‘House of the Dragon’ Cast and Character Guide: Which Side Is Everyone on in Season 2?

The Dance of the Dragons heats up

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"House of the Dragon" Season 2 (HBO)

“House of the Dragon” is finally back for Season 2 and the many players in Westeros are deciding whether they’re siding on Team Black with Rhaenyra’s claim for the throne, or choosing Team Green in support of Aegon II and the dowager queen Alicent.

The season picks up after the bloody end of the Season 1 finale. The Dance of the Dragons civil war is about to hit a boiling point and Westeros is once again preparing to leave peace time for war.

Here’s a refresher on the cast and characters of “House of the Dragon” – and who is Team Black or Team Green – as Season 2 rolls out on HBO and Max.

Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen

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Matt Smith in “House of the Dragon” Season 2 (Photo Credit: HBO)

Team Black

Matt Smith plays Daemon Targaryen – the Rogue Prince – in “House of the Dragon.” The second season finds him at odds with his wife and queen Rhaenyra Targaryen following her son Luc’s death.

Smith is most known for playing the 11th Doctor in “Doctor Who.” He also played Prince Philip in Netflix’s “The Crown,” starred as Milo in “Morbius” and was Jack in “Last Night in Soho.”

Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen

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Emma D’Arcy in “House of the Dragon” Episode 10 (HBO)

Team Black

Emma D’Arcy plays Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen – who is trying to shore up allies in her bid for the Iron Throne while also grappling with the death of her son Luc at the hands of Aemond Targaryen.

D’Arcy has also starred in “Misbehavior,” “Mothering Sunday,” and “Truth Seekers.”

Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower

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Olivia Cooke in “House of the Dragon.” (Ollie Upton/HBO)

Team Green

Olivia Cooke plays Alicent Hightower, the dowager queen to her son Aegon II and widow of Viserys Targaryen. Season 2 picks up with her struggling to keep her sons in check as they gain power in King’s Landing.

Cooke starred as Art3mis in Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One.” She also starred in “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” “Thoroughbreds,” and “Sound of Metal.”

Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower

Team Green

Rhys Ifans plays Otto Hightower, Alicent’s father and Hand of the King to the late Viserys Targaryen and his grandson Aegon II.

Ifans has some bonafides in the fantasy/genre space starring as Curt Conners/The Lizard in “The Amazing Spider-Man” and Xenophilius Lovegood in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.” He’s also starred as Spike in “Notting Hill” and Nigel Gruff in “The Replacements.”

Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole

Fabien Frankel in "House of the Dragon" (HBO)
Fabien Frankel in “House of the Dragon” (HBO)

Team Green

Fabien Frankel plays Ser Criston Cole, the Commander of the Kingsguard and confidant to both Alicent and Aemond. He was previously in love with Rhaenyra, but when she rebuffed his pitch to run away together, he sided with Queen Alicent.

Frankel has also appeared in “The Serpent” miniseries and “Venice at Dawn.”

Eve Best as Rhaenys Targaryen

Team Black

Eve Best plays Rhaenys Targaryen, the Queen Who Never Was. She is the first cousin of the late Viserys I, but was passed over for the throne in favor of Viserys I.

Best starred in “Nurse Jackie” from 2009-2015. She also appeared in “The King’s Speech,” “Lucky Man,” and as Carole Middleton in the final season of “The Crown.”

Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon

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Steve Toussaint as The Sea Snake in “House of the Dragon” (HBO)

Team Black

Steve Toussaint plays The Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon, who is also married to Rhaenys Targaryen. He is the head of House Velaryon.

Toussaint has appeared in “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, in Prime Video’s “Small Axe,” and “Before We Die” from 2021-2023.

Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen

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Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen on “House of the Dragon.” (HBO)

Team Green

Ewan Mitchell plays Aemond Targaryen, the second son of Viserys and Alicent and brother to the king Aegon II. He lost his eye as a child at the hand of Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys.

Mitchell played Osferth in Netflix’s “The Last Kingdom from 2017-2022. He also appeared in “Saltburn” and “High Life.”

Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen

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Tom Glyn Carney in “HBO.” (Ollie Upton/HBO)

Team Green

Tom Glynn-Carney plays Aegon II, the eldest son of Viserys and Alicent and the current king on the Iron Throne.

Glynn-Carney has appeared in “Dunkirk,” “The King,” and “Tolkien.”

Harry Collett as Jacaerys “Jace” Velaryon

Team Black

Harry Collett plays Jacaerys “Jace” Velaryon, the eldest son to Rhaenyra Targaryen. Officially, his father was Leanor Velaryon who was gay, but rumors swirl that his real father was Rhaenyra’s secret lover Harwin Strong.

Collett has also appeared in “Dolittle,” “Dunkirk” and “Galavant.”

Matthew Needham as Larys Strong

Team Green

Matthew Needham plays Larys Strong, a spy for both Alicent and Aegon II in King’s Landing.

Needham has starred in “Napoleon,” and the Netflix horror film “The Ritual.” On the TV front he’s had a recurring role in “Doctor Who” and appeared in the “Great Expectations” mini-series and “Sherlock.”

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