5 Things That Would’ve Been Different If House of the Dragon Was Latino

Promotional image of the HBO series "House of the Dragon"
Image credits: Home Box Office, Inc.

House of the Dragon is back and so are HBO Sundays. Granted, it’s not the same as when Game of Thrones was at its peak, but House of the Dragon is getting there and it does scratch an itch. The itch of political intrigue, family drama, and dragons. If you’ve been watching the show, you know that plenty of things have happened that could’ve been different, especially if Latinos were involved. Today we want to have some fun and do a little alternate universe exercise. Here are 5 things that would’ve been different if House of the Dragon was Latino.

Warning! Spoilers ahead if you’re not up-to-date with the show:


Rhaenys wouldn’t have gone down without a fight as heir to the throne

Still from the HBO series "House of the Dragon"

Image credits: © 2024 Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In season 1, episode 1, one of the first things we learn is that Viserys is made King of Westeros over his cousin, Rhaenys, a woman who had the better claim to the throne. We don’t get much more background than that, but you can bet your bottom dollar that if Rhaenys was Latina, she wouldn’t have gone down without a fight. She would’ve fought tooth and nail for that throne because it was hers by right. Latinas often fight for what’s theirs and what’s right, so we could easily see that happening. She would’ve probably lost anyway because Westeros is kind of misogynistic, but hey, Latina Rhaenys would’ve given it her all. She would’ve created a hell of a campaign for herself and done her best to bring people to her side. After all, she’s stronger and more assertive than Viserys and would’ve been a better ruler.

Viserys would have met Daemon at Dragonstone

Still from the HBO series "House of the Dragon"

Image credits: © 2024 Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In Season 1, Episode 2, “The Rogue Prince,” as Daemon Targaryen is known, has the gall and the gumption to steal a dragon egg before fleeing to Dragonstone. Like, how dare he? Not only that, he left a letter behind, taunting his brother Viserys about it. Viserys, instead of going himself, sends his right-hand man, Otto Hightower. Mind you, Daemon and Otto hate each other’s guts, so of course that wouldn’t go well. In the episode, it’s Princess Rhaenyra, Visery’s daughter, who saves the day. It was a cool scene, but if Viserys was Latino, don’t you think he would’ve run to Dragonstone and whip Daemon into shape? When was the last time you “borrowed” something from your older Latino sibling and came out of it unscathed? Let’s be serious here…

Alicent would have been an evil stepmother from the get-go

Still from the HBO series "House of the Dragon"

Image credits: © 2024 Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In Season 1, Episode 3, we see Viserys doubt his decision to break with tradition and name Rhaenyra his heir instead of his brother, Daemon. In that moment of doubt, Alicent supports Rhaenyra and eases his worries. But what if this was a messy telenovela? For context, Rhaenyra and Alicent were besties, but Otto kind of forced Alicent to seduce Viserys so he would marry her and make her Queen after Rhaenyra’s mom died. Understandably, Rhaenyra is angry and giving Alicent the cold shoulder. If this was a messy telenovela, we can’t help but imagine that Alicent would’ve been petty about it. She would’ve fed Viserys’ doubts about Rhaenyra and become a full-blown villain, right then and there. The extreme dramatics are what make telenovelas great, don’t you agree?

Viserys would’ve obliterated Daemon after his night with Rhaenyra

Still from the HBO series "House of the Dragon"

Image credits: © 2024 Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved

If you’re familiar with Game of Thrones, you already know that incest is a part of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” universe. This is actually based on real history because royal families back in the day used to dabble in it to “preserve the purity of their line.” Targaryens are notorious for having strange “customs,” shall we say, so when Daemon and Rhaenyra, uncle and niece, seem to have chemistry, no one’s shocked. The kicker is that they kind of get together in Season 1, Episode 4, and sh*t hits the fan pretty quickly. It was all a plan from Daemon to make Viserys marry the two of them, which, again, isn’t uncommon for Targeryens. But if Viserys was Latino, do you think Daemon would’ve survived that conversation? Absolutely not. Most Latino fathers protect their daughters, so your uncle isn’t going to confess to seducing you and live to tell the tale. And wouldn’t that have been fun?

Rhaenyra wouldn’t have proposed a marriage between her son and Alicent’s daughter

Still from the HBO series "House of the Dragon"

Image credits: © 2024 Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved

On Season 1, Episode 6 a lot has happened. There was a time jump, so everyone’s grown up. Rhaenyra is married to his cousin Laenor, the compromise she made with her father after that whole mess with Daemon, and she has 3 boys with her guard, Ser Harwin Strong. Laenor is gay, so theirs is a marriage of convenience. The thing is, in this episode, Alicent is feeding the rumors about Rhaenyra’s sons being bastards, and they both hate each other. Rhaenyra, being the bigger person, offers a marriage between her son Lucerys and Alicent’s daughter Helaena to try and patch things up. Alicent, being a petty queen, says no and humiliates Rhaenyra. Now, if Rhaenyra was Latina, do you think she would’ve given Alicent the satisfaction? We argue that hell no. Laenor and the King both accepted her sons as legitimate, that’s all that should’ve mattered. Latina Rhaneyra would’ve found a way to put Alicent in her place instead of relenting to a bully.

Three joyful Afro-Latina women sharing smiles on a bright and sunny day.

Many Latinos who don’t appear stereotypically “Latino” deal with having their race questioned fairly often. Most educated people don’t need to be reminded that the United States doesn’t have a welcoming history for people of races other than white. Therefore race, ethnicity, and identity that is non-white have simply been pushed into the othered “non-white” category. For Latinos, this is particularly challenging because, by most standards, Latino isn’t a race and is considered an ethnicity.

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