House Of The Dragon trailer reveals yet another battle for the Iron Throne

What is it about that uncomfortable looking chair that always has Westeros in such a tailspin, huh? Three years after the Game Of Thrones finale, and two hundred years before the events of Game Of Thrones, these fantasy families are still fighting to claim the seat.

Yes, the first full trailer for House Of The Dragon is here, and it will likely feel familiar for GOT fans. Seriously, aside from having a few more dragons, the Westeros of two hundred years ago looks a lot like the one of Ned Stark’s day. (Were there no technological innovations in the ensuing centuries?) Sure, there may be a new white-haired Targaryen princess vying for power, but it’s the same old Iron Throne, different day.

This Targaryen princess, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), does seem to share a strong sense of ambition with her descendant Daenerys. One might call her Westeros’ original girlboss, though Lady Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) is clearly conspiring to rob her of the title. There’s a major obstacle standing in the way of both women: “No queen has ever sat the Iron Throne.”

Misogyny? In the Game Of Thrones universe? It couldn’t be! Yet according to one-time potential queen candidate Princess Rhaenys Velaryon (Eve Best), it’s not just that it’s never happened before: “A woman would not inherit the Iron Throne, because that is the order of things.” If we’d known that, we could have saved ourselves eight seasons of trouble rooting for Daenerys.

Yet despite how sure everyone sounds of this immutable truth, the matter of succession is still very much in question, to the dismay of heir apparent Prince Daemon (Matt Smith). Unsurprisingly, the trailer’s political intrigue has the infighting Targaryens whipping more knives out than a Rian Johnson film.

House Of The Dragon also stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. The series premieres August 21, 2022.