Spoilers for House of the Dragon and Fire & Blood ahead.
Joffrey Velaryon will soon play a role inHouse of the Dragonif the show decides to retain his arc fromFire & Blood. HBO’sHouse of the Dragonseason 3will be upon us sooner than we think, but probably later than we’d hope, and with the season 2 finale that may have been too built up, but which promises some major moments to come, there are sure to be many morecharacters fromFire & Bloodwho will make their mark. Taking place over so many years,characters are introduced inHouse of the Dragonwho won’t have an impact till much later.
Fire & Bloodreaders will raise their eyebrows at some of these characters, knowing what fate lies in store for them, but that also depends on whether Ryan Condal will strictly adhere to George R. R. Martin’s book. There have been afew changes inHouse of the Dragon, but the structure and thrust of the story have remained the same.Fire & Bloodis almost a “non-fiction” history book than it is a full-fledged novel, so Condal can add a lot of nuance and detail without going against the book. Hopefully, he’ll retain Joffrey Valeryon’s tragic story.
Joffrey Velaryon Has Briefly Appeared In House Of The Dragon
Joffrey Is Named After Laenor’s Paramour, Joffrey Lonmouth
Joffrey Velaryon inHouse of the Dragonis basically a one-for-one of the book version, though at this point in the story, neither has had much of an impact. Joffrey was firstintroduced in season 1, episode 6, “The Princess and the Queen”. In the episode, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) gives birth to her third child. Publicly, he’sthe third son of Laenor Velaryon(John Macmillan), but there’s a well-supported rumor that Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr) is actually the father. It’s a rumor Queen Alicent hints at, telling Laenor,
“Do keep trying, Ser Laenor. Sooner or later you may get one who looks like you.”
Though Laenor has no problem with the arrangement between himself, Harwin, and Rhaenyra, he does insist on naming the child, calling him Joffrey, after his former lover, Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod), who was brutally murdered by Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). While Rhaenyra is a bit frustrated with Laenor, seeing this as more ammunition for those who would whisper her children are bastards, she relents. Joffrey is then only seen in the background of scenes until season 2.
Joffrey, now played by Oscar Eskinazi, has a marginally bigger role in season 2.The young boy is sent to the Vale of Arryn with Rhaena(Phoebe Campbell) and a clutch of dragon eggs to protectthe future of House Targaryen. Still a child, Joffrey is second in line to the throne now that only he and his older brother, Jacaerys “Jace” (Harry Collett), live.
Joffrey Is The Youngest Son Of Rhaenyra Targaryen’s First Marriage
Joffrey Attempts To Halt The Storming Of The Dragonpit
Joffrey Velaryon inFire & Bloodhas a similar story to Joffrey inHouse of the Dragon, with two key differences. For one, Joffrey in the novel is much younger than his brothers, a consequence of aging Jace and Lucerys up. Second, in the novel, the great dragon Vhagar is supposedly going to Joffrey when he comes of age, not Rhaena, like in the show. In the book, Aemond strikes Joffrey when confronted about Vhagar, which leads to the big cousin fight. In the show, it’s Rhaena and her sister Baela (Bethany Antonia) who are at the center.
InFire & Blood, Joffrey remains a peripheral character, though with some important moments. At the start of the Dance of the Dragons, he is 11 and rides the dragon, Tyraxes, who is still not big enough to fight. Joffrey offers to call the lords of the realm to his mother’s aid, but he is deemed too young. When his mother secures King’s Landing and installs herself as regent in the waning years of the war,Joffrey goes with her as the new Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne, after Jace’s death.
Syrax
Rhaenyra Targaryen
However, despite ostensibly ruling King’s Landing, the populace was in full riot. At one point, a large mob descended upon the Dragonpit, intent on killing all the Targaryen dragons inside, as they were the source of much of their woe. Upon hearing this, Joffrey asked his mother to let him ride to the Dragonpit and free Tyraxes. His mother forbade it, but he secretly stole Rhaenyra’s dragon, Syrax, and flew across the city toward the Dragonpit. Unaccustomed to the rider,Syrax bucked and twisted him off, sending Joffrey falling nearly 200 feet.
Tyraxes is described as a pale violet dragon with dark purple horns and purple flames. He has not appeared inHouse of the Dragonas of season 2.
Joffrey’s back was broken, and someone took his sword and stabbed him in the belly with it. Allegedly, a candlemaker’s daughter named Robin comforted him as he died, and his last words were said to be, “Mother, forgive me.” The surrounding mob hacked off his hands and feet to steal his rings and boots and nearly claimed his head too before Rhaenyra’s guards arrived to save the mangled body. With Joffrey’s death,Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen’s eldest son, Aegon III, became next in line for the throne.
What Will Happen To Joffrey Velaryon In House Of The Dragon?
Joffrey’s Death Likely Won’t Happen Until House Of The Dragon Season 4
As cinematic a death as Joffrey’s is,the real point of the scene is to show how tenuous Rhaenyra’s grasp on the capital is, and how the age of dragons is well and truly over. His death is also critical in that it marks the start of a new branch of the Targaryen dynasty. Aegon III, comes from Daemon, and it’s through the direct line of Aemon III that we eventually come to Daenerys Targaryen inGame of Thrones. All that. to say, Joffrey’s death will likely need to be seen on screen.
The Storming of the Dragonpit is a major event in the Dance of the Dragons, and will almost certainly have an episode dedicated to it.
Even if his character does not become a big part of the narrative, it will be necessary to show the dire straits of Rhaenyra and throw her even deeper into despair. The Storming of the Dragonpit is a major event in the Dance of the Dragons, and will almost certainly have an episode dedicated to it. It’s likely that the event will come early in season 4. It’s a “beginning of the end” moment in the war, and as season 4 is the last forHouse of the Dragon, that’s when Joffrey Velaryon’s death can be expected to occur.
