Warning! Spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon.
The “Queen Who Never Was,” Rhaenys Targaryen, became an overnight sensation among the House of the Dragon fan base when she rode her dragon into Aegon’s coronation and roared in the face of Alicent Hightower. Rhaenys and Alicent have one of the most intense rivalries in the cast, but they’re not the only characters who resent each other.
From Alicent and her childhood friend Rhaenyra to Otto and his closest political opponent Daemon, the sprawling ensemble cast of House of the Dragon is full of bitter character rivalries.
Daemon Vs. Aemond
The chaotic energy that Daemon brings to House Targaryen will live on long after he’s gone, as Aemond has inherited that mantle. Across the first season of House of the Dragon, fans have seen Aemond grow up into a little Daemon.
The problem, of course, is that the original Daemon is still alive and well and isn’t ready to give up that mantle just yet.
Otto Vs. Viserys
At the beginning of the series, King Viserys and Ser Otto were inseparable. As the Hand of the King, Otto was trusted by Viserys above anyone. But after a few years, Viserys finally realized that Otto didn’t have his best interests at heart and was instead using his influence to consolidate his own power. When Rhaenyra enlightens her father to Otto’s true intentions, he angrily dismisses Otto, paving the way for an intense rivalry.
Otto grew bitter and resentful after being let go. But he eventually regained his power when Viserys took ill and Alicent became the primary powermonger of the kingdom.
Criston Vs. Joffrey
When Rhaenyra was betrothed to Laenor, they both had secret lovers. Rhaenyra was having an affair with the knight protecting her, Ser Criston Cole, while Laenor was having an affair with Ser Joffrey Lonmouth, the “Knight of Kisses.”
Before the wedding, Joffrey approached Criston to propose an arrangement: that they continue their affairs and keep each other’s secrets. This would’ve worked out fine, but Criston mistook the proposal for a threat and beat Joffrey to death in front of everybody.
Vaemond Vs. Rhaenyra
Corlys’ younger brother, Vaemond, starts a petition in King’s Landing to be named Corlys’ heir so he can keep House Velaryon’s power out of Rhaenyra’s hands. He doesn’t believe the kids she raised with his nephew Laenor were really sired by Laenor himself.
Vaemond seals his grim fate when he furiously confronts Rhaenyra in front of the king and calls her children “bastards,” prompting Daemon to lop off his head.
Daemon Vs. Otto
Otto may have resented Viserys for figuring out his motives and dismissing him, but his primary political rival has always been Daemon. In his early days as the Hand of the King, Otto was dedicated to keeping Daemon out of power.
Whenever Daemon got a bright idea to gain more power – like occupying Dragonstone – Otto was there to take the air out of his tires.
Lucerys Vs. Aemond
The rivalries in House of the Dragon aren’t just between the adults; there are also rivalries between the kids. After Aemond claimed Vhagar as his dragon, he got into a brutal scuffle with his cousins and nephews. As Aemond reached for a rock to beat them with, Lucerys cut out his eye.
Years later, Aemond got into another altercation with his cousins when his seemingly harmless toast turned to an insult as he referred to Lucerys and his brothers as “strong boys,” a veiled insinuation that they were fathered by Ser Harwin Strong.
Rhaenys Vs. Alicent
Rhaenys went from a highly respected character to an all-out fan-favorite icon with her daring actions in the penultimate episode of season 1. As the “Queen Who Never Was,” Rhaenys always resented Alicent for invading the throne room.
But she reached the final straw when Alicent used her misinterpretation of Viserys’ dying words to secure the Iron Throne for her son Aegon. At Aegon’s coronation, Rhaenys crashed through the floor atop her dragon to make a point.
Harwin Vs. Criston
After beating Joffrey to death, Criston was about to take his own life when Alicent stopped him. The next time jump reveals that Criston has sided with Alicent and serves her loyally, training her kids to fight with swords and passing on whatever shady political details he picks up around town.
When he sided with Alicent, Criston entered a rivalry with fellow knight Ser Harwin, who sided with Rhaenyra. Criston goaded Harwin into attacking him by suggesting that he fathered Rhaenyra’s children. The whole rivalry grew out of jealousy, because Rhaenyra ended up in Harwin’s arms after Criston initially wanted her to run away with him.
Viserys Vs. Daemon
In the early episodes of House of the Dragon, Daemon was determined to be named the heir to the throne, but Viserys wouldn’t allow it. This resulted in an intense feud between the brothers. Viserys banished Daemon from King’s Landing for jokingly calling his deceased infant son “Heir for a Day.”
The two eventually resolved their differences and reunited after Daemon was named “King of the Narrow Sea” and returned to King’s Landing to pledge allegiance to Viserys.
Rhaenyra Vs. Alicent
There are many intertwining character arcs that make up the rich, complex narrative of House of the Dragon, but the heart of the series is the tug-o’-war between Princess Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent. They were once childhood friends, but they gradually turned against each other as they grew older and took different sides in royal debates.
Within the fan base, the two sides of this conflict have been represented as “Team Green” (the name for the Alicent sympathizers) versus “Team Black” (the name for the Rhaenyra sympathizers).