In the recent season finale of House of the Dragon, "The Black Queen," Rhaenyra was forced to deliver her stillborn child after first learning about the death of her father, King Viserys.
It was an upsetting scene, made even more disturbing by the fact that the princess and Daemon's daughter (named Visenya in the Fire and Blood novel) appeared to be a malformed human/dragon hybrid.
We only got a brief glimpse of the child in the episode, but Prosthetic Makeup Designer Barrie Gower (via SFFGazette) has now shared a much better look at the design via a rather horrific-looking silicone baby that was created for the show.
Check out the images below, along with a first look at the silicone model Gower worked on for the episode in which Daemon sliced Vaemond's head clean in half ("he can keep his tongue").
It's never really been properly explained why some Targaryen babies are born with dragon-like features (none have survived, that we know of), but Daenerys and Drogo's stillborn child Rhaego was said to have the same scales, wings and tail when he was delivered in the season 1 finale of Game of Thrones.
The prevailing theory is that Targaryens really do have "dragon blood" flowing in their veins, and their children look like this while being carried to term. This would explain why only premature births seem to exhibit reptilian appendages.
What did you guys make of the season finale of House of the Dragon and this hard-to-watch scene?
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.