Are the Targaryens in the House of the Dragon fireproof or not?

(Editor’s Note: This story contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 5.)

After a short teaser, House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 5 confirms that King Aegon II Targaryen survived the Battle of Rook’s Rest. However, the mediocre monarch is still seriously injured, and suffering from the kind of nasty wounds you get from the Game of Thrones franchise. He has broken bones, guts and burns — a lot of of burns. Which might make you think: Wait, aren’t Targaryens fireproof?

Maybe, and maybe not. It depends on which version of the canon we’re talking about. George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels are pretty clear on the subject, but Game of Thrones And House of the Dragon are definitely confusing. And thanks to all this conflicting information, the truth about Targaryens’ fire immunity is more complicated than dragon tails in a crowded hatchery. We’ve done our best to untangle it below!

Are the Targaryens in George RR Martin’s books fireproof?

No. According to Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books, Targaryens are resistant to fire — and much less sensitive to temperature than the average person — but not invulnerable to fire. Granted, this isn’t in the books themselves, but Martin has it in a post shared on the Citadel fansite back to november 1998.

“(S)ome fans read too much into the scene in Game of Thrones where dragons are born — which is to say, it has never been the case that all Targaryens are immune to all fire at all times,” he wrote. It’s as definitive a statement as they come, and matches what Martin shows us in the A Song of Ice and Fire books.

Sure, there’s Daenerys Targaryen’s “fire can’t kill a dragon” quote in A Game of Thronesafter her brother (and self-proclaimed dragon) Viserys dies by having molten gold poured over his melon. But Dany doesn’t mean it literally—she throws her brother’s hollow bravado back in his now-gilded face. What if Daenerys emerges unscathed (despite her bald scalp) from Khal Drogo’s funeral pyre later in the same book? This is indeed a case of a Targaryen walking through fire unscathed. However, Martin has made it clear that this was a one-time deal made possible by external, magical forces.

“No, no Targaryan is immune to fire,” said Martin explained in a 2003 interview. “The thing with Dany and the dragons, that was just a one-off magical event, very special and unique. The Targaryans can tolerate a little bit more heat than most regular people, they like really hot baths and things like that, but that doesn’t mean they’re completely immune to fire, no.”

Furthermore, there are plenty of unambiguous examples of Targaryens feeling the heat in Martin’s works. As noted above, Viserys is burned alive when Khal Drogo gives him his golden “crown,” and Dany’s hair turns to ash during her walk through the funeral pyre. She singes her hair by getting too close to Drogon’s dragonfire, and her hands by touching a spear he blew on, in A dance with dragons. House of the Dragonsource text of ‘s, Fire & Bloodalso includes several examples of Targaryens (including Aegon II) sustaining fire-related injuries.

Most of these ailments stem from dragon battles, though at least one is man-made (Prince Aerion Targaryen drank a cup of napalm-flavored Wildfire, as you do). I haven’t crunched the numbers, but I’d wager that more Targaryens die (or are seriously injured) by fire in Martin’s books than any other named character!

So don’t believe the Targaryen hype machine: the A Song of Ice and Fire novels are not fireproof.

Are the Targaryens fireproof in the Game of Thrones series?

The HBO adaptation differs from Martin’s books on this point, but the answer is still “yes and no.” Daenerys is — but every other Targaryen? Not so much.

Aside from the stunt with the pyre (which doesn’t even burn her hair like in Martin’s book), we see Dany shake off the fire several times without so much as a blister. Game of Thrones‘ eight-season run. She takes boiling baths, handles red-hot dragon eggs, has no problem standing next to Drogon’s fiery peasants, and sets a roomful of Dothraki warlords on fire without damaging anything but her outfit.

In contrast, Viserys suffers the same ignoble, heat-induced death in the series as in the books, and he also grimaces in pain when he was told earlier in the series that Game of Thrones‘ first season. This so-called “dragon” couldn’t be less fireproof if he tried. Jon Snow — a half-Targaryen, remember — is just as susceptible to burning. In Game of Thrones season 1 episode 8 jon burns his hand after throwing a lantern at a wight. clearly he is not fireproof either.

So as far as Game of Thrones Continuity-wise, Dany is the only fireproof Targaryen, and this quasi-superpower is symbolic of her “true” Targaryen nature. In this sense, showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have portrayed her as a “chosen one” (albeit in the Anakin Skywalker mold, as it turns out).

Are Targaryens (sometimes even) fireproof in the House of the Dragon?

While House of the Dragon is a prequel to the Game of Thrones TV series, it follows the books in terms of Targaryens and fire. (Hardly surprising, considering Martin co-created the show and is a hands-on executive producer.) The knock-on effect is that — as demonstrated in Season 2, Episode 4 — the likes of Aegon, Princess Rhaenys, and Prince Aemond are in grave danger when the fireworks start. They can handle a grazing wave of dragonfire, but a direct hit will send them flaming out.

That’s why Aegon is completely crunchy in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 5. It’s also why Daemon has visible burns elsewhere in the episode, and why potential dragon riders are cautious when approaching their future mounts throughout the series. If House of the DragonIf the Targaryens are playing with fire (or fire-breathers), chances are they’ll be toast, just like everyone else in Westeros. Well, everyone except Daenerys Targaryen over a century later — resulting in an odd inconsistency in the overarching franchise lore. (Though it’s hardly the only major change from that show.)

Is there a reason in the TV series that explains why Daenerys is the only fireproof Targaryen? Maybe. You could be attribute this discontinuity to the fact that dragonfire is more powerful than regular flames. It is certainly as hot as it can get, and can melt stone fortresses (such as Harrenhal). This would explain Aegon’s grilled state as context-specific; nothing less than a dragon can roast a “real” Targaryen (whatever that means) in the Game of Thrones universe.

Of course this is purely headcanon now, and Martin and House of the Dragon Co-creator/showrunner Ryan Condal could have a very different explanation in mind. But if they do, they haven’t shared it. And until they do, the reason why only one member of House Targaryen is truly, truly fireproof remains one of the show’s burning questions.