House Of The Dragon Season 2 Is Fixing A 6-Year-Old Rhaenyra Targaryen Complaint (& It’s Great For Season 3)

House of the Dragon season 2 will continue to make changes to George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, and further improve Rhaenyra Targaryen’s story.
House of the Dragon season 2 will make improvements to Rhaenyra Targaryen’s book story, which should have a positive impact on the future of the show as well. Rhaenyra isn’t just one of the Game of Thrones prequel’s main characters but, thanks to Milly Alcock and then Emma D’Arcy, one of its best too. After the shocking events of House of the Dragon season 1’s ending, Rhaenyra is now at the front of the Targaryen civil war, and will have an even bigger role to play going forward.

While Rhaenyra is important in the Dance of the Dragons as told in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, she isn’t as directly involved as many of the other characters, especially once war truly breaks out. As the events unfold, she largely remains on Dragonstone, with a much more passive role in things. The show’s version of Rhaenyra is already better than the book, but House of the Dragon season 2 can build on that and fix complaints about her involvement.
Rhaenyra Will Be More Involved In House Of The Dragon Season 2 Than The Book
There are a couple of reasons for Rhaenyra’s more contained story. She is the Queen, so wouldn’t want to be put at risk, and also history is told in ways that are less than favorable to her. Combined with a lack of detail, then it is at least understood, but has come in for some criticism. Certainly, Rhaenyra has a lot more to offer; she could and should be much more heavily involved in direct actions (and the consequences of them), and House of the Dragon season 2 seems to be delivering on that.

The House of the Dragon season 2 trailer at the very least confirms Rhaenyra will leave Dragonstone, which is a departure from the same point in the book’s timeline. It looks as though she will go searching for Lucerys’ body near Storm’s End, which should be a moving storyline that adds even more depth to the character. It’s also clear, with Rhaenyra wanting revenge, she’ll be taking more of a central role in the war planning, if not riding into battle herself yet (though that doesn’t seem impossible).

There’s also the matter of Emma D’Arcy being present in Spain, where King’s Landing scenes were being filmed (as per House of the Dragon season 2 set photos). As it stands, nothing is confirmed beyond the fact they were there, but it could mean Rhaenyra appears in the capital in season 2. That may be a brand-new role different to the book – perhaps a showdown with Alicent Hightower, which would be very welcome given their relationship is the heart of the show.
Regardless, Rhaenyra is taking a bigger, more decisive role, building on season 1’s book changes to make her a much more rounded, complex, and sympathetic character, and one who is less restrained and actually acts. The Rhaenyra of the book often feels one-dimensional, and much of that disservice is not a fault of Martin but of how history chose to portray the women at the center of this story. House of the Dragon is correcting that, and season 2 is going further still when it comes to the Black Queen.
House Of The Dragon Giving Rhaenyra More To Do Is Great For The Show’s Future
House of the Dragon gives Rhaenyra a more active role isn’t just important for season 2, but the show’s future too. That definitely goes in terms of continuing to develop her character, since she remains the most important one on the show and will be at the very center of its story in season 2 and then across season 3 as well. But it goes more for specific plot elements too, such as when Rhaenyra eventually takes King’s Landing from King Aegon II Targaryen.That will likely happen in House of the Dragon season 3 but, in the book, Rhaenyra doesn’t do much in the fall of King’s Landing, watching from dragonback. If the show establishes her as more of a “doer,” it could have her take on a greater role there. It should also highlight more of her own smarts and strategies, something season 1 begins. Leaving Dragonstone isn’t a pre-requisite for that, but she’s too good a character to be contained to a more passive role in the story. Rhaenyra’s journey can get much better here, and season 2 is already off to a good start.