Alicent Hightower has been described as House of the Dragon’s version of Game of Thrones' Cersei Lannister, but this isn’t an entirely accurate comparison. Many of House of the Dragon’s characters will take on roles in the political conflicts that are similar to the figures in Game of Thrones, but they all have key differences in terms of their development and motivations. From King Viserys Targaryen taking on a Ned Stark-like arc in House of the Dragon season 1 to Alicent trying to place her children on the Iron Throne like Cersei Lannister, the prequel series will certainly have some storylines that are reminiscent of Game of Thrones.

Aside from the title House Targaryen, the two other most important families in House of the Dragon are the Velaryons and Hightowers, both of which marry into the core dragonriding family. The prominent Hightowers are Otto, the Hand of the King to Viserys Targaryen, and his daughter Alicent, who becomes Viserys’ second wife and the queen consort of the Seven Kingdoms. Alicent’s role in House of the Dragon becomes increasingly important as the succession of the Iron Throne comes into question, particularly once she and her closest friend-turned-stepdaughter Rhaenyra Targaryen begin a chilling feud. As tension arises between the two women, the realm will be split between loyalties to the queen's green party or the princess's black party, with their respective colors representing the dresses they wore to a tourney.

Related: How House Of The Dragon Will Be Different To Game Of Thrones

One of House of the Dragon’s biggest differences from Game of Thrones is its more feminist take on Westerosi history, and it even deviates from some interpretations in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book to reflect this focus. While Alicent was made out to be a villain in Fire & Blood, as the books' subtext seems to prefer Rhaenyra’s claim to the Iron Throne over her younger half-brother Aegon II Targaryen, she’s been teased to be far more complex in House of the Dragon. Unlike Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon’s heroes and villains aren’t so easily discernible, which each character being vile or admirable in conflicting ways. So, while Cersei Lannister was always a major villain in Game of Thrones – although some interpretations of her villainy may be due to the deep-rooted misogyny that House of the Dragon is criticizing – Alicent’s antagonism isn’t as cut and dried.

Why Alicent Is Being Compared To Cersei

Alicent and Otto Hightower in House of the Dragon on a beach

The main reason why Alicent is being compared to Cersei is that she conspires to put her son on the Iron Throne even when he may not be the rightful heir. King Viserys I Targaryen had publicly declared his eldest child Rhaenyra Targaryen as his heir, and maintained this even when Alicent bore three sons. Upon Viserys’ death, Alicent conspired with the green council to crown her eldest son Aegon II Targaryen over Rhaenyra, who by then was living on Dragonstone and unaware of her father’s death. Even before Viserys’ death, the Fire & Blood book suggested Alicent always wanted her children on the Iron Throne. When Alicent suggested that young Rhaenyra Targaryen marry her younger half-brother Aegon, who she never got along with and was 10 years younger than her, King Viserys criticized his wife for only proposing the marriage to secure a place for her children on the throne.

This was a key strategy for Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones, as they always conspired to place her children on the Iron Throne even when she knew their claims were illegitimate. Joffrey and Tommen Baratheon, who both sat on the Iron Throne after Robert Baratheon’s death, were actually fathered by Cersei’s twin brother Jaime, so they had no claim to the crown. Cersei prioritized her children’s seat on the Iron Throne to give herself power in the realm, with the queen regent being the one who was really pulling the strings during their reigns. This ultimately ended in Cersei Lannister taking the crown after Tommen’s death, so some believe that House of the Dragon’s Alicent may be trying to place Aegon II Targaryen on the throne so that she can rule from the shadows.

While Alicent’s motivations differ from Cersei, and thus make her less of a cruel and power-hungry character, she does share an important position at court with Game of Thrones’ queen. Much like Cersei when Tywin was King Aerys II Targaryen’s Hand, Alicent was brought to court as a child when her father became the Hand of the King to Old Jaehaerys Targaryen. When King Aerys was murdered, Tywin became the Hand of the King to Robert Baratheon, while Otto Hightower became the Hand of the King to Viserys I after King Jaehaerys I Targaryen’s death. In both cases, the new kings were married to the daughter of the Hand.

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Alicent Isn’t Nearly As Bad A Villain As Cersei

Cersei Lannister being crowned queen in Game of Thrones.

Comparing Alicent to Cersei suggests that she’ll be one of the biggest villains in House of the Dragon, but this isn’t actually accurate considering there aren’t many true villains in the prequel series. Alicent also isn’t as brutal or immoral as Cersei, although many of the House of the Dragon character’s actions will be controversial or selfish. She’ll primarily be pinned against Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, with their rivalry seeing both women perform despicable and justifiable actions. Cersei, on the other hand, had very few sources of redemption for her villainous nature, while Alicent is still a largely sympathetic and moral character. She’s certainly somewhat of an antagonist who is partially responsible for instigating the bloody Dance of the Dragons battles, but can’t be compared to the wickedness of Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones.

Alicent Does Share One Extremely Important Quality With Cersei

Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon

For the evil that Alicent does occasionally inspire in House of the Dragon, it’s primarily motivated by her love for her children. This was seen as the only redeemable trait for Cersei Lannister, with Tyrion explaining that for all of her wickedness and selfishness, she loved her children and being a mother. Just like Cersei in Game of Thrones, Alicent’s antagonism and moral decay will worsen throughout House of the Dragon as her children come into harm or even die. However, this increased villainy will also affect House of the Dragon’s Rhaenyra Targaryen, whose cruel actions become worse when her children are affected. Motherhood will be a particularly important aspect of House of the Dragon, which reflects the far lengths that Catelyn Stark, Cersei Lannister, and Daenerys Targaryen (mother of dragons) went to when their children were harmed.

Alicent’s Cersei Comparisons Could Mean A Big Change To Her HOTD Ending

HOTD Greens & Blacks Explained

If Alicent does become a more scrupulous villain in House of the Dragon, the HBO series may introduce a big change to her character’s ending in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book. As a huge villain, Cersei’s death was shockingly underwhelming in Game of Thrones, which simply saw Cersei and Jaime crushed to death by the collapsing Red Keep. Since this was one of the most criticized aspects of Game of Thrones’ ending, House of the Dragon may find it necessary to give its greatest conflicted characters even grander deaths. Rhaenyra Targaryen’s death will be a particularly gruesome moment if following the book, but Alicent Hightower’s is far quieter.

Unlike many of her counterparts in the Dance of the Dragons, Alicent Hightower survives the civil war and dies two years later from a sickness that spreads through the realm. The time after King Aegon III Targaryen was crowned also became a sad era for Alicent, who refused to reconcile with Aegon and the blacks and was thus isolated and confined to Maegor’s Holdfast for the rest of her days. By the time she passed away from the Winter Fever, the historic character Alicent Hightower had begun talking to herself and often wept, with the former queen keeping very few people as company. While this is still a tragic ending for House of the Dragon’s important character, Alicent’s death could be seen as a redeeming moment for where Game of Thrones went wrong with Cersei.