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House of the Dragon’s coronation nearly involved much more death

The House of the Dragon coronation in episode 9 almost involved a lot more blood and guts and Rhaenys was involved. Here's why it didn't happen

Rhaenys in House of the Dragon

Every time there’s some big event, like a wedding or coronation, fans of the fantasy series Game of Thrones and its new prequel series House of the Dragon are braced for the worst. Such celebrations simply tend not to be very happy occasions in Westeros. So, no one will be too surprised to learn that the coronation in House of the Dragon episode 9 was nearly much, much more bloody.

Speaking in a conversation with Screen Rant, VFX supervisor Mike Bell said spoke about the coronation, and how Rhaenys‘s exit almost caused a lot more carnage. He spoke about how, initially, the character “plows” though the crowds of people on top of her dragon, resulting in the death of “thousands”.

Bell said “[The coronation in episode 9] was changed a little bit. Especially when Rhaenys exits, because we initially had shots where she exits and plows through thousands of people. And it was just like, “Well, that’s not really into the feeling of the character. There’s definitely a feeling like, “Is it okay that she’s just going through all this crowd?” We went high and then reduced it down. But in all that dust, there’s also people flying and somersaulting. I think if you paused it, you might be able to count them. It’s hundreds, maybe thousands.”

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That’s easy to believe, and fans are more than used to the death of innocents, especially in King’s Landing. However, Bell’s reason for the change also makes plenty of sense, and it may have stuck out as something that wasn’t necessarily in line with how the character had acted for the rest of the season.

For more on House of the Dragon, check out our guide to the best House of the Dragon characters. Or, do a deep dive with our explainers on Daemon, Alicent, Rhaenyra, Ser Criston Cole, and Larys Strong.