House of the Dragon fans have developed a disturbing theory about Rhaenyra Targaryen's fate after the latest episode of the Game of Thrones prequel. Warning: major spoilers from Season 3, episode 2 follow.
In the episode, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) seizes the Iron Throne in King's Landing with her husband Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) at her side. The crown weighs heavily on her as she is compelled to execute Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) in place of Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) as a show of strength. Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) is forced to watch helplessly as her father meets his end at the hands of her former closest friend. Despite struggling with the Valyrian steel sword and overwhelming grief, Rhaenyra carries out the execution and claims the throne.
Fan Theories on Rhaenyra's Transformation
Numerous House of the Dragon devotees now predict this is a pivotal moment for Rhaenyra. Daemon has repeatedly emphasized her entitlement to the throne after witnessing The Prince That Was Promised prophecy and visions confirming her queenship. On Reddit, one fan posted: 'I'm hopeful, having her be religiously zealous because of the prophecy and righteous in her actions will be interesting to watch. If they do it well, great!'
The fan fundamentally hopes Rhaenyra will begin displaying signs of malevolence before becoming a complete tyrant. A second viewer responded: 'I think that's where the show is going, they've set it up with how she sacrifices the Dragonseeds and then how her gaze turns steely in the last shot of this episode.' They added: 'I imagine she will use her knowledge of the prophecy to justify such actions. It's the more interesting route to go with what's on the table now. I think they wanted to give her more arc to being a full-blown tyrant. I think they nicely foreshadow that this episode with Rhaenyra ascending the throne in bloodied footsteps.' A third viewer concurred: 'Finally someone gets it' and added 'We all know how this ends.'
Parallels to Daenerys Targaryen
The fan theory proposes that Rhaenyra will bear a striking resemblance to Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) in her desperate bid to retain power at any cost. There have already been indications of Rhaenyra's moral compass wavering, following Season 2 in which she knowingly allowed potential dragonseeds to be slaughtered by dragons while pursuing new dragonriders.
Rhaenyra actress Emma D'Arcy revealed in the latest edition of Inside the Episode: 'There is a sort of religious fanaticism that is brewing in Rhaenyra, a belief that her rule is preordained, that it's fated in some way.' Co-star Matt Smith elaborated on how Daemon's unwavering conviction in the prophecy is equally the driving force that pulls Rhaenyra from her grief and compels her to claim the throne. D'Arcy continued: 'Grief affords Rhaenyra a kind of nihilism that's quite helpful in the face of danger and carrying Jace's sword at her side gives her strength.'
Bethany Antonia, who portrays Baela Targaryen, revealed: 'It's a real shift for the character when she gets this sword, but it's just like, 'At what cost?' You know, what did she have to pay for to have this?' While viewers will need to wait to discover how Rhaenyra's narrative unfolds, it appears she could be mirroring her descendant Daenerys in her quest for power. Furthermore, it reinforces the idea that numerous Targaryens were unhinged and ruthless, similar to Maegor the Cruel and Aerys II 'the mad king' Targaryen (David Rintoul).
House of the Dragon season 3 is streaming on Sky Atlantic, NOW and HBO Max UK & Ireland.
