The dance of the dragons is near as the Blacks and the Greens dispute the Iron Throne, determining who will be the most powerful ruler in Westeros. House of the Dragon Season 2’s first episode will premiere soon, while the remaining eight will come out on a weekly basis, allowing for audiences to dissect every scene and root for either Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) or Aegon (Tom Glynn Carney) in this ruthless battle. Given that there are two sides to this war and both of them encompass an array of allies, here is a detailed cast and character guide that offers a refresher on who will stand on each side of this conflict.
Emma D’Arcy
Rhaenyra Targaryen – Team Black
Rhaenyra is Viserys’ firstborn, and the person he appoints as the heir to the Iron Throne. However, given that Alicent crowned her son Aegon II before Rhaenyra found out about her father’s death, she must dispute her right to be queen. As her supporters crown her and are determined to fight with her against the Greens, the protagonist has her eyes set on fulfilling her father’s wishes. Given that she lost her son at the end of Season 1, she holds a grudge against her opponents and will do what it takes to take them down.
Emma D’Arcy will be the only actor to play the queen of the Blacks in Season 2, after Milly Alcock portrayed the character in the first portion of Season 1. Aside from the HBO original, D’Arcy is known for their roles in the BBC drama Wanderlust and Prime Video’s Truth Seekers.
Matt Smith
Daemon Targaryen – Team Black
Daemon is Vyseris’ younger brother, whose rebellious actions led the former king to pass on his title to Rhaenyra instead. Known for being a skillful warrior, his abilities with a sword led him to play a pivotal role in the War of the Stepstones. Daemon has been married three times, yet, he only had children with his second wife, Laena Velaryon and his current spouse, Rhaenyra Targaryen (who also happens to be his niece). Given that this season will focus on the dispute for the throne, it is likely that Daemon’s ambition will pose a challenge when it comes to fully supporting Rhaenyra in the fight against the Greens.
Matt Smith reprises the role of Daemon in Season 2, and his most notable onscreen contributions thus far include playing the titular character in Doctor Who Season 11 and Prince Philip in seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown.
Eve Best
Rhaenys Targeryen – Team Black
Rhaenys was once considered a contender for the Iron Throne, disputing the crown with her cousin Viserys. Yet, at the time, the council favored a male heir, leading her to be known as “The Queen That Never Was”. Later in life, she married Corlys Velaryon, and they had two children together called Laena (Daemon’s former wife who died giving birth) and Leonor (Rhaenyra’s former husband, who is secretly alive). At the end of Season 1, Rhaenys refuses to accept Aegon as king and allies with Rhaenyra instead.
Eve Best plays Rhaenys, and this isn’t the first time her name has been attached to a TV hit. She previously starred in Nurse Jackie and in the BBC limited series The Honorauble Woman.
Steve Toussaint
Corlys Velaryon – Team Black
Corlys is Rhaenys’ husband and the leader of a powerful family lineage. The Velaryons are the richest family in Westeros, known for owning the greatest navy in the world. By the end of Season 1, he and his wife decide to join Team Black, endorsing Rhaenyra as queen. In the battle for the throne, the Master of the Ships and his naval forces will give the Blacks an advantage when the war hits the sea.
Steve Toussaint plays the character in House of the Dragon, which is his most popular role yet. The actor broke out in the industry back in the late ’90s and early-2000s in the crime series The Knock, and has occasionally appeared in other productions in the past few years.
Harry Collet
Jacaerys Velaryon – Team Black
Jacaerys Velaryon is Rhaenyra’s son from her previous marriage to Laenor (although it isn’t certain in the show that he’s his biological child, with many believing that Jacaerys is a bastard). Now that his younger brother is dead, the character is also more driven to fight against the Greens, particularly against Aemond.
Harry Collet is Jacaerys in House of the Dragon, and prior to the show, he played a minor role in a series called Casualty.
Bethany Antonia
Baela Targaryen – Team Black
Baela Targeryen is Daemon and Laena’s eldest daughter, who will soon get married to her cousin Jacaerys. Although she had a minor part in Season 1, viewers will likely see more of her in Season 2, as she takes her future husband’s side in the war.
Bethany Antonia plays Baela, and some of her other acting credits include TV shows like Get Even and Stay Close.
Tom Taylor
Cregan Stark – Team Black
Cregan Stark is a brand-new character that will be introduced in Season 2, when Jacaerys goes to the North to seek an alliance with the House of Stark (which has a greater role in Game of Thrones) ahead of the big battle. Cregan is the Lord of Winterfell and is similar in age to Rhaenyra’s eldest child, which could indicate that they will become close friends amid the major conflict unfolding this season.
