Who Will Be the Last Living Targaryen in House of the Dragon?
In season 1 of House of the Dragon, we saw that the Targaryen dynasty, while somewhat at odds with itself, is at least looking likely to rule for many years to come. Indeed, the family retained the Iron Throne for the best part of 300 years.
But we already know that the House Targaryen was pretty much decimated by the Game of Thrones era. So, who was the last remaining Targaryen? And even after they have been revealed to be the sole survivor of this once great family, can we be sure there are no more skeletons in the closet?
Well, the truth is that the last living Targaryen isn't even linked to the family name that was once so proudly defended.
Because, as the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, Jon Snow is the last surviving Targaryen (at least that we know of).
Rhaegar himself was killed after running off with Lyanna Stark (Jon Snow's mother). Of course, this means the last Targaryen is also a Stark. Rhaegar's siblings, Daenerys and Viserys, meanwhile, were removed to Essos to keep them safe.
So, technically, when Dany dies, Jon remains as the last surviving Targaryen – her brother having been killed by having molten gold poured over his head while in exile.
Jon discovers his true parentage at the end of season 8 of Game of Thrones. Prior to this, it had been assumed that the last Targaryen was Dany.
And to add a further complication, the books on which the series is based have not yet confirmed that Jon is the son of Rhaegar. Now, it's clear that the showrunners have taken their own route in recent seasons and deviated somewhat from the stories as told by George RR Martin.
But if Jon turns out not to be the last Targaryen, then there is a chasm between the two. Although it might make for a further intriguing twist in the Jon Snow spin-off. Or who knows, we may even discover something in a future season of House of the Dragon that reveals something we don't yet know about the true identity of the bastard son we currently believe to be Jon Snow.
So, for the time being, it appears that Jon Snow is the last surviving Targaryen. But with so much illicit inter-familial sex and skulduggery going on in Westeros over centuries, whether what we currently believe to be the truth remains so forever is yet to be determined.