What happens to Drogon is one of the lingering mysteries of Game of Thrones, but the theory that he might not be the last dragon could give some insight into that question. Like his siblings, Rhaegal and Viserion, Drogon was hatched from three petrified dragon eggs given to Daenerys as a wedding gift. Only Drogon survived the end of Game of Throne s, last seen flying off with Daenerys’ dead body. It was later confirmed that Drogon went to Volantis, a southern coastal city in Essos founded by ancient Valyrians, which brought up more questions about his future.

Dragons were once a key part of the balance of power in George R.R. Martin’s fantasy realm, tied not only to the strength of House Targaryen of Old Valyria, but also to the existence of magic. Because of their absence, magic has become sparse by the time Game of Thrones begins. At the end of Game of Thrones, dragons are effectively extinct, save for Drogon. However, it’s possible that the mysterious and powerful creatures could return in greater numbers and there may be a future for the dragons in Westeros.

Are All Of Daenerys’ Dragons Male — And Can They Lay Eggs?

The Dragons May Have Reproduced

Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon explore the dragons of this world but never had the time to get into the intricacies of dragon reproduction. Rhaegal, Viserion, and Drogon use male pronouns in the series, but dialogue from the books reveals that Daenerys’ dragons are actually gender-fluid. In A Feast for Crows, Maester Aemon tells Samwell Tarly that he believes Daenerys is the prince that was promised, and that the reference to a “prince” in the original prophecy is actually a mistake in translation from Valyrian:

“What fools we were, who thought ourselves so wise! The error crept in from the translation. Dragons are neither male nor female, Barth saw the truth of that, but now one and now the other, as changeable as flame. The language misled us all for a thousand years.”

This means that Daenerys’ dragons may have been both male and female at different points in the series, which suggests they might have laid eggs. Rhaegal and Viserion were imprisoned beneath the Great Pyramid of Meereen for some time during Dany’s rule, and the two dragons could have mated during that time. If that’s the case, then there could easily be a clutch of dragon eggs lurking somewhere in the darkness of the catacombs.

Alternatively, dragons might reproduce asexually through parthenogenesis (like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park). Indeed, every dragon in House of the Dragon could have been birthed asexually as well, as neither the original series nor the prequel has explained otherwise. It’s possible that Drogon could have produced his own eggs after flying off to Volantis with Daenerys’ body. The implication that new dragons are being born obviously opens up a lot of questions about what will happen next when even more dragons are reintroduced to the world.

Daenerys’ Dragons May Not Have Been the Last of Their Kind

The Return of Dragons May Have Continued Elsewhere In The World

Aside from the possibility of Viserion, Rhaegal, and Drogon having offspring, it’s also by no means confirmed that theirs were the last dragon eggs in existence. Dragons have reached a point of near-extinction at least twice before in Game of Thrones‘ history. The Doom of Valyria almost wiped them out, but the Targaryens were later able to repopulate their numbers using just five dragons.

The predecessors of Daenerys’ dragons then died in battle during a great civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, as chronicled in House of the Dragon, and after that, dragons grew smaller and weaker in captivity. In A Feast for Crows, Archmaester Marwyn reveals that the maesters finally conspired to kill off the last of the dragons. However, thanks to Daenerys, they made another comeback.

Just because dragons are absent from the world we’ve seen so far, it doesn’t mean there aren’t more out there in the undiscovered lands.

Game of Thrones lore teaches two key dragon details — their eggs are notoriously difficult to hatch, and it’s possible to cultivate a large population of dragons from a minimal starting number (like the Targaryens, dragons appear to have no qualms about incest). Even if Daenerys’ dragon eggs were the only ones to find their way into the hands of humans, there are likely more unhatched eggs hidden away elsewhere. As the eggs of Daenerys’ dragons were presumed to be hundreds of years old, any other petrified dragon eggs in existence may still hatch under the right conditions.

Finally, the entire world map of Game of Thrones has not been completely revealed. The southern continent of Sothoryos is largely unexplored, and, as Arya Stark notes when she sets out on her journey in the series finale, no one has yet discovered what lies west of Westeros. Just because dragons are absent from the world seen in the franchise so far doesn’t mean there aren’t more out there in the undiscovered lands.

Is The Age of Dragons Over In Game Of Thrones?

