Rewatching House of the Dragon Will Make You Hate Martin's Favorite Character Way More

HBO's House of the Dragon quickly proved itself to be a worthy successor to Game of Thrones, even though the scope of the first season featured a much more limited ensemble of characters.

George R. R. Martin is still a great writer, so it's no wonder that each new character on the show has an incredibly complex personality and penchant for intrigue, making the first batch of episodes a real treat for dark fantasy fans.

However, it's hard to get the full picture from the first viewing, as the actors on the show are simply too good at their jobs, stealing the attention with their performances and forcing viewers to love their characters just because of that. While many characters can come across as truly despicable when rewatching the first season, King Viserys, played by Paddy Considine, is undoubtedly the most notorious example of this.

Paddy Considine's performance as the troubled king made a massive impression on fans and the author himself, who famously texted the actor saying that his take on Viserys was even better than the book version of the character. However, the moment you start paying attention to Viserys, instead of the actor playing him, it becomes painfully obvious just how hateful the character actually is.

First of all, Viserys is certainly a bad ruler for Westeros, as he is far too soft and dependent on his council to be called a strong king. Every member of his royal court is scheming behind his back, and the king is simply clueless. Of course, that doesn't make him a bad person, but the way he treats his own family certainly does.

Not only does Viserys kill his own wife by ordering a cesarean section on her to save his unborn prince (who comes right after his mother, oops), but he treats his own daughter Rhaenyra like an unworthy bearer of his royal name. Viserys could have just made her his successor, but instead, the king keeps scheming and effectively forces his family to start a civil war after his death.

Take your time to rewatch House of the Dragon this summer to admire Considine's acting and see how despicable his character is.