Every House of the Dragon Betrayal, Ranked from Obvious to Unthinkable

Westeros runs on broken promises. House of the Dragon doesn’t just flirt with betrayal; it builds the whole story around it, from petty slights to world-ending choices. If you’ve watched the show (and you should), you know the politics are dense, the dragons are terrifying, and everyone has a knife for someone’s back. Below, I’m ranking the big betrayals by how much you could see them coming, from telegraphed moves to gut-punch twists that light the fuse on the Dance.

Quick primer before we throw elbows

House of the Dragon is HBO’s prequel to Game of Thrones, set decades before Ned Stark ever worried about paperwork. It’s based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood and centers on the Targaryen family eating itself alive. Ryan Condal runs the show; Miguel Sapochnik co-led season 1. It’s made by GRRM, Bastard Sword, 1:26 Pictures Inc., and HBO Entertainment. Two seasons in so far, airing on HBO and streaming on Max in the US. Critics are into it: 8.3/10 on IMDb and 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The betrayals, ranked (from yeah-we-saw-it to oh-wow-that-just-happened)

1. The friendship that didn’t survive a crown: Rhaenyra and Alicent

   They grew up glued at the hip in the Red Keep, but the moment Alicent married King Viserys, everything shifted. Her loyalty moved from Rhaenyra to House Hightower and, eventually, to her own kids’ claim. It’s painful because it starts so pure, but given the politics and Otto’s pressure, this fracture was always coming.

2. Ser Criston Cole flips sides after a bruised ego

   Fabien Frankel’s Ser Criston swore to protect Rhaenyra as a Kingsguard. Then came the secret affair, the rejected proposal, and the ego shrapnel. He decided he’d been used, and suddenly he’s pledging himself to Alicent and the Greens. Classic spurned-knight trajectory, but still messy to watch.

3. Daemon Targaryen being Daemon Targaryen

   Matt Smith’s Rogue Prince was never low-risk. From his early scheming and that infamous barb after Baelon’s death to defying Viserys, he’s been testing the family’s limits since day one.

   "Heir for a day."

   That line is the crack that never closed. Fast-forward: after being sidelined, Daemon’s stretch at Harrenhal and his visions there (season 2) don’t exactly mellow him out. He starts rallying Riverlands support and moving forces without clearing it with Rhaenyra. He can love her and still be a liability to her reign. That’s the problem.

4. Otto Hightower’s slow-motion coup

   As Hand, Otto should serve the realm; instead, he serves House Hightower. He nudges Viserys toward Alicent, chips away at Rhaenyra’s claim, and quietly sets the board for civil war. None of it is loud. All of it is effective. You could spot the playbook if you were looking, but the long game still lands hard.

5. The Green Council crowns Aegon anyway

   Viserys dies. Years of sworn oaths say Rhaenyra is next. The Small Council says: about that. Alicent takes the King’s final, confused talk of "Aegon" as approval for her son, not the old conqueror’s prophecy; Otto turns that into action. Lords fold fast. The Aegon II coronation is the moment honor turns out to be optional.

6. Dragonseeds who chose a better offer: Hugh Hammer and Ulf White

   Rhaenyra opens the door to common-born Valyrians to shore up dragon power. It works… until it doesn’t. Once the war’s tides shift, Tom Bennett’s Hugh Hammer and Ulf White bail for richer pastures. They were brought in to stabilize things and ended up tilting the table. Not shocking in theory, but brutal in execution.

7. Larys Strong clears his own family off the board

   Matthew Needham’s Larys (the Clubfoot) is the guy you never fully clock until it’s too late. He aligns with Alicent and Otto, then engineers the deaths of his father and brother to buy influence. Harwin Strong’s end at Harrenhal is one of the show’s nastiest turns: a loyal, brave ally to Rhaenyra gone in a fire no one can publicly pin on Larys, but we all know.

8. Rhaenyra and Daemon stage Laenor’s death

   Smart, cold, and effective. They fake Laenor Velaryon’s death to free him from court politics and clear the path for their marriage. Strategically, it consolidates Team Black. For everyone else in the room, it’s a complete blindside. If you’ve watched enough Thrones schemes, you might have smelled something off, but the show plays it beautifully.

9. Mysaria plays every side because that’s the job

   Sonoya Mizuno’s Mysaria starts as Daemon’s lover, then builds the best spy network in King’s Landing. She sells Otto info on Daemon and Rhaenyra’s late-night escapades. Right before Aegon II’s coronation, her people snatch Aegon; she doesn’t just hand him over, she trades his whereabouts for a promise to shut down the city’s child exploitation rings. In season 2, after Larys’s agents torch her manse, she barely escapes and heads to Dragonstone to link up with Rhaenyra. Her loyalty is transactional, and her impact is bigger than most nobles realize.

10. Aemond’s pursuit turns a feud into war

    At Storm’s End, Lucerys arrives as Rhaenyra’s envoy. Aemond wants payback for the eye. Lord Borros won’t allow bloodshed under his roof, so Luke leaves. Then Ewan Mitchell’s Aemond mounts Vhagar and chases him into a storm. Maybe he’s trying to scare him; Vhagar has other ideas. Arrax and Lucerys are gone in one pass. That single moment breaks the stalemate and turns the Dance into an actual war.

The aftertaste

Some of these betrayals were gift-wrapped with foreshadowing. Others felt like the floor falling out. The throughline is human messiness: pride, fear, ambition, love curdled into something sharp. Which one hit you hardest?

House of the Dragon seasons 1–2 are streaming on Max in the US.