7 years after the controversial Game of Thrones season 8, new play The Mad King might answer a major question about Daenerys Targaryen.
The following will contain spoilers for the play, so turn back now if you don't want to know the details!
GamesRadar+ attended the new play, which has just opened in the UK's Stratford-Upon-Avon, and we learned more about the circumstances surrounding Daenerys's birth. Her father, the Mad King himself Aerys Targaryen, believes that the prophesied Prince that was Promised – who will unite the realm against the threat of the White Walkers, as foreseen by Aegon the Conqueror – must be a third-born child. Aerys already has two children, Rhaegar and Viserys, when a red star appears in the sky. Believing it to be an omen, Aerys demands his wife Rhaella be brought to him. The resulting child is Daenerys.
However, Aerys is a cruel and abusive husband. Rhaella, crying out in rage after the Kingsguard come to take her to him, says that she does not want to birth the prophesied prince, but rather the "scourge of the world," and "a vengeful daughter, whose wrath will return dragons and set the realm ablaze."
Now, in both George R.R. Martin's books and the TV shows, Daenerys brings dragons back to the world by hatching her three eggs in Khal Drogo's funeral pyre. Arguably, this is born of Daenerys's wrath, considering one of the sacrifices she makes to bring her dragons to life is Mirri Maz Duur, the midwife who tricked her into a magical bargain that killed her husband and unborn son. So, that portion of Rhaella's desperate wish is fulfilled.
However, what's not clear is whether Daenerys will fulfil an apocalyptic role in Martin's books, as she does in Game of Thrones season 8. In the final season, Daenerys burns King's Landing to the ground with her dragon Drogon, before claiming the throne (and being murdered by Jon Snow shortly afterwards). Whether Daenerys's book storyline will mirror the show and end in the Mother of Dragons breaking bad and burning King's Landing is still a matter of debate among A Song of Ice and Fire fans.
The Mad King, then, seems to support those who argue that Daenerys will indeed burn King's Landing in Martin's novels, should they ever be completed.
Though, prophecies often trip up Martin's characters, so it's possible this is another red herring. After all, there's a lot of leeway in "set the realm ablaze" – this could be figurative, referring to Daenerys burning down the old structure of power in Westeros, for example. Or, it could refer to riding her dragons into battle. And, Rhaella is overcome with emotion and could simply be screaming her own desires, which don't reflect on her future daughter at all. It doesn't necessarily mean we can expect Mad Queen Dany in the books. (Personally, I've always sided with the theory that King's Landing will burn thanks to Cersei and the wildfire caches).
Plus, Martin has been clear before that only his novels are canon. While the play was made with his involvement, it's still only really a semi-canon source – though we can assume that, like the TV show, it gives us big hints about what's to come in The Winds of Winter and beyond.
So, we can't say for sure if Daenerys will go full dracarys in the books and burn King's Landing and all its people… but Rhaella's words certainly lend credence to the theory that her book arc will mirror what became of the Mother of Dragons in the TV show.
Game of Thrones: The Mad King is playing at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from now until September 5, 2026. For more on the play, check out our guide to 16 things we learned about Game of Thrones from The Mad King.
You can keep up to date with the world of Westeros with our guide to all the upcoming Game of Thrones movies and TV shows.
