House of the Dragon fans are confused as to why the Night King looked different in Daemon’s vision in Season 2 Episode 8. Night King made a debut initially in Game of Thrones Season 4 Episode 3. He appeared in Bran Stark’s vision when he connected to the Weirwood Heart tree. His vision showcases various glimpses from the past through the future, making it hard for him to decode. Similarly, even Daemon’s single touch to the firewood tree shows him multiple visions, one of which teases GOT’s Night King.
So, here’s everything you need to know about Night King’s appearance and why he looked distinct.
Was that really the Night Knight in the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale?
No, Night King does not appear in the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale. They teased a random White Walker general.
The season finale showcased Alys Rivers awakening Daemon and taking him to Godswoods, where the firewood tree exists. Alluding to the tree, she reveals that it consists of omens and asks if he would like to learn what’s in store for him in the future. Subsequently, Daemon moves forward and touches the bloody tree, igniting hallucinations of his unveiled story.
He visualizes a three-eyed raven, a blonde man with a birth-shaped mark, Daenerys Targaryen and dragon eggs, Rhaenyra’s on an iron throne, and of course, the White Walkers. Nevertheless, Daemon’s vision was truly of a random White Walker general and not of the Night King. This is because the Ice King’s appearance is distinct from the rest of his army.
Did House of the Dragon change Night King’s look from Game of Thrones?
No, HBO did not change the appearance of Night King in the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale.
Daemon’s vision simply featured a White Walker referencing the prequel series. Interestingly, showrunner Ryan Condal decided to tease White Walkers in House of the Dragon Season 2 making the storyline a bit more interesting. In an interview with RadioTimes, he shared his thoughts on why they wanted to incorporate a White Walkers plotline this season. He explained that the most challenging part of adding White Walkers was to maintain the interconnectivity between the predecessor and spin-off.
“So you have to connect through ideas and themes and artifacts, and I think this dream, or this terrible prophetic vision that Aegon the Conqueror had, that we know from from speaking to George, is the thing that kind of stays alive from, hopefully, whenever anybody dramatizes his conquest through this time period, which is 100 years after that, and then into the original series, and I think that’s the thing that links it together,” he shared.
Moreover, he revealed that making such references alerts the viewers about bigger threats lurking in the series, creating anticipation and worry.
