House of the Dragon Season 2: which Fire and Blood book characters could appear in Game of Thrones prequel?

House of the Dragon has come to a close. Much like Game of Thrones before it, House of the Dragon is based on a book – meaning that we know a little bit about the shape of what’s to come, and which characters might appear in the series going forward.

Here’s everything we know about the new characters likely to be introduced in House of the Dragon series 2, with a healthy dash of speculation thrown in too. As ever, of course, be warned – much of this is tantamount to spoilers, so you’ll want to read carefully (if at all).

Vermithor

Introduced at the end of ‘The Black Queen’, Vermithor is one of the oldest dragons in Westeros. Notably, he’s also unclaimed: once bonded to King Jaehaerys, the ‘Bronze Fury’ has lived free in Dragonmont since the death of his former rider. When Daemon sings to Vermithor in High Valerian, it seems like an attempt to claim the dragon for himself – as a new weapon in their war, Vermithor is perhaps the only dragon in the realm that could truly take on Vhagar – but will it work?

Cregan Stark

Rhaenyra sends Jacaerys to meet with Cregan Stark, lobbying for support from the Warden of the North. Cregan Stark – pronounced “Cray-gan”, if you were wondering – goes on to become a key player in the Targaryen/Hightower civil war, though we’ll draw a veil over exactly what his role is for now. House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal was noncommittal when asked if viewers will see Cregan in Series 2, though the reference to him in ‘The Black Queen’ suggests at least that the hour of the wolf is on the horizon.

Daeron Targaryen

The fourth son of Queen Alicent and King Viserys, Daeron Targaryen wasn’t seen in House of the Dragon’s first series – leading many to assume, reasonably enough, that the youngest Targaryen child had been cut from the series to try and streamline the busy cast of similarly named characters. Not so: both George RR Martin and Ryan Condal have made it clear that Daeron has been staying with the Hightowers, and will appear in future.

Lady Jeyne Arryn

Another of the allies Rhaenyra tries to get in contact with in ‘The Black Queen’, Lady Jeyne Arryn is the Maiden of the Vale and Wardenness of the East. Not just Rhanyra’s cousin but also another influential female ruler, Jeyne Arryn comes to support Rhaenyra’s claim because it’s also a reflection of her own position – if Rhaenyra isn’t permitted to rule because she’s a woman, the same fate might befall Jeyne Arryn in the Eeyrie too.

The cast of Sesame Street

You might’ve picked up on a reference to one Lord Grover Tully as a potential ally to Rhaenyra in ‘The Black Queen’. While that name on its own perhaps wouldn’t raise too much consternation, did you know that Lord Grover’s grandson is called Ser Elmo Tully? And that Ser Elmo’s two children are called Oscar and Kermit? The role they’ll play in House of the Dragon Series 2 remains unclear – the Tully children have been referenced but not named so far, which suggests perhaps the television show is giving Martin’s Sesame Street joke a wide berth – but if they do you can at least be reasonably sure they won’t cast the puppets.

Who else might appear?

Fire and Blood, the book that House of the Dragon is based on, is a very densely written history, full of minor characters and key players alike. Some seem more likely than others to appear – Queen Alicent’s brother, Ser Gwayne, could be a compelling character to introduce to further explore the Hightower family, while Admiral Sharako Lohar of Lys, a Triarchy naval commander and Hightower ally, would justify the amount of time spent on the Triarchy conflict across the first series.

Others, though, are likely to fall by the wayside, not quite fitting with the story being told by House of the Dragon – but obviously it’ll be some time before we know either way there.

When is House of the Dragon Season 2 going to air?

At the moment, House of the Dragon Season 2 is expected to arrive in early 2024. You can watch the first series on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV, which you can sign up for here.