The reason why Rhaenys Targaryen’s actions and decisions in House of the Dragon prove she was never fit to be the queen.

Rhaenys Targaryen, ‘The Queen Who Never Was’, is a character who has become a polarizing figure in the House of the Dragon fanbase. While some hail her as a feminist trailblazer, others see her as a hypocritical character whose actions are often contradicted by her own lofty ideals.

Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen in House of the Dragon S2 | Credit: HBO

Hence, there has always been a debate within the fanbase regarding her right to the Iron Throne. Despite George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood providing the context for her sidelining, HBO’s adaptation’s narrative tweaks ultimately reinforce the belief that she was never fit to be the queen.

Reasons Why Rhaenys Never Deserved to Be Queen: A Closer Look

Eve Best as Rhaenys Targaryen in House of the Dragon | Credit: HBO

Rhaenys Targaryen is often dubbed as ‘The Queen Who Never Was,’ due to her being sidelined despite being considered a ‘worthy’ contender for the Iron Throne. However, on a closer look, one might realize that she lost the throne in favor of Viserys quite democratically. And in actuality, her son Laenor was the real contender as per the law of succession.

HBO’s House of the Dragon made the critical change of omitting Laenor’s claim and framed Rhaenys as the direct rival to Viseys. This change shifted the narrative, making her exclusion appear more unjust than it was in the source material and promoting the perception that she lost the throne due to patriarchy and sexism. Furthermore, there were other subtle narrative changes that made her ‘unsuitability for queenship’ a more prominent fact.

Due to the way her character was written and portrayed in the show, Rhaenys’ tenuous claim to the throne appears more and more unfathomable. Her own actions undermined her case for deserving the crown, for instance, she accuses men of being warmongers but she herself massacred hundreds of smallfolk during her dramatic escape from King’s Landing.

Rhaenys could have ended the war by eliminating Aegon II right there and then, yet she chooses not to due to her hollow sense of solidarity with Alicent Hightower. Furthermore, Eve Best‘s character lacks the tact and qualities needed to be a formidable leader since her choices often reflect poor judgment. Her decisions often placed personal pride above logic or good, another reason why she would have proven to be an ineffective leader.

Rhaenys Targaryen‘s fall to death in House of the Dragon S2E4 | Credit: HBO

Yet, it was the way her death came about that convinced us she never deserved to be the queen. Instead of fleeing she decides to face the most formidable dragon alive, Vhagar, alone. Even though she knows she might get ambushed or killed, she flies conveniently close to the ground while searching for him and ends up meeting her death in the most daunting way.

Thus, instead of making her a compelling candidate for the throne, the House of the Dragon‘s tweaks and changes to her story only amplified her flaws, giving fans more reasons not to have her as the queen.

Even Fans Agree Rhaenys Targaryen Never Deserved to be The Queen

Rhaenys Targaryen in House of the Dragon | Credit: HBO

The House of the Dragon universe is a complex amalgamation of succession, power, politics, family, and war, issues that become more complex when one realizes the series does not closely follow the source it has been derived. One instance is of The Queen Who Never Was aka Rhaenys Targaryen, whose hypocritical rhetoric and catastrophic decisions have made fans convinced that she never deserved to be the queen.

Recently, while a fan of hers on Reddit posted that she deserved the Iron Throne, the majority of House of the Dragon fans responded that they were glad she never got the chance.

Even though some fans might be drawn to her commanding presence, ultimately it is her shortcomings that make fans realize she never deserved the Iron Throne. Her actions and ‘lack of action,’ often contradicted the very ideals she claimed to uphold. Repeatedly falling short of the qualities needed for effective leadership, House of the Dragon only amplified these facts by deviating from the source. Thus, as far as the series is concerned, Rhaenys Targaryen was a far cry from the queen that Westeros needed or deserved.

House of the Dragon is available to be streamed on HBO Max.