House of the Dragon: Fan Art Reimagines Rhaenyra's son Jacaerys as a True Targaryen!
House of the Dragon: What If Jacaerys Had Stronger Targaryen Genes?
House of the Dragon is all about family, those messy relationships, and those intensely complicated power plays that makes this a great sequel! But the parentage of Rhaenyra's sons has always been a massive plot point. Their looks? Not quite those of pure Targaryen descent. This ambiguity was used as a key part of that huge conflict, and that conflict continues to raise lots of discussion today!
Reddit user KingRich2812 created some awesome art imagining a different reality: Jacaerys, Rhaenyra's eldest son, with way stronger Targaryen genes! This artistic vision presents us with a thought experiment that adds some fresh insight and asks "What if?" Those initial concerns are already explored initially, especially concerning his very uncertain lineage!
A Silver-Haired Jacaerys: Would It Have Changed Everything?
The Greens used Jacaerys' looks—his dark hair and lighter skin—as “proof” he's not a true Targaryen, and that this makes Rhaenyra an unsuitable queen. The use of these images of this child is incredibly problematic. The implications around the claims and their underlying beliefs were all clearly a massive element within those characters themselves which contributed and greatly intensified the narrative itself! It affected both the plots as well as various characters that were completely entrenched in their respective biases.
Queen Alicent was really deeply hurt, changing that intense initial love to a hatred of Rhaenyra – an incredible change completely born of intense pain, yet fueled by that same power-based environment! It becomes rather obvious however: Even that intense, deeply-rooted hatred might have never happened if Jacaerys looked entirely Valyrian—silvery hair, those iconic purple eyes. Yet we soon realize it didn’t entirely change things because even these kinds of details remained unimportance.
Otto Hightower had already wanted Aegon on the throne. Alicent feared for her son's safety. Even if these motivations were absent; she simply didn't have power enough to defy that intensely patriarchal Small Council driving this entire conflict – regardless of Jacaerys' genes or heritage. A change in his genetics does not change any other fundamental element in the events that transpired.
Our Take on KingRich2812's Fan Art
KingRich2812's art is stunning. It’s really fun to think of Jacaerys with those classic Valyrian features; silver hair and all, showing just how capable a fanbase might become in providing additional creativity that goes further than any official content! However, that detail's impact on that entire war remains uncertain; his parentage is ambiguous throughout both the show and its book inspiration, but House of the Dragon didn't make those visuals necessarily relevant! And dark-haired Targaryens are totally possible in those original books!
Both show and books showcase those ambiguities which leaves many wondering "Was this genetic difference that made things more complicated?" Those subtleties within show and books' depictions remained unresolved even when additional analysis gets introduced. Ultimately the significance of those genetics really fades and becomes something less crucial to the story. Therefore, those small genetic shifts ultimately end up mattering very little.
Conclusion: A Fascinating “What If?” Scenario!
KingRich2812’s art is wonderful. It highlights a cool idea. Would a Valyrian-looking Jacaerys have changed everything in House of the Dragon? Probably not. The power struggles, fueled by that deeply-entrenched sexism and patriarchal beliefs of the era, likely would've still transpired regardless. That’s some important context. While genetic details remain relevant to creating individual characters and adding that necessary insight surrounding individual conflicts within that society – there remains no proof it impacted that larger storyline!
