House Of The Dragon's Lyanna Mormont Replacement Will Redeem One Of Game Of Thrones' Most Devastating Deaths

WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7 and George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood book, on which the show is based!

Summary Lord Oscar Tully exhibits a bold fierceness in House of the Dragon akin to Game of Thrones' Lady Lyanna Mormont, showcasing young leaders in Westeros.

Oscar Tully's bold actions mirror Lyanna Mormont's strength, as he navigates power dynamics in House of the Dragon without meeting a grim fate.

Oscar's defiance towards Daemon Targaryen sets him up as a fearless leader like Lyanna Mormont, pushing boundaries in the Dance of the Dragons.

House of the Dragon has its new replacement for Game of Thrones’ fan-favorite character Lady Lyanna Mormont in Lord Oscar Tully, whose fate will be a major departure from the original show’s Northern noble. Similar to the landscape of Westeros towards Game of Thrones’ ending, the casualties of war culminate in several important houses being led by young, green teenagers in House of the Dragon. However, as Lord Oscar Tully has already shown, their young ages don’t mean they’re any less fearsome in the Dance of the Dragons.

Just seconds into her first appearance in Game of Thrones season 6, the 10 or 11-year-old Lyanna Mormont proved to be one of the show’s boldest and fiercest characters. A true child of the North, Lyanna inheriting Bear Island at such a young age made others initially underestimate her lead until seeing her strength, courage, and sharp wit up close. Lyanna Mormont remained one of the most badass characters until her death in Game of Thrones season 8’s Battle of Winterfell, with Oscar Tully taking on a similar arc in House of the Dragon – but with a very different ending.

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How Oscar Tully Is Set Up As House Of The Dragon's Lyanna Mormont Replacement

Oscar Tully Has The Same Youthful Boldness & Strength As Lyanna Mormont

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While the teenage Oscar Tully is initially a tad more timid upon meeting Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon season 2, this is partially because the Prince asks him to kill his own grandfather. The next time Oscar and Daemon meet is after it’s implied that Alys Rivers killed Grover Tully, leading Oscar to inherit Riverrun as the new Lord Paramount of the Trident. When Daemon calls Oscar to pledge his loyalty and bannermen to his cause, the young Lord Tully has no fear in him, debuting a new confidence harking back to that of Lyanna Mormont.

Oscar’s scene at Harrenhal is greatly reminiscent of Lyanna Mormont’s courageous speech and actions in Game of Thrones’ season 6 finale.

In House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7, Oscar takes bold actions to ensure his new vassals see him as a strong leader, unable to be manipulated even by the crown, and a force to be reckoned with despite his age. Oscar becomes so bold in openly insulting Daemon that the Prince warns him to “mind [his] tongue,” and openly calls out other Riverlords regardless of their older ages and experience. In an incredible power play, Oscar orders Daemon to kill Willem Blackwood, earns the respect of his bannermen, and demonstrates his authority while pledging his loyalty to Daemon.

Related House Of The Dragon Repeats A Stark Decision That Led To The Red Wedding Lord Oscar Tully repeats a decision in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7 that ended up costing Robb Stark his life at the Red Wedding in GOT.

Oscar’s scene at Harrenhal is greatly reminiscent of Lyanna Mormont’s courageous speech and actions in Game of Thrones’ season 6 finale. Despite being among the youngest leaders in the room, Lyanna is the only Northerner to truly stand up for and defend Jon Snow, chastising the other lords for failing to heed House Stark’s call in their greatest time of need. It’s effectively Lyanna who convinces the other Northerners to follow Jon Snow and call him the King in the North, as she shames the older lords for abandoning their liege, forgetting their oaths, and essentially being cowards:

“Your son was butchered at the Red Wedding, Lord Manderly, but you refused the call. You swore allegiance to House Stark, Lord Glover, but in their hour of greatest need, you refused the call. And you, Lord Cerwyn, your father was skinned alive by Ramsay Bolton. Still, you refused the call. But House Mormont remembers. The North remembers. We know no king but the King in the North whose name is Stark. I don't care if he's a bastard. Ned Stark's blood runs through his veins. He's my king from this day until his last day.”

Oscar Tully Doesn't Die In House Of The Dragon's War (Unlike Lyanna In GOT)

Oscar Tully Won't Suffer The Same Grim Fate As Lyanna Mormont

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While Oscar Tully takes on a similar role to Lyanna Mormont in House of the Dragon, he won’t receive the same harsh fate as Game of Thrones’ Lady of Bear Island. Lyanna Mormont’s tragic death was yet another blow in season 8 regarding the many fan-favorite characters who died, and the majority of House of the Dragon’s characters will similarly perish throughout the Dance of the Dragons. However, Oscar Tully not only marches into war and leads some of the prequel’s most brutal battles, but he’s also one of the few to survive the Dance’s ending and the immediate aftermath.

In Fire & Blood, Oscar Tully, his brother Kermit Tully, and Lord Benjicot "Bloody Ben" Blackwood form "the Lads," a ruthless group of young Riverlords who fight for Rhaenyra in the Dance of the Dragons.

Unlike Lyanna, what happens to Oscar Tully in House of the Dragon is among the show’s better fates. He remains the Lord of Riverrun, helps to rebuild the Riverlands after its destruction in the war, and has much of his population replenished after many surviving Northern soldiers, the Winter Wolves, remain in the area. Since he appears to be replacing his older brother Kermit Tully from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book, who House of the Dragon seems to have cut, Oscar will also likely play a bigger role in the early post-war politics of King Aegon III Targaryen’s regency.

Related A New Stark Ancestor Suggests House Of The Dragon Has Cut GRRM’s Most Ridiculous Gag From The Books An ancestor of the Starks introduced in House of the Dragon season 2 suggests a hilarious joke from George R. R. Martin’s books has been omitted.

House Of The Dragon's Oscar Tully Brings Lyanna Mormont's Young Fearlessness Up A Notch

Oscar Tully Intentionally Tests The Fury Of The Rogue Prince

Lyanna Mormont had no fear of standing up to those older and more powerful than her, but she hadn’t gone so far as to risk the fury of a hot-headed Targaryen prince, emphasizing Oscar’s boldness. Daemon’s frequent impetuousness makes Oscar testing his limits more impressive, especially when calling the Prince “unworthy” and “loathsome.” It ultimately makes Daemon respect Oscar even more than before, but any other Riverlord saying that to him would likely have lost their head or been burned by Caraxes. After this scene, more daring moments from Oscar Tully are expected in the House of the Dragon.