*Warning: Contains spoilers for House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones*.
According to its biggest fans, House of the Dragon has officially recovered from the small problems caused by its 10-year time-jump last week.
The series seventh episode, titled Driftmark, was the most tense hour of the show so far – many knives were brandished during the intense family drama.
One person watching on while all the bloodshed and sex happened around him was King Viserys (Paddy Considine), who is slowly losing the will to live.
Exhausted, unwell, and now without his entire left arm, Viserys is unable to stop the violence from spreading. It all spells doom and gloom for the king.
But how is he related to another Viserys: Daenerys Targaryen’s brother from the first season of Game of Thrones?
Who is Daenerys’ brother?
We first met Viserys in the pilot episode of Game of Thrones. He was portrayed by actor Harry Lloyd, who starred in the episodes alongside Daenerys’ actress Emilia Clarke, and Ilyrio Mopatis, who was played by Roger Allam.
Viserys was a character we loved to hate. From his super-gross and inappropriate inspections of Daenerys’ body, to his spoilt brat behaviour and his general cruelty, and his racism towards the ‘Dothraki dogs’ he wished to rule, he was always unworthy.
*Warning: Scene contains strong language and violence.*
One of the few moments of genuine relief for the audience occurred in episode four, when Daenerys struck him over the head and finally, if only briefly, landed a blow on her evil older brother.
One of her earliest defining lines was her response to his vile actions: ‘The next time you raise a hand to me will be the last time you have hands.’
How did Viserys die in Game of Thrones?
As we all fondly remember, Viserys’ life was cut short when he got very drunk and pushed Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) too far.
Holding Daenerys at swordpoint, he demanded to be made leader of the Dothraki and then requested that he be given a ‘golden crown’ fit for a king.
Drogo didn’t react too kindly to his demands. Viserys was seized before having his arm broken by Drogo’s bloodriders – his most loyal soldiers.
Viserys was then held down while Drogo melted pure gold in a nearby cauldron, and promised that he would give him the ‘crown’ that the Targaryen prince coveted.
Viserys begged for his life but his pleas were ignored. Once the gold had melted, Drogo poured the boiling liquid metal onto Viserys’ head, piercing his skull and killing him almost instantly. It was at that moment Daenerys knew her brother was ‘no dragon’. As she said: ‘Fire cannot kill a dragon.’
How are King Viserys and Viserys related?
Many, many, many years before Khal Drogo was pouring molten gold onto his head, Viserys’ ancestors were fighting it out for the Iron Throne.
On that famous seat right now is King Viserys, who has been ruler of the Seven Kingdoms for roughly 25 years.
To put it simply, King Viserys is Prince Viserys’ great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. Eight Targaryen generations and almost 200 years lie between the two of them.
It’s a testament to the controversial phrase ‘Every time a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin, and the world holds its breath’ that the two Viserys’ can be so different in nature – King Viserys so eager to please, Prince Viserys so eager to rule.
Watch House of the Dragon on Now TV and Sky Atlantic.
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