Why the dragons in HoD look so different to Game of Thrones

It's an exciting time for Game of Thrones fans with the much-anticipated arrival of prequel series House of the Dragon.

Naturally, following the release of the first episode, people are already making comparisons to GoT, and one thing a lot of fans have noticed is how different the dragons are.

The beasts look quite different to those commanded over by Daenerys Targaryen, prompting viewers to speculate about why on social media.

Watch the trailer here:

On Reddit, one fan wrote: "Like domestic dogs compared to wild wolves. Very different breeds to the point of almost being sub-species.

"In the books we do hear about a wild dragon and its colouring and description is much more like what Daenerys' look like on the show."

While another added: "Different shapes and sizes and age.

"Generally [dragons] in the books had a large variety in size and shape as well as colour. Some were sleek and a bit smaller others were powerful and imposing. Some had large horns. Some did not."

Fortunately, the show's co-creator Ryan Condal actually addressed this query in an interview with TVLine.

He explained that there are 17 different dragons in the show, each with a distinct look, because 'otherwise, you won't be able to differentiate between them'.

"So not only are they bright and colourful the way George [R.R. Martin] described them in the book, he actually gives a lot of detail about what each dragon looks like, the colour of their horns and crest, the colour of their scales. And then they have different silhouettes."

HBO

He added that Daenerys' dragons were 'born of magic, so they matured very quickly', while 'these dragons grow like a real dragon would'.

So yeah, turns out Condal and co know how 'real dragons' grow.

He continued: "We really tried to imbue them with an individual personality that you can start to detect… through the animation of them and how they interact with their rider, and who their rider is.

"It's my feeling that the dragons are some of the most memorable characters in our little universe here."

House of the Dragon will be available to watch weekly on HBO and HBO Max in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK.

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Topics: House Of The Dragon, Game of Thrones, Film and TV

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey