"She Has A Lot Of Power": House Of The Dragon Season 2's New Prophetic Character Teased By Star

Summary Alys Rivers in House of the Dragon season 2 is prophetic and powerful, with healing abilities from Harrenhal.

Differing accounts make Alys mysterious, from a simple woods witch to a powerful magic user like Melisandre.

Alys' character in season 2 will blend healing and prophecy, adding depth and humanity, per Gayle Rankin.

A new House of the Dragon season 2 star teases her powerful and prophetic character. Based on Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin, the Dance of the Dragons will kick off in full force in the second season of the Game of Thrones prequel series. By expanding its scope and scale, the second season is set to introduce several new power players, with the new House of the Dragon season 2 cast and characters including Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers.

In a recent profile by Town & Country Magazine, Gayle Rankin teased what to expect from her new character, Alys Rivers, in House of the Dragon season 2. Though she was careful not to reveal too much due to HBO's strict spoiler policy, the star says that her character's storyline is "quite contained" in season 2, but still "very wild." She went on to tease that Alys is "pretty prophetic" and "has a lot of power, too." Read her full comments below:

For as huge as it is, it's quite an intimate set. My particular storyline is quite, for the moment, contained. Contained, let's say—very wild, but contained... I'm obsessed with [Alys]. I've always given the opportunity to play people who are pretty prophetic, which is cool, but it's a lot of pressure! She's so fucking cool. I want to really ground her and find her humanity—I always try to find my way into that, but she has a lot of power, too. Just really exciting. I don't think we've seen half of it yet, so that will be fun.

Related House Of The Dragon Season 1 Ending Explained In Full The Dance of the Dragons is finally here, as the Targaryen Queen and King officially divide the realm through tragedies in HOTD's season 1 finale.

What To Expect From Alys Rivers In House Of The Dragon Season 2

Art by Hylora

Considering HBO's strict spoiler policy, Rankin isn't able to reveal much about her new House of the Dragon character. The only official description provided for Alys Rivers in the show is that she is "a healer and a resident of Harrenhal." In the show's source material, Fire & Blood, Alys is a powerful witch who has prophetic visions of the future and becomes an important ally for the Greens. As indicated by her surname, Alys is a bastard of House Strong who was born in Harrenhal, located in the Riverlands.

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Given the structure of Fire & Blood, there are many differing accounts about who Alys was. According to Mushroom's more scandalous account, Alys was a witch who wielded magical powers, though Septon Eustace's more straightforward account argues that Alys was nothing more than a simple-minded woods witch. Grand Maester Munkun's more scholarly account rejects both of these notions, claiming she was simply a healer at Harrenhal with an understanding of medicinal potions.

It sounds like House of the Dragon will incorporate elements of both Mushroom and Munkun's account by making Alys a healer. However, Rankin also says she is prophetic and powerful, which sounds closer to Mushroom's account, who also alleges that she used dark magic to stay youthful and saw visions in flames, similar to the priests of R'hllor. If the show incorporates this, Alys would be very similar to Melisandre from Game of Thrones. No matter what accounts are adapted in House of the Dragon, it's most important that Alys is a grounded character with humanity, as Rankin says.

House of the Dragon season 2 premieres June 16 on HBO. Season 1 is streaming on Max.

Source: Town & Country Magazine