Movie Reviews

HOTD Sets Up Its Euron Greyjoy Replacement & It Can Make Up For Game Of Thrones' Failure

Ita Precious1 week ago
238 6 minutes read
euron greyjoy from got and daemon targaryen from hotd

SPOILERS for Fire & Blood, which House of the Dragon is based on.


Summary

  • House of the Dragon introduces Dalton Greyjoy as a potential key player in the conflict, offering a fresh dynamic to the series.
  • The civil war between Black and Green factions in House Targaryen draws support from familiar Game of Thrones houses, setting the stage for alliances and betrayals.
  • Dalton Greyjoy’s resemblance to Euron Greyjoy hints at his potential to add an unpredictable and intriguing element to House of the Dragon.


House of the Dragon has already set up its replacement for Euron Greyjoy, hinting at a character who can redeem the failure of the Game of Thrones antagonist. Season 2 of the prequel series is set roughly 170 years prior to the events of Game of Thrones. Many of the well-known families from the original series are around at this time, even if they aren’t featured as prominently. The major houses in House of the Dragon are the Targaryens, Hightowers, and Velaryons, but as the Dance of the Dragons amps up, more will continue to get involved in the conflict.

The Dance of the Dragons is a civil war fought between the split Black and Green factions of House Targaryen, with many houses joining each side. Season 2, episode 1, reveals that House Stark and House Arryn have sided with the Blacks, and the Lannisters and Baratheons have sided with the Greens. However, some famous names from Game of Thrones still haven’t declared for the Blacks or the Greens. Fire & Blood is the main source material for House of the Dragon, but The World of Ice & Fire provides some insight into one major house’s whereabouts.



Dalton Greyjoy Explained & How House Of The Dragon Sets Him Up

Dalton Greyjoy Is A Vicious Naval Leader And Lord During The Dance Of The Dragons

Dalton Greyjoy is the Lord of the Iron Islands during the Dance of the Dragons, and he’s mentioned for the first time in House of the Dragon’s season 2 premiere. At the small council meeting, Grand Maester Orwyle suggests that the Greens may need a new Master of Ships following Corlys Velaryon joining the Blacks. He proposes they send an offer to Dalton Greyjoy, hoping to use the Iron Islands’ fleet to combat the Velaryon navy. He’s remembered as the Red Kraken and for being a violent, wild man who perfectly represents the ideal ironborn.


Like Cregan Stark, Dalton Greyjoy is another lord who’s quite young. It’s unlikely that he’d ever become a main character on the level of Theon or Euron from Game of Thrones, but he could still make a vital impact on the series if the show doesn’t skip his narrative. In the parent show, House Greyjoy has the most powerful navy in Westeros, and while it’s not clear how strong their forces are in House of the Dragon, it’s likely that they’re still notable enough to make a difference on either side, making Dalton Greyjoy a desirable ally, even if he’d be impossible to control.

Dalton Greyjoy’s Role In The Dance Of The Dragons

Dalton Greyjoy Launches Raids On Lannisport, Causing Chaos For The Greens

Game of Thrones Euron Greyjoy and the Silence


In the books, Dalton Greyjoy plays a minor but impactful role in the Dance of the Dragons. Following the invitation from the Greens to serve as Master of Ships and combat the Velaryons, Dalton Greyjoy awaits an opposing offer from the Blacks. Daemon suggests that Rhaenyra try to appeal to Dalton’s violent nature, and her offer suggests that, rather than sailing all the way to Blackwater Bay to aid in the capture of King’s Landing, Dalton should simply attack their mutual enemies. Dalton only communicates with characters through letters, which House of the Dragon would have to change.

Dalton Greyjoy accepts Rhaenyra’s offer and strikes at the perfect chance to stir up chaos in Westeros. Lord Jason Lannister, one of the leading commanders for the Greens, is killed at the Battle at the Red Fork, sending the Westerlands into disarray. In response, the Greyjoys do as they Greyjoys do: launch naval raids on Lannisport, take hundreds of women prisoner, and steal gold and goods from the prominent city. For Dalton Greyjoy, the Lannisters were easy prey during the Dance of the Dragons, and the whole ordeal decommissions one of the Greens’ main allies.


Aemond and Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon

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This is the main achievement of the Greyjoys during the Dance, which may not even require Dalton to appear on-screen in House of the Dragon, though it would be exciting if he did. Ultimately, Dalton Greyjoy doesn’t live to reap the benefits of his raids for long. Following the end of the war, Aegon III commanded the far-overreached Dalton to cease his raiding, but the ironborn lord was killed instead by one of his own wives.

How Dalton Greyjoy Could Be Similar To Euron Greyjoy

Both Greyjoy Lords Are Bloodthirsty Pirates With Great Naval Skill


Dalton Greyjoy has many similarities to Euron Greyjoy, at least in an idealized version of Euron. They’re both incredibly vicious, bloodthirsty Greyjoys who are essentially glorified pirate kings. Even by ironborn standards, they’re exceptionally skilled naval leaders who use this to their advantage during times of chaos to amass power beyond expectation. The key difference between the two is that Dalton is a much younger lord, whereas Euron has sailed the world accumulating wealth and experience, not unlike Lord Corlys Velaryon.

Custom image of Alicent and Otto Hightower in House of the Dragon

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In House of the Dragon, Dalton Greyjoy’s role could be elevated slightly from his standing in the books, making him a fascinating, unpredictable X-factor character. His actions could continue to stir chaos around the realm, with the only limitation being that he doesn’t interact with any of the main characters in the books aside from letters. Overextending him too much out of his book role just to create a memorable character could see the show ending up with criticisms similar to Euron’s in Game of Thrones.

What Went Wrong With Euron Greyjoy In Game Of Thrones

Game Of Thrones’ Euron Is A Shell Of His A Song Of Ice & Fire Counterpart

Euron Greyjoy


Euron Greyjoy is infamous for his role in the latter seasons of the parent show and arguably one of the biggest representations of what went wrong in Game of Thrones. In a TV series renowned for its nuanced, well-developed characters that broke down common fantasy archetypes, Euron was introduced in season 8 as a conventional, over-the-top villain with some of the worst quips and one-liners in the series. Not to mention, his fleet seemingly moved around Westeros at lightspeed to fit whatever the plot needed, which House of the Dragon would have to avoid.

In George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire books, Euron is fully introduced in A Feast for Crows and becomes a captivating side character. He’s a pirate warlord with massive schemes whose travels have made him obsessed with dark magic, posing an unpredictable threat to practically every character alive. Euron is dangerous in an entirely different way from any character seen in the series so far, making him such a compelling character. If House of the Dragon can tap into some version of that with Dalton, he could be an unforgettable supporting character for the show.


Ita Precious1 week ago
238 6 minutes read
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