This article contains spoilers for the first episode of House of the Dragon.
The first episode of the highly anticipated prequel to Game of Thrones is finally here, with House of the Dragon premiering on HBO. The first episode of the series introduced us to the cast of characters which included many of the Noble Houses from Game of Thrones like the ruling Targaryens, along with some new houses like the Velaryons.
Towards the end of the first episode Rhaenyra Targaryen, played by Milly Alcock, is sworn in as King Viserys Targaryen’s, played by Paddy Considine, heir to the Iron Throne. As part of the ceremony, many Lords bent the knee to Rhaenyra, including a gray-haired individual known as Rickon Stark. So who exactly is the new Stark seen in House of the Dragon and how is he related to the Starks of Winterfell in Game of Thrones?
Who is Rickon Stark in House of the Dragon?
Lord Rickon Stark was the Warden of the North during Viserys’s reign and in the first episode of House of the Dragon. Not much is known about Lord Rickon Stark other than his lineage. His father was the previous Warden of the North and Lord of House Stark, Benjen Stark. Rickon Stark was Eddard Stark’s great great great great great grandfather. Rickon is played by David Hounslow in House of the Dragon.
Of course, the events of House of the Dragon take place over 150 years before the events of Game of Thrones so Lord Rickon Stark never met Lord Eddard ‘Ned’ Stark or his family. However, it did not stop Ned from naming his youngest child after his ancestor. Rickon Stark was the brother of Robb, Sansa, Bran, and Arya, and he died at the Battle of the Bastards, killed by an arrow shot by Ramsay Bolton.
It’s unknown how much of House Stark we will see in the series, as the only reason House Stark was in King’s Landing during Game of Thrones was that Ned was called to court to be Hand of the King. As House of the Dragon will follow House Targaryen and the Dance of the Dragons, we do not know if the series will travel to the North to give us a glimpse of Winterfell before the events of Game of Thrones, but they probably will. It would be a nice piece of fan service if the series did move in that direction.
Catch House of the Dragon as it airs on HBO on Sundays.