The Biggest Differences And Similarities Between House Of The Dragon And Game Of Thrones

"Game of Thrones" is one of the most popular TV shows of all time, so returning to the world in which it's set made perfect sense for HBO. Set 200 years prior to the events of the original show, "House of the Dragon" tells the story of the Targaryen family, the dragon-riding Valyrians that ruled Westeros for three centuries. While the world, aesthetic, and overall tone of the shows are quite similar, "House of the Dragon" diverges from its predecessor in a number of ways. It's a slower and more intimate show driven by political intrigue and in-family fighting, as opposed to the much larger-scale action of "Game of Thrones."

That makes sense given when the prequel series is set. The reign of King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) and the so-called "Dance of the Dragons" civil war take place long before the White Walkers approach the Wall. While Aegon the Conqueror's Song of Ice and Fire still casts a shadow over the events of "House of the Dragon," the bigger supernatural elements of the franchise are generally kept in the background.

And yet, the newer series goes to great lengths to remind you of its predecessor. It uses the same theme song and features the same brand of shocking deaths. Even the costumes, sets, and overall image of Westeros are nearly identical to those in "Game of Thrones," despite the major timeline divide. Here are the biggest similarities between "House of the Dragon" and "Game of Thrones," as well as their biggest differences. Spoilers ahead.

If you were to show someone five minutes of a random "Game of Thrones" episode and the first five minutes of a random "House of the Dragon" episode back-to-back, they likely wouldn't be able to tell you that they're watching different shows. Even if you showed them the intro sequences side-by-side, the only giveaway would be the cards proclaiming two different titles. From Ramin Djawadi's Emmy-winning musical score to the look and feel of the Red Keep, most of the aesthetic touches that defined the first show are still present — largely unaltered — in the prequel.

That's not to say that there aren't changes. The biggest difference is probably the pervasive dragon imagery in House Targaryen's domain, which is understandably done away with after Robert's Rebellion. And, of course, some things are tweaked, like the specific details of the Kingsguard uniform. But unless you're a student of costume design or George R.R. Martin history, you probably won't notice.

"House of the Dragon" may take place hundreds of years before "Game of Thrones," but you wouldn't know that by looking at it. Whether that's a good or bad thing is a matter of opinion. On one hand, the familiar production design remains gorgeously detailed, making it easy to escape into the world of the show. On the other hand, it might have been nice to see a bit more distinction between the two eras, even if the culture and technology of Westeros don't change that much. At the very least, "House of the Dragon" introduces a bit more diversity into the world of Westeros, which is nice to see.

It's no secret that "Game of Thrones" didn't earn many gold stars in the queer representation department. Renly Baratheon — described in the books as the spitting image of Robert in his battle-ready prime — is reduced to a pretty egregious gay stereotype in the HBO series. His lover, Loras Tyrell, is later put on trial for his sexuality and killed without ever raising his sword. As of the end of George R.R. Martin's "A Dance with Dragons," Loras is still alive after single-handedly spearheading a successful assault on Dragonstone. Daenerys Targaryen herself is also suggested to be bisexual in the novels and has intimate moments with other women, though that detail was changed in the show. Yikes.

"House of the Dragon" fares a bit better with its own attempts at LGBTQ+ representation, but it continues to stumble. The show's first gay couple — Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan) and Ser Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod) — is introduced in Episode 5. By the end of that episode, Ser Joffrey has been beaten to a bloody pulp by Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). Admittedly, Laenor goes on to find a new love in Ser Qarl Correy (Arty Froushan), and they escape together to live in presumed happiness after faking Laenor's death. But it's still hard not to see Joffrey's brutal murder as a reminder of this franchise's history with fridging. Hopefully, the show can do better in the future.

As you might expect from a fantasy series inspired by the patriarchal systems of medieval Europe, "House of the Dragon" features its fair share of violence against women. Your mileage may vary on how acceptable or necessary you feel those depictions are. You could argue that the story the show is trying to tell requires a level of intensity and brutality. You could also argue that, after the multiple rape scenes in "Game of Thrones," it might have been a good idea to ease off the gas a bit here.

To be fair, "House of the Dragon" Season 1 doesn't feature any actual scenes of sexual assault. Before the series even premiered, executive producer Sara Hess claimed that "we do not depict sexual violence in the show," which is true (per Vanity Fair). The aftermath of assault is dealt with at different points, but it's not depicted on screen — a step in the right direction but also a low bar. However, we still get plenty of graphic scenes involving women in pain, including bloody miscarriages, wives being murdered, and multiple women dying while giving birth.

Again, how necessary or egregious these scenes are is up for debate, but make no mistake about the kind of show this is. Just like "Game of Thrones" before it, "House of the Dragon" puts its female characters through the wringer.

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If you thought that the middle of the Targaryen Dynasty would be a less violent period for Westeros than the "Game of Thrones" timeline, think again. All your favorite ways to die are back and bloodier than ever: Being burned to death by dragonfire, getting mauled in a melee, having your skull bashed in by Criston Cole (this happens on multiple occasions). In fact, one could make the case that "House of the Dragon" goes even further in its grotesque depictions of death, possibly in an effort to one-up its notorious predecessor.

At this point, everybody should know what kind of show they're watching. For eight long seasons, "Game of Thrones" killed characters with reckless abandon, and "House of the Dragon" keeps that trend going strong. Nothing, not even being an innocent child, can spare you from the show's wanton violence, and that's a big part of what makes the show so dramatic. But if you come into the prequel series expecting less gore, you'll quickly learn to look elsewhere.

While a good portion of the characters in "House of the Dragon" are morally gray, plenty are completely evil — just like many of the villains in "Game of Thrones." If you lamented the deaths of deplorable characters like Joffrey Baratheon and Ramsay Bolton, you might be a danger to yourself and others, but you'll also be happy to see similarly grotesque bad guys parading through the prequel.

The most obvious culprits in the "evil for the sake of evil" sweepstakes are Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), two of Alicent's children. We barely get to see either of them interact with their father, but it's understood from the get-go that Aegon is a bad person. Aemond gets a bit more motivation in the form of childhood bullying, but even that doesn't quite justify the level of evil to which he rises. In brief, both of the Targaryen lads are pretty wretched, and the elder brother doesn't really get any justification for his behavior.

Other characters of mildly more explained evil come and go. Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) repeatedly claims to have the best interests of the realm in mind, but it's pretty clear that his only real interest is seating his progeny on the Iron Throne. And then, of course, there's Daemon — a man who appears at points to be at Rhaenyra's service, but who proves time and again to be a deeply violent and self-interested person.

Like "Game of Thrones" before it, "House of the Dragon" takes place in a world run by information. The kings, lords, and knights of Westeros are rarely the ones calling the shots. Rather, it's the people hiding in the shadows — the brokers of secrets — who make the wide world of fire and blood turn.

Littlefinger gets a pretty direct replacement in the form of Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), who asserts his own penchant for dastardly behavior early on by murdering his own brother and father. Larys gets a Varys-esque rival in King's Landing madam Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), aka the White Worm. From her perch in Flea Bottom, Mysaria sees all things in and around the Red Keep, and she leverages that information to great effect. Though it's suggested that Mysaria might be dead by Larys' hand at the end of "House of the Dragon" Season 1, she's almost surely still alive and kicking.

Just like in "Game of Thrones," these characters wield a tremendous amount of sway in the story. As the Dance of the Dragons continues to pick up steam, they'll likely become even more important to Rhaenyra's Blacks and King Aegon's Greens.