'House of the Dragon' Season 2: Rhaenyra Targaryen vs Khaleesi Daenerys fan battle throws up one clear winner
Contains spoilers and speculation for 'House of the Dragon'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 will stream on HBO on June 16, 2024. The 'Game of Thrones' prequel is a mixture of fantasy and thrilling storylines and the Westerosi world has once again captured the imagination of viewers all over the world with its exciting storylines and deeply layered characters.
'House of the Dragon' centers around the life of Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and fans of this universe were initially drawing parallels with the 'Game of Thrones' protagonist Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). The comparisons came from the stark resemblance in appearance which happens to be a casting decision to show Targaryen features in both the characters.
But as episodes wore on and Rhaenyra's character was explored further, we saw a shift in the fanbase as the comparisons from comparing similarities to exploring differences between the two characters. Fans who were emotionally invested in the eight-season-long journey of Daenerys weren't ready to accept Rhaenyra as their queen already.
Internet prefers Daenerys Targaryen over Rhaenyra
Daenerys' journey in 'Game of Thrones' was one where she starts from poverty and makes her way up to the top. In 'House of the Dragon' though, Rhaenyra was born into royalty. Daenerys' journey has impressed fans a lot more than Rhaenyra's so far in the show.
A Reddit user posted, "Daenerys was born into poverty and sold. Rhaenyra Was born into speldnor and Riches. While Dany struggled in world that she barely understand at all she faught to make a change ." Another Reddit user commented, "Literally the only common thread they have is that they're both women. Everything else is simply copium where readers are using head-canons to pretend Rhaenyra was better than she was."
Another Reddit user added, "They are probably as different as any two characters can be. They are both female claimants and both have dragons but otherwise, they're very different people. " A Reddit user even compared Rhaenyra to the antagonist of 'Game of Thrones' "Cersi I definitely a much stronger comparison to Rhaenyra as they have way more in common than Dany. " comparing Rhaenyra to Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headley)
There are some fans who do see some similarity between the two though, A Reddit user said, "They are different characters without question, but you can make some comparisons. Both are Targaryen women next in line to the throne (in their beliefs) which will be challenged by male relatives. Both think it’s their duty to fight for it and GRRM said there will be a second dance in the future", basing the comparison on their fight against patriarchy.
Are Daenerys and Rhaenyra related?
Rhaenyra Targaryen is Daenerys's sixth great-grandmother with only 8 Targaryen generations between them as per the book 'Fire and Blood' by George R R Martin. At the end of Dance of the Dragons, the Civil War between the Targaryen house that pits Queen Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) against each other, Rhaenyra and her uncle Daemon Targaryen's (Matt Smith) son Aegon III Targaryen will be the King of the seven kingdoms.
Daenerys was born almost two centuries after the birth of Rhaenyra Targaryen and is a descendant of Rhaenyra and Daemon. The same goes for Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) who is Daenerys' nephew.
How to stream 'House of the Dragon' Season 2?
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 will stream on HBO Max from June 16, 2024. The show is available exclusively to the subscribers of Max.
The streaming platform typically offers three packages that you can choose from depending on your budget.
The low-cost plan that supports advertising costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually.
The second package, which does not support advertising, costs $15.99 per month or $149.99 annually. Meanwhile, the third package, titled Ultimate Ad-Free, costs $19.99 per month or $199.99 annually.
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 trailer
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 will stream on HBO on June 16, 2024