House of the Dragon serves as the prequel to the critically-acclaimed HBO series Game of Thrones. The latest series centers on House Targaryen, set 200 years before Daenery's Targaryen was born and became the mother of dragons.
It's no secret that the show is a prequel, which means that fans can rule out the possibility of seeing beloved Game of Thrones characters like Arya, Brienne, and Jon Snow. However, there is only one character that could undoubtedly return in the series, and that is no other than Melisandre, widely known as the Red Woman.
Who is Melisandre in Game of Thrones?
Melisandre is one of the many grey characters in Game of Thrones. In fact, her backstory wasn't even explored throughout the eight-season run of the show. The only thing we know about Melisandre is that she is loyal to the Lord of Light, who chose King Stannis Baratheon to take the Iron Throne. Melisandre's loyalty took her to the far lengths that ended with her wickedly swaying Stannis to sacrifice his only daughter, little Shireen Baratheon to the Lord of Light believing that it would pave the way to the Iron Throne. Following Shireen's demise, Melisandre was seemingly remorseful about her decisions and accidentally stumbled upon Jon Snow, whom she claimed as The Prince That Was Promised. She went on to serve Jon Snow until she was also banished.
However, one surprising key detail that completely shocked the fans was when Melisandre revealed in Season 6 Episode 1 titled The Red Woman her true identity, a 400-year-old woman. Apparently, giving birth to a shadowy figure wasn't her only trick, and the red choker plays a significant part in preserving her youthful identity.
Melisandre might be good as dead after she walked out into the snowy wilderness in her real 400-year-old form, and graciously faced death after The Great War ceased. Now, knowing that House of the Dragon is a prequel set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, with Melisandre existing for more than 400 years, this possibly means that she might already be 200 years old in the House of the Dragon timeline.
How Melisandre Could Return in House of the Dragon
Of course, only George R.R. Martin knows if Melisandre will indeed make an appearance in House of the Dragon. However, in the source material Fire & Blood, Melisandre wasn't even mentioned once. But that doesn't totally mean that she can no longer make an appearance in the prequel as Martin is famously known for altering some parts from the book to surprise the audience.
But if Lady Melisandre will return in the House of the Dragon, it might be the perfect opportunity to shed some light on her origin story and how she developed such dark mystical powers that aided both Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow during The Great War. It would also be delightful to see how she got entangled with the Lord of Light, whom she was bizarrely enchanted with.
More amazingly, Melisandre actress Carice van Houten has also teased her return after she reposted a fan's Instagram story, casually reminding everyone that Melisandre is centuries old.
Nonetheless, if The Red Woman fails to have an appearance in House of the Dragon, maybe we'll see her in Kit Harington's Jon Snow spinoff.
House of the Dragon is available to stream on HBO Max.
Also read: House of the Dragon: Is Alicent More Evil Than Cersei?
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