House of the Dragon Season 2 set to bring back major dead character

House of the Dragon Season 2 is weeks away, and while one character seemed to meet his timely, tragic end in the first season, he may make a surprise appearance.

Unlike other franchises, death is very much the end in Game of Thrones (unless you’re a White Walker resurrected by the Night King, of course). When people die, it has a dramatic, often shocking purpose; imagine if the original series undermined the gut punch of the Red Wedding by secretly saving the lives of anyone who was murdered.

House of the Dragon Season 1 wasn’t short of characters being killed off. The series begins with King Jaehaerys I Targaryen’s passing (he was old, no foul play there), and that’s before we get to the likes of Aemma Arryn, Rhea Royce, the Crabfeeder, and Lucerys (the latter of which marked the beginning of the Dance of the Dragons).

However, it seems fans can look forward to seeing one character again: King Viserys I Targaryen, played by Paddy Considine.

HBO

His return was first leaked by HuckleberryFair596 on Reddit, claiming that he’d appear at some point in the series, as well as Graham McTavish as Ser Harrold Westerling. Wiki of Thrones has now reported this.

“Our speculation is that Paddy Considine aka King Viserys is returning to the show in a flashback but we have no information about the scenes involving him in Season 2,” the outlet wrote.

This is the most likely answer to why Considine would reprise his role. While this is complete speculation, it could be that Daemon meets Alys Rivers in Harrenhal, a witch who allows him to see a vision of someone he desires… which could provide an opportunity for Viserys to make an appearance, even if it’s just inside his head.

“Could this actually be part of Daemon’s visions?” one Redditor asked. “Based on what we heard of Daemon’s adventures in Harrenhal, some kind of dream appearance of Viserys makes perfect sense,” another commented.

The House of the Dragon Season 2 release date is June 16, 2024. In the meantime, check out our breakdown of every Targaryen king in order, and the best House of the Dragon fan fiction to read before Season 2. You can also find other binge-worthy TV shows to add to your watch list.