In the Game of Thrones era of George R.R. Martin’s empire, the Targaryens are nearly extinct. During House of the Dragons, however, there were plenty of them. Most of them with white-blonde hair, too, except for Rhaenyra’s first three children. [Cough] That is to say, the Velaryons generally had white-blonde hair, too, and between these two houses, the Hightowers, and loads of supporting and minor characters, the HotD cast is flush with humans.
Granted, we will meet some more dragons as well this season, too, but let’s focus on the two-legged actors. Who will appear in Season 2?
Well, we’ve officially got three queens on the scene. That would be Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), and Queen Helaena (Phia Saban). The latter is the sister-wife of King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), who I still cannot believe is a thing.
Other returning characters (and cast members) will include Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen), Corlys “Sea Snake” Valaryon (Steve Toussaint), Ser Criston Cole the incel (Feabien Frankel), Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), and self-dubbed King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith).
Expect new characters to surface as well. More word should follow, but at the moment, we shall meet Ser Simon Strong, the Castellan of Harrenhal (Simon Russell Beale), Ser Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox), Alyn of the Velaryon fleet (Abubakar Salim), and Alyn Hull the healer (Gayle Rankin).
And so, the Dance of the Dragons shall begin.
HBO’s House of the Dragon will return in Summer 2024.