Even after a deeply unsatisfying ending of the once critically acclaimed series on HBO, the fans are still holding on to the hope of a fulfilling prequel that would hopefully fill the frame with powerful yet aesthetically beautiful visual imageries while depicting various intriguing incidents and accounts that have only been heard about to date.
Yes, this is the much-anticipated prequel House of the Dragon that would tell the story of the Targaryen family in detail. And of course, there is a high probability of a lot of dragons and incest appearing on screen. However, fans are interested to know what the series is exactly going to show or address and most importantly, how different it’s going to be from its sequel that acquired unprecedented fame and recognition.
The upcoming series is based on Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin and would focus on the history of the Targaryens down to their gruesome defeat. However, there is one character, the question whose appearance has captured significant interest, and that is the legendary “Mother of Dragons” and “Breaker of Chains” Daenerys Targaryen. Let’s delve into the details of this subject.
Will Emilia Clarke appear in the prequel?
Played by Emilia Clarke — the silver-haired queen with a revolutionary spirit and ideals (making her an anomaly in her hometown Westeros) — was all that was represented to the viewers about a Targaryen, probably aside from her vicious brother Viserys.
Well, the season has provided her quite less to cheer for as evidenced in one of the most climactic moments of the season when Daenerys embarked on a rather merciless journey to burn and murder millions of innocent people residing in King’s Capital. As a result, she became the embodiment of the infamous Targaryen wrath and madness that we get to hear quite a lot in the series. Now, with a spin-off that aims to primarily emphasize the Targaryens, Clarke’s return has attracted enormous curiosity.
The response to the question is no. The Game of Thrones star will not be appearing in the prequel series. In HBO’s cast listings, her name — along with the names of her other co-stars — are omitted. The reason is pretty simple and somewhat convincing as the series would emphasize events that occur 200 years prior to that of Game of Thrones.
Even the trailer doesn’t insinuate her on-screen appearance but goes on to show other important members of the family, especially Rhaenyra Targaryen. Her storyline is going to be more interesting probably because of the shared goals that both she and Daenerys possess.
Not unlike Daenerys, Rhaenyra wants to be the ruler of Westeros despite scathing objections on grounds of her being a woman not unlike the challenges that Daenerys and her equally formidable female contender Cersei faced later. Besides the common objectives, both the queens also have similar physical characteristics. In the trailer, Rhaenyra’s depiction resembles some of the trademarks of Targaryen qualities such as the renowned silver hair and blue eyes. So, the inability to identify them as different characters at one go is a common mistake.
In 2019, Clarke confessed in her interview with Jimmy Fallon about her lack of knowledge regarding her on-screen appearance in the House of the Dragon. On asking about her cameo in the series, she answered, “What else am I going to do?” signifying a hope to see the star appearing in the show.
However, the hope was short-lived as Clarke broke her silence on the subject in one of her interviews with the Hollywood Reporter in 2021 where she was asked about her opinion about the introduction of new Targaryen family members to the show. To which she replied, “It’s very surreal”. I’ve been prepped for this because Miguel [Sapochnik], who’s the co-showrunner, is a really dear friend of mine,”.
She went to add, “But yeah, it’s crazy! Those pictures came out and I was like, ‘Whoa! Whoa!’ I was on my own last time. I didn’t know I had pals. I could’ve had a bunch of friends to hang out with, but yes, it’s mildly surreal to be seeing all of that again. But good luck to them is what I would say. I really mean that”. She continued that it would be exciting for her to see other members of the clan on-screen since Daenerys’ storyline didn’t have a single one of them.
With the doubts cleared about Clarke not starring in her most iconic role, there are still quite a lot of rooms to root for numerous other intriguing characters and plotlines once the series releases.