The overarching villains in Game of Thrones are the ancient supernatural White Walkers, but they won’t be a big threat in House of the Dragon. Like many developments in House of the Dragon’s larger story, Game of Thrones has already revealed how many of the prequel’s fears will turn out. Alongside the understanding that the Targaryen dynasty will come to an end over a century after House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones reveals that the fabled White Walkers will not continue to threaten the realm once Arya kills the Night King.
The White Walkers were first created by the Children of the Forest as a way to battle the First Men, which was over 8,000 years before both House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones’ timelines. After breaking away from the Children, the White Walkers influenced the longest winter in history, The Long Night, at which time they descended upon Westeros and attacked the living. Westeros ultimately won the battle, and pushed the White Walkers deep into the North before creating the Wall to keep them out. After remaining hidden beyond the Wall for thousands of years, the White Walkers returned in 298 AC, culminating in the Battle of Winterfell which saw the defeat of the Night King, White Walkers, and wights.
Considering it’s still another 150-200 years before the White Walkers officially return, House of the Dragon will not feature the ancient magical creatures as villains or characters. However, they’re apt to still be mentioned in passing during House of the Dragon, as the White Walkers remained legendary figures whose story – whether believed or not – would be passed down for generations. As southern royalty whose family didn’t arrive in Westeros until thousands of years after The Long Night, the Targaryens in House of the Dragon aren’t apt to find much truth in the tales of the White Walkers. Rather, the White Walkers and the Night King may simply be used as subjects in scary stories told to children, such as Old Nan’s haunting tale told to Bran Stark in Game of Thrones season 1.
How & Why Did The White Walkers Return In Game Of Thrones?
The reason for the White Walkers’ return during Game of Thrones’ timeline still isn’t set in stone. It seems they had been dormant for centuries until finally making their way back through the lands beyond the Wall, where the Night King could finally finish his mission to rid the world of all living things. After being defeated by the living and the Children of the Forest thousands of years beforehand, the White Walkers were likely weakened to the point where they knew waging another war would end in loss.
However, Game of Thrones’ character Craster reveals that the White Walkers were still traversing further south long before their first battle with the Night’s Watch. Craster had been sacrificing his infant sons to the White Walkers for years, which was understood as a way to make their armies stronger. Over centuries, the creatures had likely been turning more and more wildlings into wights, with the magic to create White Walkers being augmented to a point where their numbers could overpower the Westerosi people. If this theory is accurate, then the White Walkers were certainly awake and rebuilding during House of the Dragon’s timeline, but wouldn’t pose an imminent threat for another century.