The Reign Of Bran The Broken Suggests A New Modern Era For Westeros

A common trope in fantasy fiction, like Game of Thrones, is to have the age of magic and dragons die out and make way for a new and more modern age. Dragonheart assigned this significance to the death of the last dragon, and the How to Train Your Dragon film trilogy uses the refrain “There were dragons when I was a boy” to bookend a story of how dragons eventually disappeared from the world. Similarly, Game of Thrones history reaches an era where the age of dragons has ended.

While Game of Thrones doesn’t take place on Earth, the series finale signals that Westeros is moving towards a more modern age, with kings elected by lords rather than inheriting the throne through birthright. Sam even suggests a completely democratic society where everyone gets a vote. Though the other members of the council laugh off the idea, it sows the seeds for a future that might look similar to our own modern world.

Moreover, while it’s ultimately unclear what happened to Drogon after Daenerys’ death, the symbolism is clear — magic has left Westeros. The show’s final season even sees the Red Priestess Melisandre shrivel up into an old woman and collapse into the snow after the Battle of Winterfell — further proof that magic is dying and that a new era is being ushered in.

While there are plenty of ways in which dragons could return — whether by Rhaegal and Viserion having produced eggs, Drogon producing eggs of his own, older eggs lying dormant, or dragons surviving in unseen places of the world — thematically, Game of Thrones treats Drogon like he is the last of his kind.

In Westeros, Dragons are intrinsically tied to the Targaryen bloodline and Aegon the Conqueror’s dream/prophecy, and with Daenerys dying and Jon renouncing his Targaryen heritage and embracing life as a man of the North, it looks like Westeros has seen the last of the Targaryens — and possibly the last of the dragons as well. That said, the blood of Old Valyria is not entirely extinct in Game of Thrones.

Although Game of Thrones never featured any members of House Velaryon, they’re not extinct like the Targaryens and continue to exist in Driftmark as a minor house in Game of Thrones‘ timeline. As seen in the prequel House of the Dragon, the Velaryons could also ride and command dragons in High Valyrian, as they also originated from Valyria before the Doom — albeit with a history not as well-chronicled as House Targaryen. Should any surviving members of House Velaryon somehow end up with petrified dragon eggs in their hands, they could still hatch just as Daenerys’ dragon eggs did.

House Of The Dragon Featured So Many Dragons

The Roster Of Dragons Shows The Former Glory Of House Targaryen

The spinoff series House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and Drogon’s reign, meaning that dragons are abundant. Covering the events of the Targaryen civil war, or the Dance of the Dragons, House of the Dragon proves that the age of the dragon is far from over — for viewers, at least.

The most notable dragon of this age is Aemond Targaryen’s mount Vhagar — the oldest and largest living dragon in the House of the Dragon timeline — the same dragon ridden by Queen Visenya Targaryen during Aegon’s Conquest. Moreover, unlike Game of Thrones which featured only three dragons, House of the Dragon has shown onscreen nine of the 17 dragons owned by House Velaryon and House Targaryen in the books 200 years before the War of the Five Kings.

Notably, with dragons being not as rare and divided in allegiance between the Greens and the Blacks, House of the Dragon explores a very different time in Westerosi history, one in which one to three dragons may not be enough to conquer the entire realm. House of the Dragon season 2 continued to explore more about the dragons while also revealing the origins of Daenerys’ eggs, along with the intriguing tease that there were four of them, instead of the three that Daenerys receives in Game of Thrones‘ first episode.

Game Of Thrones Theory: Drogon Saves Daenerys

Drogon’s Return To Volantis Could Have More Meaning

Despite Daenerys appearing dead at the end of Game of Thrones, there’s a theory about Drogon taking Daenerys to Volantis to get resurrected. Though Game of Thrones‘ showrunners have only confirmed that Drogon took her to Volantis, the Red Priests there could presumably bring Daenerys back to life. After all, Daenerys survived more than just a sword to the belly when she was riding with the Dothraki, so it’s possible she could’ve lived.

In addition, not only do dragons have a dynamic connection with their riders, but it’s always been implied that they’re more sentient than they appear, so it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch for Drogon to know exactly what to do to keep his mother alive. Even if Daenerys didn’t survive, however, after her fiery conquest in Game of Thrones, the people of Westeros will probably be keeping one wary eye on the skies for many years to come.

