‘House of the Dragon’ Showrunner Names Surprising Character to Rule Westeros

‘House of the Dragon‘ has spent three seasons demonstrating that no character near the Iron Throne is truly secure from ambition, betrayal, or madness. Following a Season 3 finale that left Rhaenyra Targaryen darker and more ruthless than ever, fans are left pondering whether anyone in Westeros can govern responsibly.

This question arose in a recent interview with showrunner Ryan Condal, who was directly asked who he would choose to rule Westeros in light of the chaos following the finale. Speaking on the Pilot TV podcast, Condal took a thoughtful seventeen seconds before revealing a choice that surprised even the interviewer.

Instead of selecting a Targaryen, Condal named Alicent Hightower as his top pick. He explained that no character in the series has experienced a wider range of power dynamics than her, as noted by Empire. This reasoning highlights Alicent’s journey throughout the series, from being Viserys’s queen and the mother of two kings to witnessing her influence wane as the conflict between the Blacks and Greens spiraled out of her control.

Condal didn’t stop with Alicent. When asked for another option, he suggested Lord Corlys Velaryon, humorously noting he was trying to choose someone who wasn’t blonde—a lighthearted jab at the Targaryen bloodline’s consistent unfitness for stable leadership throughout the series.

Condal’s rationale for selecting Alicent focuses less on her claim to the throne and more on her deep understanding of what it means to wield and lose power. Having spent years as a key figure in King’s Landing before her authority diminished amid the Greens’ internal struggles, Alicent’s arc has poignantly illustrated the personal costs of political maneuvering, a theme few other characters have experienced so intimately.

This logic also applies to Corlys, whose extensive experience as Lord of House Velaryon and a significant figure on Viserys’s original small council gives him a level of practical governing knowledge that many of the younger, more impulsive Targaryen claimants lack. Given how ambition and inexperience have consistently fueled the show’s central conflicts, Condal’s selections indicate a preference for stable, seasoned leadership over mere hereditary claims to power.

Condal’s insights come at a particularly significant moment in the series, following a finale that saw Rhaenyra become increasingly ruthless while Aegon’s unexpected survival disrupted the power balance. Given the show’s three-season critique of unchecked ambition among Targaryen claimants, Condal’s choice of Alicent and Corlys feels more like a thoughtful reflection of the story’s underlying themes than a casual hypothetical.

With Season 4 confirmed as the series’ concluding chapter and the conflict between the Blacks and Greens more fractured than ever, the question of who might be fit to rule Westeros will likely remain a central theme as the story approaches its climax.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!