George RR Martin Blasts 'Toxic' House of the Dragon Plot Moves

Author warns of 'larger and more toxic butterflies to come' in deleted blog post
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 5, 2024 7:08 AM CDT
Author Blasts 'Toxic' Plot Changes in House of the Dragon
Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen in a scene from "House of the Dragon."   (HBO Max via AP)

Author George RR Martin voiced his displeasure at aspects of HBO's House of the Dragon on Wednesday, and warned of "larger and more toxic butterflies to come," prompting HBO to respond. Martin first said he would describe "everything that's gone wrong" with the hit Game of Thrones prequel, based on his book Fire & Blood, on Aug. 30. Then in a Wednesday blog post, since deleted, Martin wrote that the choice to write out Prince Maelor, the toddler-aged son of Aegon and Helaena Targaryen, reduced the emotional impact of a pivotal scene involving Helaena and her children in the Season 2 premiere and will have larger repercussions in Seasons 3 and 4, per Variety. Be warned, there are spoilers ahead.

Martin, a co-creator and an executive producer of the series, said he argued against the omission of Maelor but showrunner Ryan Condal felt casting another young child would slow down production and add to the already large budget. Martin said he was told Maelor would show up later "so I withdrew my objections." Martin has since learned Maelor will not appear at all, a move that could prevent key moments from Fire & Blood from appearing on screen. For example, Maelor's death in Bitterbridge leads Prince Daeron Targaryen to sack the town in a scene that delivers "tension, suspense, action, bloodshed, a bit of heroism and a lot of tragedy," Martin wrote, per ComingSoon.net. He said Maelor's death is also important to understanding Helaena's suicide, to be portrayed in Season 3.

"The fact that he spoiled when Helaena will die could be the reason" Martin deleted his blog post hours after publishing it, Collider reports. The author had warned of more issues to come "if House of the Dragon goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated." In response, a rep for HBO said "the showrunner ultimately is required to make difficult choices about the characters and stories" but "Condal and his team have done an extraordinary job and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two seasons will continue to enjoy it." Condal himself commented on the loss of Maelor in a Wednesday podcast interview. "It did have a ripple effect," but the team tried "to make it a strength," he said, per CNN. (More House of the Dragon stories.)

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