Tom Taylor will play Cregan Stark in the series and his most notable performance to date is in the BBC drama, Doctor Foster.
Olivia Cooke
Alicent Hightower – Team Green
Alicent Hightower is Viserys’ widow and Rhaenyra’s former best friend. After Rhaenyra slept with Sir Criston Cole in Season 1, their friendship took a turn and from then on Alicent has been vocal about her son, Aegon, becoming the future king. When she hears Viserys uttering the prophecy of the dance of ice and fire on his deathbed, she mistakenly assumes that he said that he wanted Aegon to become his heir instead of Rhaenyra. His last words are the ultimate reason why she crowns their son immediately after her husband’s funeral. Throughout Season 2, Alicent will be the ultimate supporter of Team Green, but will occasionally feel sympathy for her childhood friend on the opposing side.
Like Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke will be the only actress to play Alicent this season. Emily Carey played the character in the first half of Season 1, but won’t reprise the role this time around. Prior to joining the series, Cooke gained notoriety in Bates Motel and was the lead in the Prime Video adaptation of Vanity Fair.
Rhys Ifans
Otto Hightower – Team Green
Ser Otto Hightower is Alicent’s father and used to be Viserys’ right-hand-man. Since Aegon’s birth, the character has been adamant about his nephew becoming king, since he would continue the tradition of the male heir. In the great battle, he will be a pivotal member of the Greens, helping to plot against the Blacks.
Rhys Ifans plays Otto since Season 1, and he is best known on screen for his performances in Nothing Hill, Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows – Part 1, and in the series Elementary.
Tom Glynn-Carney
Aegon II – Team Green
Aegon II is the firstborn from Viserys and Alicent’s marriage. In Season 1, he garners a bad reputation, lacking any interest in his royal duties and spending days and nights wandering drunk along castle grounds and harassing the women in the kingdom. Despite initially disregarding the thought of ascending to the Iron Throne, he goes through with the coronation and becomes the king. In Season 2, the character’s flaws will be even more apparent as he adopts a ruthless posture in relation to the battle.
Tom Glynn Carney stars as Aegon, his most well-known acting credit to date. Prior to his performance in the GOT prequel, he had minor roles in films like Dunkirk and Tolkein.
Ewan Mitchell
Aemond Targaryen – Team Green
Aemond is Aegon’s brother, and Viserys and Alicent’s second son. Much like his older sibling, Aemond is vile and doesn’t mind using his warrior disposition in a bloody fight. He also harbors a vendetta against his cousins, Rhaenyra’s sons, ever since they made him lose an eye when he was a child. The character is responsible for Lucerys’ death at the end of Season 1 after his dragon Arax killed his cousin and his cousin’s dragon. This incident will lead the Blacks to want to fight even harder against the Greens, since they are to blame for Rhaenyra’s loss.
Ewan Mitchell plays Aemond, one of the show’s main villains. Before joining the HBO original, the actor had a prominent part in the latter seasons of The Last Kingdom and was recently seen in Saltburn.
Phia Saban
Helaena Targaryen
Helaena is Aegon’s wife and biological sister. She didn’t have much time onscreen in Season 1, but from the few scenes that she does appear in, Haelena is shown to be shy and misunderstood by her family. Given that she is now queen, taking into account that Aegon was crowned right after their father’s death, it is probable that she will have a bigger role in Season 2.
Phia Saban plays Helaena, and like Ewan Mitchell, she starred in The Last Kingdom prior to working on House of the Dragon.
Matthew Needham
Larys Strong – Team Green
Larys Strong is the only living member of the Strong household, after he was responsible for the fire that killed both his father Lyonel and his brother Harwin. He became one of Alicent’s confidantes in Season 1, and is a major supporter of the Greens.
Matthew Needham stars as Larys and, in addition to his role in the series, he also recently starred in Ridley Scott‘s Napoleon.
Fabien Frankel
Criston Cole – Team Green
Criston Cole starts off as a noble knight, but once Rhaenyra decides not to run away with him after their short-lived fling, he develops a thirst for revenge. From then on, he becomes Alicent’s ally and trains her sons to become skillful warriors. In the war that will take center stage in Season 2, Criston will most definitely fight against the Blacks, given that he has now been appointed Lord Commander.
Fabien Frankel plays Criston Cole and this is his breakout role.
House of the Dragon Season 2 premieres on Sunday, June 16 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET.