7 House of the Dragon villains ranked from bad to absolutely terrible
7. Craghas Drahar, a.k.a. the Crabfeeder
The Crabfeeder has a minimal role in House of the Dragon, but he’s the primary villain in the War for the Stepstones that Daemon and Corlys fight in. Though it would’ve been fun to see more of him (and his grotesque appearance), the show doesn’t dive too deep into the character and instead uses him as a plot device. The war continues for a long time and by the third episode, the Targaryens and Velaryons are losing. But all it takes for Daemon to step up is his brother swooping in to try and help.
Determined to prove that he doesn’t need Viserys’ help, Daemon is finally able to slay the Crabfeeder in a fantastic sequence at the end of the episode. The inclusion of the Crabfeeder really is all about Daemon, to develop him as a character and to give us insight into his relationship with Viserys.
Maybe if the show focused more on the Crabfeeder, he’d be higher on this list. But for as much as we see him in the series, he’s alright.
6. Aemond Targaryen
Aemond is, like many House of the Dragon characters, extremely complicated. He might’ve had such a different trajectory if he wasn’t bullied as a child and didn’t get his eye cut out. But after the time jump, he’s much different. He’s cold, rigid, and keeps to himself. It wasn’t surprising when fans started comparing him to Daemon. Because of his childhood, he mocks his nephews and isn’t eager to make amends.
In the season 1 finale of House of the Dragon, Aemond starts on a more prominent role as a villain. However, the series deviates from the book in a way that left fans disappointed. In the original story, Aemond deliberately pursues his nephew Lucerys while they’re flying on their dragons, leading to Lucerys being killed by Vhagar. As a result, Aemond is branded a kinslayer.
In contrast, the show portrays Lucerys’ death as more of an accidental occurrence caused by Aemond. I personally wished that the show had emphasized Aemond’s villainous identity more strongly. If they had done so, perhaps he would have ranked higher on this list. But either way, Aemond’s a villain to the Blacks moving forward, no matter if Lucerys’ death was an accident or not.