Fans of classic books despise it when movie adaptations of their favorite books involve characters that don’t match what the author wrote. In the case of House of the Dragon, fans prefer Fire & Blood edits. This article is about those changes that there’s not much anyone can do; make the actors look like the depictions of the characters in the book.
Either way, that’s how the images generated by the AI algorithms depict the characters. The following images are very accurate representations based on the thoughts of George RR Martin.
How House of the Dragon Characters Compare to Fire and Blood-Based AI-Generated Imagery
The Targaryens’ signature purple eyes are one of House of the Dragon’s most notable accolades. The family are believed to have silver hair and pale complexions, as well as purple eyes, to symbolize their royalty in the novels. This feature is not present in the edition we see on TV. News Feeda popular media house, has created the following AI-generated images of Fire & Blood characters, and you will be shocked to see some of them.
AI-created version of King Viserys Targaryen from Fire & Blood
Viserys from Fire & Blood is said to have a mustache in the book and is portrayed as a little plumper than Paddy Considine, who played King Viserys in House of the Dragon.
AI-created version of the demon Targaryen from Fire & Blood
Viserys’ brother, Prince Daemon Targaryen is played by Matt Smith, who has a long face. However, the Book Daemon appears to have an even longer face, similar to Aemond Targaryen. A few other characters, like Daemon, weren’t detailed as thoroughly, which pleased both Correa’s AI and HBO’s casting team. The resemblance between the AI and the actors is remarkable in some cases.
AI-created version of Rhaenyra Targaryen from Fire & Blood
Described as “fat and thick in stature”, Rhaenyra Targaryen who, like her father, grew up to be quite plump. Emma D’Arcy, who pays Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon is by no means plump, but we wouldn’t call her that petite. Emma was a good choice, as her facial features match the depiction of Rhaenyra very well.
AI created version of Alicent Hightower from Fire & Blood
It’s safe to say that casting Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower is a great choice. Alicent is described as a comely woman and her AI-created facial features match Olivia Cooke’s well.
AI-created version of Rhaenys Targaryen from Fire & Blood
In the novels, Rhaenys Targaryen was supposed to have dark hair that was distinct from the rest of the Targaryens. HBO chose to color her hair white to look like her family. This decision is also helpful for viewers who may identify Princess Rhaenys as a Targaryen. The AI version of Buzzfeed differs significantly from House of the Dragon.
AI created version of Ser Criston Cole
Ser Criston Cole is a standard-looking young knight with a light beard and mustache. Fabien Frenkel, who plays Ser Criston in House of the Dragon couldn’t have been a better choice.
AI-created version of Mysaria from Fire & Blood
Lady Mysaria or The White Worm is completely different in House of the Dragon than in her book description. In the book, Mysaria is said to have white hair and is much younger than HOTD’s Mysaria.
AI created version of Laenor Velaryon
The younger Laenor Velaryon fits the description in the book perfectly, however, we’re not so sure about the elder Laenor. The book doesn’t describe the elder Laenor in detail and since he dies in the book, unlike the series, there isn’t much of a storyline for him anyway.
Conclusion
Since Fire & Blood doesn’t release exact details about each character’s appearance, the HBO version and these AI images may have taken some guesswork. Nonetheless, based on the photographs above, it’s hard to argue that House of the Dragon has excellent casts, especially Olivia Cooke as Alicent and Matt Smith as Daemon, who look practically similar to their equivalents from book. There will always be arguments and arguments over what characters look like when a novel is adapted for the screen. House of the Dragon, on the other hand, has done an outstanding job of portraying Martin’s characters onscreen.
