In the HBO television series House of the Dragon, there are clear departures from George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood in the first few episodes. When adapting a source material such as George RR Martin’s, deviations are intentional because the adaptation has to be done in a believable way.

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Just like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon has some key differences that alter the story slightly, making it a different experience. Some of these changes are excellent and make the story much more entertaining, such as that of Viserys’ character, but sometimes the changes are less welcome and can make book fans rebel against the show, and season two has some of the biggest events that the show adapted completely differently.

8 Oscar Tully’s character

A fusion of two characters who managed to steal the show

House of the Dragon takes some liberties with some of its characters, such as Oscar Tully, who appears exclusively in the series. He appears in the first half of the second season as a young and awkward boy who trembles in the presence of Daemon Targaryen, but later becomes one of the few people to stare him down.

Oscar is based on Kermit Tully from the books, who becomes liege lord of the Riverlands after his father’s death. Both characters are essentially the same person with different names, but there is also an Oscar Tully in the books who was more of a knight than a lord.

7 Laenor Velaryon’s Death

Laenor’s survival was not recorded in the history books

Laenor Velaryon was Rhaenyra’s husband, and their marriage was based on the agreement that they would be independent of each other and simply display their image as a couple before the realm.

But in their later years there was much friction and disagreement, especially after Harwin Strong’s death. Rhaenyra and Daemon eventually come up with a plan to fake Laenor’s death and have him travel to Essos so that he and Rhaenyra are both free to marry whoever they want. In the books, Laenor is killed and that’s that; it is speculated that the murder was ordered by Rhaenyra, but in the series the death is left out entirely.

6 Blood and cheese

Maybe we were saved from seeing how terrible it could be?

Blood and Cheese was the event after Lucery’s death that everyone thought was the red wedding of the House of the Dragon. In the book, Blood and Cheese capture Helaena Targaryen and make her choose which of her two sons should live, or they will kill and defile her daughter.

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After Helaena chose it, they killed the other child instead, and the whole experience drove Helaena insane. In the show, she simply points at Jaehaerys, and we don’t see the child’s beheading in detail, but the sounds are just as haunting; yet the book’s interpretation of this event is much more violent.

5 Cristen Cole’s character

From loyal fighter to bitter and dishonorable knight

Criston Cole’s character in House of the Dragon is constantly hated for being the poster child for not being able to handle rejection well. In the books, he was an honorable knight who rejected Rhaenyra’s advances, seeing her not as a queen but as a spoiled princess unfit to rule, which is why he sided with the Greens.

In the series, he is actually seduced by Rhaenyra and wants to run away with her to preserve his own honor, but is bitter when she rejects the proposal. The bitterness and thirst for revenge are not expressed so clearly in the original.

4 Rhaenyra and Mysaria

We all know how love stories end in the Game of Thrones universe

Mysaria was initially Daemon’s lover until she supposedly became pregnant by him and to anger his brother, he stole a dragon egg for his son. In the books, Daemon gives in and sends Mysaria away and she loses the child, but in the series it is always a lie to provoke his brother.

In season two, there are more differences to her character, such as the fact that the rumors about the affair between Daemon and Mysaria never happened and that it is not Daemon, but Rhaenyra who falls in love with Mysaria. After their kiss, their relationship reached new heights, but this is exclusive to the series.

3 Alicent and Rhaenyra reunite

A final attempt by Rhaenyras to end the war without bloodshed

During the first half of season two, fans were desperate for a reunion scene between Alicent and Rhaenyra, and that’s exactly what they got. In the books, this scene never happens because the two hate each other so much.

As the war escalates, Rhaenyra makes one final attempt to end it without bloodshed by secretly entering Kingslanding and speaking to Alicent face to face. Although the war continues, it turns out that Alicent made Aegon king due to a misunderstanding.

2 Hugh’s mother was never mentioned

Saera Targaryen was famously defiant towards her father

By the start of Season 2, Rhaenyra has lost both Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys, leaving her with nothing to challenge Vhagar. Prince Jacaerys proposes the idea of ​​dragon seeds, and eventually two of them claim Silverwing and Vermithor as their own.

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Hugh Hammer is the Dragonseed who lays claim to Vermithor, but his parentage was never properly explored in the books. However, in the TV series, he mentions that his mother was a Targaryen princess, presumably Saera Targaryen, making Hugh a near-pureblood Targaryen and giving viewers much-needed context as to why he was able to do what he did.

1 Rhaena and sheep thief instead of nettles

It will be interesting to see how Rhaena follows in Nettles’ footsteps

In the television series House of the Dragon, a character named Nettles was completely axed. Since she was such a popular character, this is one of the changes that fans don’t support. In her and Sheepstealer’s place, we now have Daemon’s daughter Rhaena Targaryen, who claims Sheepstealer as her own and effectively replaces Nettles.

Sheepstealer was a wild dragon and Nettles tamed him by feeding him sheep every day until he allowed her to ride him. In the HBO adaptation, Rhaena takes Sheepstealer out of the valley and becomes the rider of one of the larger dragons in Westeros.

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