House Of The Dragon Gave Thrones Dragons Much More Context

The Prequel Makes The Dragons’ Connection To Targaryens Matter More

While what happened to Drogon in Game of Thrones can only be guessed at due to what the show gives viewers, dragons on House of the Dragon are explored in a much deeper way. By the end of Game of Thrones, Daenerys’ dragons seemed entirely disposable and just things the show needed to get rid of in its mad dash to the end. However, with House of the Dragon focusing more on House Targaryen as a whole, the creatures are made much more rounded characters with emotions and purpose.

The show explores how dragons and dragonriders are bonded. When Laena Velaryon decided to end her life, she went to her dragon Vhagar to be burned alive. However, it is clear to see the hesitation in the dragon as it did not want to kill her. Likewise, following Laena’s death, Aemond managed to win Vhagar’s respect and become its dragonrider.

Most interestingly, despite Daenerys using her dragons as weapons to conquer her enemies, House of the Dragon suggests the beasts are too much for even a Targaryen to control. Though Aemond starts the midair battle with Lucerys, Vhagar finishes it. He ignores Aemond’s commands, kills Lucerys, and ignites a war all because the Targaryens thought they commended these monsters, when in reality, they followed their own instincts.

House of the Dragon season 2 also explored some surprising aspects of the dragonriders. It was shown that dragons sometimes seek out their own riders, as with Seasmoke selecting Addam of Hull. It was also revealed that bastards with Targaryen blood can become dragonriders as seen with the characters of Hugh Hammer and Ulf. This opens up the possibility of future spinoffs reintroducing dragons into the world and having people with hints of Targaryen blood able to form connections with the beasts.

How The Targaryen Civil War Ended The Dragon Era

The Dragons Are Killed To Stop The Targaryens’ Destructive War

After setting up the politics at play in House of the Dragon, season 2 of the show saw the Dance of Dragons truly underway and the destructive nature of a war between dragons shown in epic detail. This included the raising body count of dragons as well as dragonriders with Meleys and her rider Princess Rhaenys dying at the battle of Rook’s Rest. With the new development that bastards with Targaryen blood can become dragon riders, even more dragons have entered the war with more destruction to come in House of the Dragon season 3.

Some of the biggest dragons and their riders are killed before the end of the war, including Aemond and his dragon Vhagar as well as Daemon and his dragon Caraxes. Despite the carnage, both sides of the war continue to use the dragons as devastating weapons. In the end, the people of King’s Landing decide they have had enough of their Targaryen rulers and their destructive beasts. A mob attacks the Dragon Pit and most of the remaining dragons are killed in the process.

While it remains to be seen how House of the Dragon handles these plot points, it seems as though it is heading for the same message as Martin’s story. The idea in the end is that, as dangerous as these monsters could be just acting on their animal instincts, it was humans who turned them into weapons. Ultimately, in the Game of Thrones universe, the era of dragons ends when these creatures are forced to pay the price for the faults of humanity.

There Is Possibly Another Living Targaryen In The Books

Young Griff Could Reignite The Dragon Era

While House of the Dragon suggested pure Targaryen blood was not necessarily needed to form a connection with dragons, Game of Thrones ended with the suggestion that Jon Snow was the last Targaryen. With Jon joining the Night’s Watch, it seems unlikely he would continue the bloodline. However, George R. R. Martin’s books reveal the possibility of another secret Targaryen in the world.

…Tyrion comes to the conclusion that this boy is actually Aegon Targaryen, the son of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell…

In A Dance With Dragons, Martin’s fifth and most recent book in the series, Tyrion Lannister is traveling through Essos when he meets a young name named Young Griff. Before long, Tyrion comes to the conclusion that this boy is actually Aegon Targaryen, the son of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell, who was thought to have been killed during the Sack of King’s Landing at the end of Robert’s Rebellion. With Aegon apparently alive, there is an effort to keep him in hiding and eventually restore him to his rightful place on the Iron Throne.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding Young Griff/Aegon with many fans suspecting that he is simply a pretender to the throne and the real Aegon is, in fact, dead. However, with the possibility of a Targaryen out in the world, he does offer another option for someone who could bring dragons back into the world.