who suggested looking for people with Targaryen blood to ride riderless dragons.

8. Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey/Olivia Cooke)

The fact that Alicent and Rhaenyra were friends when young is what makes them truly despise each other. No, that’s true in the books. In the show, they have grievances, but a sort of sisterly love remains between them (even if Alicent is Rhaenyra’s stepmother).

But Alicent, although still a nice person, is deeply resentful of Rhaenyra, thanks to her marriage as a young girl to Viserys. She is also insecure about her children to the point of paranoia. Like Rhaenyra, she also does not wish for a war, but her concerns are brushed away by powerful men, including her sons.

9. Helaena Targaryen (Evie Allen/Phia Saban)

Helaena is the neurodivergent Pythia of Westeros. She utters things that sound strange but are dismissed by everyone, including her brother/husband, as nonsense. Perhaps she has seen the end of the Dance of the Dragons or even the end of the world. But since nobody takes her seriously, her visions (or interpretations of those visions) will always remain shrouded in scepticism.

Despite her son being brutally murdered right before her eyes, she appears to be taking it well. Her slightly fey mind is more equipped to deal with grief and death, or maybe, she expresses sorrow in a way that Westerosi society cannot understand.

10. Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint)

Corlys Velaryon, referred to as the Lord of the Tides, is a war hero and an experienced sailor of numerous naval expeditions to eastern lands that even birds are afraid to venture, including Asshai. Not without reason, he is referred to as the greatest seafarer in the world. Thanks to his journeys and the riches he brought home, his house is the wealthiest in Westeros, richer than even the Lannisters who own most of the gold in Westeros.

However, he is also a little too proud and arrogant due to those achievements. He along with his wife are firmly with Rhaenyra, but he dithers sometimes.

11. Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor)

Like most Starks, Cregan is grim and stoic. Stark words are “Winter is coming”, indicating that although things are fine at the moment, they can always get bad. He is also proud and commits to the Night’s Watch.

Most Southrons do not believe that the Others (or White Walkers) exist and think the Night’s Watch are just a bunch of rapists, thieves and murderers playing at being pseudo-knights. Cregan is also honourable and means to keep oaths, though he would avoid involving his house in the bickering of southern lords.

12. Larys Strong (Matthew Needham)

Larys Strong, called Clubfoot because of his condition, is the master of whisperers. He is a smart man who is somewhat HotD’s equivalent of Littlefinger in that he likes to plan out events. But he is less effective simply because he is neither that smart nor that useful.

Littlefinger, real name Petyr Baelish, could raise money for anything, be it tourneys or some other events, even if the crown was bankrupt. However, Larys is still good at manipulating easily gullible people, including Aegon II.

13. Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno)

For all intents and purposes, Mysaria is the mistress of whisperers of Rhaenyra. She is more subtle than Larys and ultimately more effective even though she is not a noblewoman. In fact, her position as an outsider to the nobility is what makes her even more dangerous as the acts of lowborn people are not paid much heed by high lords and ladies.

14. Simon Strong (Sir Simon Russell Beale)

We have not seen much of Simon, but what we have, we love it — mainly because of Sir Beale. Ostensibly ingratiating and even a little soft in the head, he has shown himself hyper-aware of everything around him.

We first meet him through Daemon’s eyes. While he shows reverence, he is by no means afraid of the rogue prince. He even sassily corrects Daemon when he calls himself “King”.

15. Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin)

The femme fatale of Harrenhal, Alys has been the other inhabitant of the castle who Daemon is unable to comprehend. She can see the future, and Daemon is haunted by visions that apparently she is responsible for. Rankin is suitably Mysterious and engaging in her role as one of the most discreet characters of House of the Dragon. The scenes involving her make it look like you are watching a psychological thriller movie.

16. Aegon II Targaryen (Ty Tennant/Tom Glynn-Carney)

He is a much better person than his younger brother Aemond, but he is still a bully. He is also much more impulsive than the calculating Aemond and prone to outbursts and mistakes. It is because of one of his mistakes he almost died. He is also not a fair king and is unaware of the practicalities of ruling a realm.

17. Baela Targaryen (Shani Smethurst/Bethany Antonia)

The daughter of Daemon, Baela is brave and fierce like her father and kind like her other Laena on her dragon Moondancer. Though we have not seen much of her yet, hope to do so in the next season.

18. Rhaena Targaryen (Eva Ossei-Gerning/Phoebe Campbell)

Unlike most Targaryens, Rhaena does not have a dragon. Her misfortune is that she is a daughter of Daemon, who paid no heed to her.

19. Jason and Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall)

jason lannister — (Image: Courtesy of HBO)

The Lannister twins are quite cartoonish on the show and radically different from each other. While Jason is subdued and careful, Tyland is more upfront and haughty — a typical Lannister.

20. Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel)

Easily the most hateable character in House of the Dragon, Cole is the perfect example of a guy who was dumped by a girl and has refused to move on. The reason he is so passionately in favour of the Greens is because he truly abhors Rhaenyra. It is said that you cannot truly hate a person without loving them first. And Cole has hated Rhaenyra ever since she refused to run away with him.

So which is your favourite among the House of the Dragon characters?

(Hero image: Courtesy Theo Whiteman/Liam Daniels/Ollie Upton/HBO; featured image: Courtesy of Theo Whiteman/HBO)

This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Singapore.