House of the Dragon needs to make “Rhaenyra the Cruel” happen

Rhaenyra’s been through a lot over the course of House of the Dragon, and fans think it’s time for her to start living up to her nickname.

Over the course of her lifetime, Rhaenyra Targaryen was dubbed with many monikers. From “the Realm’s Delight” to “the Whore of Dragonstone”, some names have been less flattering than others.

But one thing that’s remained consistent about the Targaryen queen is just how much the Game of Thrones spinoff puts her through. She loses her father, her throne, and her son, not to mention going through a whole lot of torment in-between.

Season 2 Episode 3 ended with her learning that Alicent’s campaign for Aegon was built upon a misunderstanding. As such, House of the Dragon viewers are hoping she’ll finally live up to her most infamous name yet: Rhaenyra the Cruel.

They wouldn’t blame her for making some harsher moves, either. As one X/Twitter user wrote: “In the span of two weeks she had a stillbirth, lost her dad, her throne, her son, her guard, her husband left, got blamed for murder, undermined by her council, had to say goodbye to the rest of her children not knowing when she’ll see them again. I NEED HER TO GET SO F**KING NASTY.”

“And they tried to kill her,” another pointed out. “I need her to show us why they call her Rhaenyra the Cruel!”

“She’s not showing what she’s been through,” another thought.

One user wrote: “We’re done with peaceful Rhaenyra now. She’s proved herself in trying to do the right thing. LETS F**K SOME THINGS UP NOW GIRL, GO GET THOSE GREEN B*STARDS!”

“She’s better than me. Because if I was in her place I would go mad and burn everyone,” one comment said.

In the grand scheme of events, the Dance of the Dragons has only just begun. Rhaenyra’s shot at peace didn’t work out with Alicent. Now, all signs point to her taking a more drastic approach to snatching the Iron Throne out from under the greens.

For more, find out everything there is to know about the Battle at Rook’s Rest. We’ve also got guides on Criston Cole, Hugh Hammer, and Alys Rivers for more character histories.