House of the Dragon season 2 will introduce several new characters from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, but two key ones are missing from the cast.
House of the Dragon season 2 will introduce several new characters, but some important ones from Fire & Blood are still missing. House of the Dragon season 2’s cast is shaping up to be even bigger than season 1’s. There are many new additions, including Tom Taylor as Cregan Stark, Clinton Liberty and Abubakar Salim as Addam and Alyn of Hull, respectively, and Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers.
House of the Dragon season 2 will be expanding the Targaryen civil war across more of Westeros, dividing almost all areas between support for Rhaenyra Targaryen’s blacks and Alicent Hightower’s greens. Because of that, it makes sense there will be a lot more characters, as it goes to places like the Vale and Winterfell. Despite the new faces, though, some that book readers might’ve expected to see are still missing, even after casting announcements and the House of the Dragon season 2 trailer.
Has House Of The Dragon Season 2 Cut Nettles & Daeron Targaryen?
Neither character has been cast yet.
Of the most likely candidates for new faces in House of the Dragon season 2, the most notable characters yet to appear or be officially cast are Nettles and Daeron Targaryen. Daeron is one of King Viserys and Alicent’s four children, and the only one who hasn’t been seen. He didn’t appear in House of the Dragon season 1 due to being the ward of Lord Ormund Hightower and, as such, living in Oldtown. However, Martin previously confirmed Daeron exists in House of the Dragon, and so it’s surprising he hasn’t yet been revealed. That’s especially true given he’s a dragonrider, and with war breaking out, would be an important asset to the greens.
Nettles, in contrast to Daeron’s noble status, is a bastard girl from Driftmark. Aged just 16, she is one of the so-called dragonseeds, the people with traces of Valyrian blood who come forward to claim dragons and fight for the blacks during the civil war. Nettles claims the wild dragon Sheepstealer, and plays a key part in the Dance of the Dragons. The other dragonseeds – Addam and Alyn of Hull, Ulf the White, and Hugh the Hammer – have all been cast for House of the Dragon season 2, making Nettles conspicuous by her absence. There had been rumors of Nettles and Daeron being cut from this season, and it increasingly looks like they’re true.
Why House Of The Dragon Needs Nettles & Daeron (Will They Be In Season 3?)
Their roles are too important to leave out completely.
Nettles and Daeron may not be main characters, but they are important supporting players. Each will be involved in some key events in House of the Dragon’s timeline. For Daeron and his dragon, Tessarion, that includes major battles such as the Battle of the Honeywine, where he arrives to save Ormund’s army and becomes the hero of the hour. For Nettles, she has an even bigger role: not only does she fight in battles herself, such as the Battle of the Gullet (the biggest sea battle of the Dance), but forms an incredibly close bond with Daemon Targaryen, much to the chagrin of Rhaenyra.
Daeron is at least a little more measured and pleasant than his two brothers, Aegon and Aemond, and having grown up away from King’s Landing could offer something slightly different to Alicent’s other sons. Nettles, meanwhile, is a fierce young girl, and her bravery and spirit should make her a big fan favorite if she appears on-screen. It’s hard to imagine that they will be cut completely, with Nettles’ role in particular too big to omit completely or give to someone else. Their biggest moments would likely be events covered in House of the Dragon season 3, and since season 2 only has eight episodes, that might be why they won’t appear yet.
House of the Dragon season 1 is streaming on Max. Season 2 will be released in Summer 2024.
With the other dragonseeds appearing, however, it doesn’t make much sense to cut Nettles from season 2. Similarly, with the greens at war, it’ll be weird that Daeron hasn’t rejoined his family. But more than that, both deserve the chance to have plenty of character development and time to shine on screen. House of the Dragon has to balance multiple new characters, but Nettles, in particular, is an important perspective as a bastard girl, person of color, and the only one able to claim a wild dragon. She and Daeron can still be great in season 3, but appearing earlier would mean their stories have more weight, and cutting them would be a real missed opportunity.
