The following article may contain spoilers for the second episode of House of the Dragon
The successor to Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon has been met with great reception, from fans and critics. Following the ancestors of Daenerys Targaryen, the series stars Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen and Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen.
It follows the complex conflict between many significant royal houses, mirroring many aspects of Game of Thrones. Being rather unique to the spin-off, it seems to have far fewer black and white characters, with Corlys Velaryon being an interesting example.
Corlys Velaryon’s ambitions with the Iron Throne
Married to Princess Rhaenys Targaryen and the richest man in all of Westeros, the character’s insatiable desire to climb the ladder sees no end. The character was seen attempting to marry off his 12-year-old daughter to the recently widowed King but stormed off the small council after his plot failed.
In an interview with Collider, Steve Toussaint, who plays Corlys Velaryon in House of the Dragon commented on his character’s ambitions and choices, stating that he listens to his wife while plotting and securing his family’s legacy is his main objective, she further stated:
“Whatever he does, it’s about securing his family’s legacy. If he’s plotting about this and plotting about that, ultimately that’s why. Even if it’s ill-advised, his argument would be, “Well, it’s to take care of the family and secure the family.”…. So, I think that’s his overriding thing. He wants to secure their place in history.”
Portraying the character’s anger
The actor also commented on the range of anger his character required from him. When Corlys Velaryon brings up the matter of the crab king who is disrupting trade and damaging his profits to the small council and king, he is snubbed. The actor described how he prepared for the scene:
“….my character is explaining an imminent danger to the small council, and they’re not really listening, and he’s really angry. There were scenes like that where I would have to say to Miguel [Sapochnik] or Ryan [Condal], “How far can I push this? Can I come in and do this?” And they’d say, “No, because then they’d cut your head off, so you can’t do that.”
By the end of episode 2, disappointed by the decisions of the king, the character ends up joining hands with Prince Daemon Targaryen, who is technically rebelling against the king. Daemon Targaryen is seen convinced by Corlys Velaryon into engaging the crab king.
Who will sit on the Iron Throne?
As is common for a Game of Thrones plot, a weak king never lasts in the post and King Viserys Targaryen has already been called weak many times, indicating a similar end as was for Robert Baratheon. Daemon Targaryen and Rhaenyra Targaryen seem to be the top contenders.
Read more: House of the Dragon Theory: Otto Hightower is Working With the Maesters To Kill King Viserys
But another contender could be Corlys Velaryon, already one of the richest men in Westeros and married to an heir of the Iron Throne. The actor also hinted at the possibility of being the king when he asked where does his character’s ambition end? and he just replied, “He is super ambitious.”
House of the Dragon is now streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Collider
