House of the Dragon Is Back. Here's a Guide to Who Everybody Is and Why They're Fighting

Courtesy of HBO

Quick, for a dollar: Name a single character from House of the Dragon!

Look, it's fine. The season one finale of the Game of Thrones spinoff aired almost two years ago, way back in late October 2022, and we've all had a lot on our plates since then. And it's not like House made this easy for us. Whereas Thrones was about many different houses from different regions all vying for the throne of Westeros—the Lannisters, the Starks, and so on—almost every player in House of the Dragon’s version of the throne game is a member of House Targaryen in some form or fashion, hence the series’ title.

And there were a lot of characters, with very similar names, and the first season featured a bunch of time jumps, which led to key characters being played by different actors over the course of the first ten episodes. This made keeping track of the characters a little difficult, even before you factor in all the blond wigs.

If you're still trying to answer the question at the top of this post, don’t fret—we’re here to help. Ahead of the sophomore season premiere this Sunday, June 16, we’ve compiled a handy character guide with a few key details on who is who. And—taking a cue from HBO, who've marketed this season by asking viewers to pick a side in the war between the “Greens” and the “Blacks”—we’ve followed suit and divided our rundown accordingly.

But First, a General Reminder As To What Everybody's Fighting About

House of the Dragon takes place about 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and depicts the civil war that will become known as the “Dance of the Dragons.” At the start of the series, King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) states that his daughter, Rhaenyra Targaryen, will inherit the Iron Throne.

On his deathbed, however, King Viserys is gone off that poppy-milk and his wife Alicent hears him muttering about “Aegon.” He’s actually talking about a previous king of Westeros, King Aegon the Conqueror, who had a vision of the future and imparted to his descendants as a prophecy called “The Song of Ice and Fire”—the belief that Westeros will one day face a long winter and fall to the forces of darkness unless a Targaryen sits on the Iron Throne when the cold front moves in from the North.

This should sound familiar—Aegon was predicting the clash between mankind and ice-zombies that takes place toward the end of Game of Thrones. But when Viserys mentions Aegon, Alicent takes it to mean that the old king has changed his mind and wants their son, Aegon II, to rule instead, and at the end of the first season of House of the Dragon, she and the Green team stage a coup and install Aegon II as king, which primes the powder keg. Next up: War!

Also, because this series takes place when the Targaryens are at their apex, nearly everyone has a dragon, which are basically flying nuclear weapons with minds of their own.

“The Blacks”

Rhaenyra Targaryen

Played by Milly Alcock in the character’s younger days and then by Emma D’Arcy, Rhaenyra is the daughter of King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) and the would-be-successor to the Iron Throne. Viserys is consistent in his declaration that Rhaenyra should be the first woman to sit on the throne, until his intentions are misinterpreted on his deathbed.

Rhaenyra is proud and a bit stubborn but level-headed in her ruling style. She was once married to Laenor Velaryon and the pair came to an, ahem, understanding within their marriage. After Laenor fled King’s Landing, Rhaenyra married her uncle Daemond in order to strengthen her claim to the throne further. After all, what’s a little incest between Targaryens?

Daemond Targaryen

Matt Smith’s never-declined face card helps inform his portrayal of Daemond, brother to King Viserys, and a walking personification of a dragon: hot-tempted, steely, and generally menacing. He lets his guard down every once in a while, typically around women he loves, but is quick to draw swords first and ask questions later. He’s arguably the best fighter in all of Westeros during this time period. He married Lady Laena Velaryon and had children with her before she passed away. Later, he marries Rhaenyra.

Rhaenys Targaryen

Portrayed by Eve Best, Rhaenys is the cousin of King Viserys and was, at one point, considered to be in contention, for the throne but was ultimately not selected due to some good old-fashioned sexism. She’s married to Lord Corlys Velaryon.

Corlys Velaryon

A famed seafarer known as “The Sea Snake,” the head of the Velaryon family is extremely wealthy (more than the Lannisters). Corlys has a bit of a swashbuckler attitude to him, thanks to Steve Toussaint’s winning performance.

Baela Targaryen

Daemond’s oldest daughter, portrayed by Bethany Antonia.

Jacaerys Velaryon

Rhaneyra's eldest son and her heir, played by Harry Collett.

Lucerys Velaryon

Died at the end of the first season when he and his dragon become dinner for Aemond Targaryen's dragon. Whoops!

“The Greens”

Alicent Hightower

Played by Emily Carey in the past and Olivia Cooke in the present day, Alicent was best friends with Rhaenyra as a child before her father, Otto, married her to King Viserys, whose first wife had passed away in childbirth. That decision puts a considerable strain on the relationship between the two childhood friends.

Alicent is a follower of the Faith of the Seven (you may recall Cersei blowing up their headquarters, the Great Sept, to deal with her religious-zealot problem in season 6 of Game of Thrones.) Alicent hears Viserys muttering about “Aegon” as he dies and believes it to be about their son, Aegon II, and thus stages a coup to ensure he takes the throne over Rhaenyra.

Otto Hightower

Rhys Ifans’ master plotter is Viserys’ Hand of the King—a shrewd tactician, his smarts and insight rival that of Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones. He’s really the driving force behind the plot to put Aegon II on the throne.

Ser Criston Cole

A member of the Kingsguard who used to be extremely close to Rhaenyra before turning coat and becoming a lapdog for Alicent and the rest of the Greens. When Aegon II takes the throne, he becomes Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. He’s also a huge prick! But Fabien Frankel, who plays him, seems to be a real sweetheart.

Aegon II Targaryen

The first son of Alicent and Viserys and the current King of Westeros. Loves to go out in King’s Landing on the Street of Silk, a play on the Red Light District. He is a bit of a brat, so it remains to be seen how well he’ll handle being the man in charge.

Aemond Targaryen

Ewan Mitchell’s Aemond is probably the most compelling of this show's child royals. As the second-born of Alicent and Viserys, he’s got the classic middle-kid disposition, but that’s served him well in becoming a fierce warrior whose prowess is only rivaled by Daemond's. Critically, he lost his eye in a knife fight with Lucerys when they were kids, which serves as the foundation for a long-standing beef between the two.

While pretty much every character in the show has a dragon of their own, Aemond rides Vhagar, the oldest and most dangerous dragon in the land. Vhagar is harder to control, which is why he goes rogue and turns poor Lucerys into a late-night snack.

Helaena Targaryen

The third child of Alicent and Viserys. Also Aegon II’s sister-wife (again, the Targaryens love some incest). Portrayed by Phia Saban, she’s quiet, reserved, and a bit odd, because she’s obsessed with prophecy. This sometimes causes her to come across as distant, but her weird declarations are, more often than not, prescient.

Larys Strong

Matthew Needham’s master of secrets has a birth defect that causes him to walk with a limp, so he’s often overlooked. He’s turned that into an asset, amassing all kinds of intel. He’s kind of like Littlefinger and Varys rolled into one — but with a foot fetish.

Mysaria

AKA the White Worm, played by Sonoya Mizuno. Brothel owner and secret whisperer. Used to be buddies with Daemond before they parted ways. Helps the Greens but is betrayed by them at the end of season one.

Originally Appeared on GQ