Game of Thrones did not include Catelyn Stark being resurrected as Lady Stoneheart, but House of the Dragon season 2 could have its own version of it.
House of the Dragon season 2 could see one character take on a similar role to that of Lady Stoneheart from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books. Lady Stoneheart is the resurrected form of Catelyn Stark, found after the Red Wedding and brought back to life by the Brotherhood Without Banners. “Life” is best used loosely, as this version of Catelyn cannot speak, is visibly scarred, and only craves one thing: revenge. Catelyn ought to have appeared in Game of Thrones season 4, based on how it adapted the books, but the show opted against her inclusion.
Lady Stoneheart will likely have a bigger role when The Winds of Winter eventually releases, but there could be a replacement of some form found in House of the Dragon season 2. Plenty of the show’s characters have certain similarities to those in Game of Thrones, without being direct copies – Alicent Hightower has shades of Cersei Lannister, Larys Strong is a Littlefinger type character, and so on. So it is that, building on from House of the Dragon season 1’s ending, there’s potential for a version of Catelyn/Stoneheart as well.
Rhaenyra Targaryen’s Parallels With Catelyn Stark Explained
House Of The Dragon’s Main Character Is Similar To Game Of Thrones’ Stark Matriarch
Rhaenyra Targaryen and Catelyn Stark are in very different situations – the former was raised as heir to the Iron Throne, after all – and yet, thanks to House of the Dragon season 1, there are some key similarities between them. Both are very caring, incredibly protective mothers who have to navigate the fragile political landscape of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and both lose children in the name of war and fighting for a crown.
Rhaenyra’s injury defending her sons is a direct mirror of Catelyn, who herself sustained wounds protecting one of her sons, Bran Stark, from someone wielding that exact same dagger in Game of Thrones…
Even more specifically, and intriguingly, is a parallel that comes from House of the Dragon season 1, episode 7, “Driftmark,” when Alicent attacked Rhaenyra with the catspaw dagger, having demanded an “eye for an eye” as revenge for Lucerys Velaryon wounding Aemond Targaryen. Rhaenyra’s injury defending her sons is a direct mirror of Catelyn, who herself sustained wounds protecting one of her sons, Bran Stark, from someone wielding that exact same dagger in Game of Thrones season 1, episode 2, “The Kingsroad.”
How Rhaenyra Could Become More Like Lady Stoneheart In House Of The Dragon Season 2
Rhaenyra Will Be Out For Revenge As The Dance Of The Dragons Begins
House of the Dragon season 2 could see the parallels increase, with the Dance of the Dragons ready to properly begin. That means Rhaenyra will be heading into a war across Westeros, which is where Catelyn found herself in Game of Thrones season 2, accompanying her son Robb Stark. More pertinently, though, is what will be driving Rhaenyra forward: a thirst for revenge after Lucerys’ death, which is more like Lady Stoneheart than it is Cat.
After being brought back from the dead, Lady Stoneheart is, in effect, a being of pure vengeance. She and the Brotherhood make their way through the Riverlands, intent on killing every single Frey, Bolton, and Lannister they can find as payback for the Red Wedding. That even includes Lady Stoneheart wanting to kill Jaime Lannister and demanding Brienne of Tarth bring him to her, the resolution of which is one of the biggest questions The Winds of Winter needs to answer.
There’s potential for similarity with Rhaenyra. The final shot of House of the Dragon season 1 clearly showed a burning rage, a deep desire to take vengeance via fire and blood, and that could play out in some way in season 2. It could mean Rhaenyra becoming a darker character, fully unleashed and no more trying to keep the peace.
It’s also even possible that Rhaenyra will be involved in Blood and Cheese in House of the Dragon season 2.
It could even mean she becomes more involved in the battles. In the book, Rhaenyra largely stays on Dragonstone in these stages of the war, but House of the Dragon’s season 2 trailer did show a few shots of her on dragonback, which could mean actually taking part in the fighting and taking that vengeance herself.
It’s also even possible that Rhaenyra will be involved in Blood and Cheese in House of the Dragon season 2. This is the storyline that most directly serves as revenge for Lucerys, but in the book it’s orchestrated by Daemon Targaryen (with the help of Mysaria) . It’d be a huge change to have Rhaenyra involved in the planning of it, but that’s the kind of dark turn that was at least hinted at by season 1’s ending. It’s at least plausible, and would make her a lot more like Lady Stoneheart, whose wrath seemingly knows no bounds.
The Problem With House Of The Dragon Making Rhaenyra Too Much Like Lady Stoneheart
Rhaenyra’s Story Can’t Have The Same Purpose As Lady Stoneheart’s
There are a couple of problems with making Rhaenyra too much like Lady Stoneheart in House of the Dragon season 2. The first is that she, unlike Catelyn Stark, is the show’s main character. There’s a different story responsibility upon her, which necessitates being more rounded than just being so purely driven by a need for revenge. That works in the A Song of Ice and Fire books, where Lady Stoneheart has only made a few brief appearances, but would be a very different take for a show’s lead.
That also feeds into the second problem, which is that it would risk making Rhaenyra too unlikable. House of the Dragon season 1 made Rhaenyra and the blacks a lot more sympathetic than Alicent and the greens. It’s not impossible that will change in season 2, and making Rhaenyra a darker character who gets blood on her own hands could well be fascinating, but it probably won’t go as far as Lady Stoneheart.
It’s notable the show’s version of Catelyn never became Lady Stoneheart, and it also highlights a problem with Rhaenyra being too obsessed with taking revenge and losing some of her humanity while doing so.
A reason for that can be found in Game of Thrones’ Catelyn, in fact. The show’s take on the character was more sympathetic than the Cat of Martin’s books, with scenes such as one expressing her deep regret for her inability to love Jon Snow being an HBO invention that helped in this regard. It’s notable the show’s version of Catelyn never became Lady Stoneheart, and it also highlights a problem with Rhaenyra being too obsessed with taking revenge and losing some of her humanity while doing so.
Why Game Of Thrones Cut Lady Stoneheart
The HBO Show Made A Major Departure From George R.R. Martin’s Books
Aside from having a different take on Catelyn’s story, there are a few reasons as to why Lady Stoneheart did not appear in Game of Thrones. Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss directly addressed it in James Hibbert’s book, Fire Cannot Kill A Dragon: Game of Thrones and the Official Untold Story of an Epic Series. There were, they revealed, three major reasons for cutting the character:
One reason was to do with how the show and books were diverging, though kept purposefully vague due to not wanting to spoil Martin’s own plans.
Another was because of Jon Snow’s upcoming resurrection, and wanting to keep their powder dry for that.
Because of the impact of the Red Wedding, and not wanting to undercut Catelyn’s final moments by bringing back actress Michelle Fairley. Benioff said:
“We knew we had Jon Snow’s resurrection coming up. Too many resurrections start to diminish the impact of characters dying… Catelyn’s last moment was so fantastic, and Michelle is such a great actress, to bring her back as a zombie who doesn’t t speak felt like diminishing returns.”
These decisions are very understandable, even if the lack of Lady Stoneheart was a disappointment at the time. It remains to be seen just how The Winds of Winter will handle her story but, to some degree, House of the Dragon season 2 could show a little bit of how that thirst for vengeance looks on the small screen.
