HBO’s highly anticipated Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon already has a significant difference that could benefit the show in the long run. Game of Thrones ran for eight successful seasons from 2011 to 2019, but the final season's ending attracted controversy and was widely disregarded by fans as a successful ending. The series was based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series, but passed the books' timeline in its later seasons, leading to an unknown finale that wasn’t guided by the exact vision from the books.

The upcoming series House of the Dragon depicts an era of Targaryen rule over the Seven Kingdoms under King Viserys Targaryen. A major source of conflict will be between Viserys’s younger brother Daemon Targaryen, heir to the throne, and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Viserys’s daughter who is not heir due to her being a woman. The series will heavily draw from George R.R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood, which exists outside of the A Song of Ice and Fire series and details the history of House Targaryen in Westeros 300 years prior to the reign of Daenerys Targaryen. Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss won’t be returning for House of the Dragon, which may be appealing to fans as D&D were heavily criticized for their execution of the final season.

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House of the Dragon has a major benefit compared to Game of Thrones by going in with a solidified ending; audiences are really just along for the ride. While both have a basis in Martin's novels, House of the Dragon’s source material is a standalone novel giving the history of House Targaryen. By contrast, Game of Thrones was based on a series that wasn't finished being written. By the time Game of Thrones reached season 5, Martin still had two more books that had yet to be released, which led to the showrunners taking their own course of action with the characters and their endings. House of the Dragon, on the other hand, may be more successful than Game of Thrones’ last few seasons because it will have direct book-to-show adaptable material with an ending for which fans are already prepared.

Rhaenyra and Iron Throne in House of the Dragon Trailer

Game of Thrones’ major controversy came from its rushed and disliked final season and story resolutions, but by virtue of being a prequel, House of the Dragon is a step ahead because everyone (at least, everyone interested in finding out) already knows how it ends, and thus can’t be as great a source of controversy as its predecessor. The only way House of the Dragon could get into hot water for its finale is if it took another direction that diverges from Martin’s history in A Song of Ice and Fire or Fire & Blood. Considering House of the Dragon is set hundreds of years before Game of Thrones, it likely won’t end with Robert’s Rebellion – that event occurs only 17 years before Game of Thrones’ first season begins – and instead could implement a newly crafted Westerosi tragedy of its era to end on.

The first teaser for House of the Dragon showcases some of the tension between Rhaenerys and Daemon Targaryen. Crucially, the trailer sets up the Targaryens (and their dragons) as being central to the drama unfolding in Westeros, as well as all the power struggles and political turmoil. And while some of the character dynamics might be similar to that of Game of ThronesHouse of the Dragon will more than likely have a more conclusive ending because the reign of the Targaryens runs only so long. Martin's book acted as a bridge between the Targaryens' history and their present, and House of the Dragon will surely do the same, which will put the audience's minds at ease.

While most prequels to successful series and franchises don’t carry high expectations of living up to the original, there are a lot of expectations for House of the Dragon to be good. Many viewers see it as an opportunity for HBO to make up for the divided fan receptions of Game of Thrones season 8. Considering there were petitions to remake the Game of Thrones' final season because of how poorly it was received, House of the Dragon may be the franchise's way of making amends to the audience.

Next: House Of The Dragon Trailer Hints At Connection To Night King's Death