'Game of Thrones' prequel 'House of the Dragon': Why did the Iron Throne reject Viserys? The king's cuts explained
It doesn't take long to realize that King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) isn't Iron Throne material. 'House of the Dragon' ensures that the season premiere was all about the one succeeding the King. His brother, Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) makes no secret of the fact that he wants the throne for himself but finds himself in the crosshairs of the relentless council that have no intention of making him the king. Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) leads the charge by openly declaring that the prince wasn't the right fit.
The power struggle further accelerates when it's revealed that Viserys has a wound that just doesn't heal. And when he slams Daemon for calling his late son, 'a heir for a day, he also ends up cutting himself on the throne. For those familiar with the 'A Song of Ice and Fire', it's a known fact that the throne rejects those it deems unworthy.
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A Reddit theory did the rounds earlier: "People who are unworthy might just express behavior that causes them to get cut more easily [...] lazy kings because they slouch over it, arrogant kings posture themselves so that they get cut, etc. True to the theory, the manner in which Viserys sits on the throne sees him in a more laidback fashion and he ends up cutting himself.
The wound on his back can also attribute to the fact that the throne constantly rejects his rule and that he never learned how to manage the sharp edges of the seat. Ironically, this can be compared to his rule where he's not the one to navigate through dire situations that demand his attention. It's likely that these cuts could even lead to his death, but safe to say, much of his death doom stems from the fact that he was never suited to occupy the iron throne in the first place.
'House of the Dragon' airs on Sundays at 9 pm ET. The first episode is available for streaming on HBO Max.
