This week’s episode of House of the Dragon, “Lord of the Tides,” was a big one (SPOILERS follow). In addition to leaving one major character’s fate uncertain, it ended with the death of King Viserys I Targaryen, which will spark a civil war in Westeros that will come to be known as the Dance of the Dragons. It has been clear from early on in House of the Dragon that King Viserys had a disease, but the series has never explicitly stated what illness afflicted the king. However, while the source material differs from what is seen in the show, Paddy Considine, the actor who plays Visrerys, has confirmed what sickness killed the king.
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So what disease killed King Viserys I Targaryen? Here’s the answer:
What disease did King Viserys have?
According to Considine, Viserys suffered from a form of leprosy. He revealed this on Entertainment Weekly‘s West of Westeros podcast:
“He’s actually suffering from a form of leprosy. His body is deteriorating, his bones are deteriorating. He is not actually old. He’s still a young man in there. He’s just, unfortunately, got this thing that’s taken over his body. It becomes a metaphor for being king, and the stress and strain that it puts on you, and what it does to you physically, what it does to you mentally.”
How does Viserys die in the books?
George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the source material for House of the Dragon, does not mention Viserys having a disease. Instead, he supposedly simply died in his sleep during a nap in the Red Keep.
What follows sets the stage for the war to come. Alicent keeps Viserys’ death a secret for seven days, enough time to arrange for her son, Aegon, to be crowned king in defiance of Rheanyra’s claim to the throne.
At least that’s how it goes down in the books. House of the Dragon may take some liberties with its source material’s story, as it has done up until now.
There are two episodes left in House of the Dragon‘s first season, with its second season already on the way (minus a showrunner and an executive producer). Will the war begin before the season ends? Or will House of the Dragon save the civil war for its second season and beyond? The show’s next two episodes will tell.
House of the Dragon debuts new episodes weekly on Sundays on HBO.
