Velaryons' Race Swap Actually Made House of the Dragon Even Better
The portrayal of the Velaryon family by actors of colour had many fans up in arms ahead of the premiere of the Game of Thrones prequel on HBO Max, but guess what?
Despite the accusations of "wokeness" that the creators of House of Dragons faced after casting Black actors as the Velaryons, it turns out that the majority of fans think the casting has only made the show better.
"They did use their physical appearance as an important part of the plot so i think i worked out well. And they gave some opportunities to Black British actors which is nice," Redditor laycrocks noted.
With the conflict of the series centred around the allegations that Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon's children were bastards, the distinctive appearance of the Velaryons actually added fuel to the fire of the scandal.
In addition, Lord Corlys (brought to the screen by Steven Toussaint) turned out to be one of the show's fan favourites – to the point where people simply cannot imagine anyone else in the role.
There is also a practical side to the Velaryons being Black. Since they and the Targaryens have the same distinctive silver hair, it would be far too difficult to tell the characters apart, fans note.
"With multiple time swaps and actor changes, it was already difficult, and I'm sure far more so for non-readers. If the Velaryon kids were all white with white hair they'd all have looked exactly the damn same," Redditor improper84 explained.
House of the Dragon is definitely not done with the Velaryons, as they are expected to appear in the second season of the Game of Thrones prequel. The sequel will pick up on the heated phase of the Dance of the Dragons – the Targaryen civil war that left no House unaffected.
Season 2 is set to begin filming in early 2023. The premiere date has not yet been set by HBO Max.