If there’s one thing that House of the Dragon doesn’t skimp on, it’s giving airtime to many different dragons and their riders. That’s no surprise, as the TV series is based on the Targaryen civil war, also known as the Dance of the Dragons.
Ever since the war between the Blacks and Greens first started, there has been a hesitancy to pit dragons against one another. Come season 3, the beasts have become equivalent to weapons of mass destruction: the more you have, the less likely that your enemies will come knocking with their own. It’s what Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) was banking on when she, Daemon Targaryen and her dragonseeds took King’s Landing once they learned Aemon Targaryen had left to go to Harrenhal with Vhagar, the strongest of the all the dragons still alive.
However, for all the dragons that have appeared so far in the show, there are some from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood — a history chronicling the rise and fall of the Targaryen dynasty — that have yet to appear, such as Grey Ghost and The Cannibal. It is argued in Fire & Blood that the Cannibal, a ferocious, wild beast who made his lair on Dragonstone, was possibly older than Vhagar. Grey Ghost also resided on Dragonstone, but unlike the other dragons, was elusive and preferred to avoid people altogether. Only the Cannibal has been mentioned in House of the Dragon so far, but with his existence confirmed, could he and other dragons appear sometime in the future? On the other hand, would it be wiser to assume the two dragons won’t be making an appearance after all?
Speaking to IGN, House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal addressed both of those possibilities.
“I think assumption and expectation are probably dangerous words to use in this particular world,” Condal told IGN. “No, look, there’s a lot of runway left, and it is called House of the Dragon. It is The Dance of the Dragons. I think there are more dragon cards to be turned over as time rolls on here.”
While not a solid confirmation that the Cannibal or Grey Ghost will appear, Condal’s answer does confirm that there are more dragons at play here — a real boon for any fan who wants to see even more of the dragons we all know and love. That said, considering what happens to many of these dragons by the time the Dance of the Dragons ends, the appearance of more dragons may end up being more of a curse than a blessing.