The upcoming show House of the Dragon will not feature any universally liked characters, which is a wise change from its parent show Game of Thrones. The original HBO fantasy series became incredibly popular in no small part due to its complex cast. Keeping this psychological complexity at the forefront of House of the Dragon is essential if the show is to be a success.
House of the Dragon is largely adapted from George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, which details the history of the House Targaryen 200 years before the events of A Song Of Ice And Fire. As it's a prequel show, House of the Dragon isn't going to reveal any major surprises about the fate of the Targaryens: followers of Game of Thrones already know that dragons will be severely diminished in population, the Targaryens will eventually lose control over the throne, and a combination of inbreeding and corruption weaken the Targaryen line.
In an interview with THR, George R.R. Martin revealed that none of the characters in House of the Dragon will have a universally likable quality about them. Martin specifically compared the House of the Dragon characters to Arya Stark, whose strong, independent traits and interesting motives made her a well-liked character. Unlike Arya Stark, House of the Dragon's characters will reportedly not be defined as entirely "good" or "bad." While Arya Stark is a murderous assassin, her gumption and the strong sense of justice behind her actions support her popularity. Meanwhile, the House of the Dragon characters will be more varied in their motives, making them even more compelling than their more consistent counterparts. This will make House of the Dragon as a whole both more interesting and realistic.
Why Having No Universally Liked Characters For House Of The Dragon Is Great News
Despite her popularity, a character like Arya can become predictable and perhaps wouldn't fit in a show about a house notorious for its mercurial nature. House of the Dragon predates the Blackfyre Rebellion and, therefore, won't yet show the fall of the Targaryens under the "Mad King" Aerys II. Still, House of the Dragon will present through its flawed characters how the Targaryens became what they were at the beginning of Game of Thrones. While House of the Dragon is undoubtedly still going to find its fan favorites, keeping the characters in a gray area of morality will address what makes the characters so complex and rich.
A challenge that any prequel show like House of the Dragon faces is the fact that its ending won't be entirely too surprising. Viewers familiar with Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire will know the fates of the show's various characters and elements. However, in addition to taking character liberties like casting a Black actor as House of the Dragon's Corlys and showcasing a substantial amount of lore to the franchise, House of the Dragon will be able to keep viewers engaged by subverting expectations better with its unpredictable, morally flawed characters. Making all the characters morally flawed also helps retain the themes of power corruption and political control that are so pertinent to the entire Game of Thrones franchise.
A significant factor in why the characters are morally flawed in the first place is House of the Dragon's loyalty to the source material, which Game of Thrones' later seasons didn't have the luxury of benefiting from. Consequentially, Game of Thrones season 8 holds a litany of plot and character flaws, from Tyrion Lannister's out-of-character unintelligent decisions to Daenerys Targaryen's dragon attack on King's Landing. House of the Dragon's source material is not only complete but also thorough, which provides the show with a clear picture of its characters. Therefore, House of the Dragon already promises to learn from Game of Thrones' biggest character mistakes with the flawed, interesting, morally complicated characters that George R.R. Martin intended them to be.