WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7 and George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, on which the show is based!
Summary
House of the Dragonhas its character replacements lined up forGame of Thrones’Littlefinger and King Joffrey, setting up the prequel to repeat one of the original show’s most shocking deaths. Several characters introduced inHouse of the Dragonclosely mirror major figures fromGame of Thrones, such asRhaenyra replacing Daenerys, Alicent Hightower bearing similarities to Cersei Lannister, Otto Hightower serving as a new Tywin Lannister, and Oscar Tully paralleling Lyanna Mormont. Some of these “replacement” characters even experience similar betrayals, such asAegon Targaryen and Larys Strong following a Joffrey Baratheon and Littlefinger twist.
History often repeats itself in real life, and this happens quite often within the world ofGame of Thrones. One of the biggest fatal twists inGame of Thronesarrives in season 4 whenKing Joffrey Baratheon dies at his wedding feast, having been killed by Olenna Tyrell after Littlefinger hid poison for her to usein a necklace worn by Sansa Stark. According to George R.R. Martin’sFire & Bloodbook, a similar death will occur inHouse of the Dragon’s story involving King Aegon II Targaryen and Larys Strong, who happen to already share parallels to King Joffrey and Littlefinger.
How House Of The Dragon’s Larys Strong Mirrors Game Of Thrones' Littlefinger
Larys & Littlefinger Have Similar Motivations & Roles
Lord Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish and Lord Varys were the two biggest spymasters in King’s Landing throughoutGame of Thrones, each with their own purpose for influencing royalty and keeping up with their secrets.House of the Dragonhas two similar masters of whisperers during the Dance of the Dragons: Lord Larys Strong and Mysaria. While Littlefinger comes from a small area in the Fingers with little influence and simple ambition for his own pursuit of power, Larys Strong is the second son of the Lord of Harrenhal who is underestimated due to his quiet nature and physical disability.
What The Drink Larys Strong Takes Away From King Aegon Is
In House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6, Larys Strong takes away a potion from King Aegon. Here’s what the drink is, and why he does it.
However, bothLittlefinger and Larys manipulate the counciland those on the Iron Throne to their own advantage,hoping to gain as much power for themselves as they can due to their past slights and insecurities. Meanwhile, their contemporary counterparts Varys and Mysaria come from humble yet tragic backgrounds in Essos that brought them to King’s Landing, with their webs of spies and influence on the crown being a vehicle to advocate for and manipulate political actions for the good of the people.
Lord Varys
Mysaria
Littlefinger and Lord Larys Strong are also quite arrogant in their manipulative skills despite attempting to maintain a face of humility. Littlefinger tries to appear more modest when working as Master of Coin for the Lannisters/Baratheons in order tominimize the perception of him as a threat to them. Similarly, Larys Strong tries to appear more physically imposing and confident in front of Alicent, who he already has in the palm of his hands, compared to King Aegon, who Larys wants to hide his authoritative pursuits and true intentions from to more easily manipulate him.
King Aegon Is House Of The Dragon’s Version Of King Joffrey
King Aegon Is More Tragic, But Plays A Very Similar Role
More so before Aegon is raised up as King,House of the DragonestablishesViserys and Alicent’s eldest childas the prequel’s most similar character to King Joffrey Baratheon. Both Joffrey and Aegon are the sons of dead kings who they really shouldn’t have succeeded on the Iron Throne. Furthermore,both are young, petty, cruel, incompetent, insecure, entitled, and petulant boys who assume the most powerful position in the realm. Like Joffrey, King Aegon is also an irresponsible boy whose mother was unable to control him and whose father, the King, was negligent prior to his death.
House Of The Dragon Confirms A Massively Harsh Reality About Its Cersei Lannister “Replacement”
A reveal surrounding Alicent Hightower’s youngest son, Daeron, further connects Olivia Cooke’s character to Cersei Lannister and her GOT history.
Of course,House of the Dragondoes an excellent job ofhumanizing Aegon far more thanGame of Thronesdid Joffrey. When Joffrey died inGame of Thrones, his demise was celebrated after becoming one of the worst villains in TV history. Meanwhile, though he’s still cruel and arguably a brat,Aegon Targaryen becomes a far more sad and tragic characterwho is able to garner some sympathy from audiences. Still, King Aegon and King Joffrey are very unfit to rule on the Iron Throne, with their reigns largely being manipulated and executed by those around them instead.
Aegon is much more naive as a character and even shows some acts of generosity, unlike Joffrey. For instance, Aegon is more inclined to listen to and help the smallfolk in season 2.
Larys Strong May Help Kill Aegon Like Littlefinger Did Joffrey
Fire & Blood Claims Larys Is Involved In King Aegon’s Murder
TakingLarys Strong and Aegon Targaryen’s comparisons to Littlefinger and Joffrey further, the spymasters are both involved in the murders of the young kings.InFire & Blood, Larys Strong plays a role in the poisoning of King Aegon II Targaryen, as Aegon is found dead in his carriage with a poisoned flagon of wine. The primary co-conspirators in Aegon’s death are named as Lord Larys Strong, Lord Corlys Velaryon, and Ser Perkin the Flea, with Larys then being executed by Lord Cregan Stark for his high treason.
Fittingly, the demises of Littlefinger and Larys are both executed by Starks inGame of ThronesandHouse of the Dragon.
Fire & Blooddoesn’t confirm whether Larys Strong directly gives Aegon the poisoned wine, but it’s claimed that he organized the murder. This would bear even closer similarities to Littlefinger’s plan to kill King Joffrey.Littlefinger and Olenna Tyrell kill Joffreyby arranging for Ser Dontos to give Sansa the necklace containing the poison called the Strangler, with Olenna then taking the poison from the necklace and slyly putting it in Joffrey’s wine at his wedding. Fittingly, the demises of Littlefinger and Larys are both executed by Starks inGame of ThronesandHouse of the Dragon.
House of the Dragon
Cast
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
