What Did Viserys Targaryen Look Like In The Books 😨

This short uses evidence from Fire & Blood.

A Game of Thrones theory explained, prepare for The Winds of Winter release date with a theory video of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series and something to think about while waiting for HBO's House of the Dragon Season 2.

[TheVPumpkin]

Viserys was kind and jolly, but he was no doormat… He was the last rider of Balerion. Even if it was Balerions last year alive, that is no small feat

[anthonyufert]

GRRM said he prefers Paddy’s portrayal of Viserys I instead of his own. Paddy gives a bravura performance so it’s understandable.

[erickonami]

George RR Martin said that Paddy's performance as Viserys was so good he wish he could've went back changed Fire and Blood to make improvements to Viserys's character (Please george don't do that we need the winds of winter)

[ericjohnson]

Viserys I: Violence is never the answer.
Robert: It's the question and the answer is yes.

[jsb]

The showrunners gave Viserys a level of depth and complexity that was lacking in the books. Excellent portrayal by Paddy

[Tabaluca]

And they made him an even deeper and better character in the show

[johnhein]

Him climbing the stairs to sit his throne while dying of disease to show his reign isn't over just yet, is probably the most badass moment on the show.

Feels like a real historical moment.

[ifeeldead]

Nah, he amd Robert are two different men. They're both in for a good time but Viserys' idea of a good time is feasts and music while Robert would be happy if someone locked him in a bar full of strippers and threw away the key. Hell, Viserys is more of a "No, stop fighting!" while Robert is ripping his shirt off and throwing himself into the fight with glee

[raspyraspberries]

Series Viserys seems to be a generally good man, his dynamic with his family was genuine and wholesome and his love for Rhaenera showed how good a father he is. I still hate Alicent for clouding his judgement though.

[kylelyle]

I wouldn’t say Robert was a peaceful man who hated conflict… the only time Robert ever felt alive was when he was killing.

[Scripzure]

uh, how could you say Robert hated conflict? didnt he LOVE fighting??

[leonvoelker]

He sounds like a better and friendlier version of Robert as king. Atleast how they are both described in this short.

[jaqjynx]

I know it’s not how he was described in the book, but Paddy C did such an amazing job of portraying Viserys that he’s what I picture now.

[allthatihave]

They way they portrayed him on the show was a good change wasn’t outlandish but just right I liked his time on the screen

[isaacgraham]

Yeah, Show!Viserys really was a deeper, more complex and fully developed character than the Viserys from Fire & Blood, I would definitely agree.

The only thing we get in the books that’s missing in the series is context on their childhood and upbringing. Like, there’s the fact that Viserys and Daemon’s mother died in childbirth when they were VERY young, and their father was Hand and basically running the kingdom for a very old King Jahaerys. And then their father died at a pretty young age and before Jahaerys, which is what led to Viserys being named heir and subsequently King while still quite young. We only touch on the very end of that story in the series, but it’s extremely significant. Viserys and Daemon’s mother was a really cool and bold woman who would take her babies on dragonback in like a sling, too!

[natalielawyerchick]

This was one of the few times that the shows portrayal was better than the book. Paddy was a masterpiece

[yxxngz]

even tho most of the fandom dislikes viserys i genuinely can’t, maybe it was the way paddy played him but for me, vizzy t is impossible to hate LOL

[melissaisloud]

Viserys was always in conflict between his role as a father and his role as a monarch. I believe her truly wanted the best for his family and his realm. He just couldn’t manage to feed into the one role well enough without the other role coming up lacking.

[blakeandthecake]

Robert didn’t hate conflict, in fact he loved it, it’s what made him feel alive and what gave him joy, that’s why he hosts so many tornies and hunts, to try and capture even a glimpse of that feeling he had during his rebellion. He just understands that war would be bad for anybody who isn’t a high borne lord, so he avoids it as best he can. We think of Robert as someone with low impulse control, but he very easily could’ve started many wars over his time of peace, and yet avoided conflict as much as he could (except for when it came to Targaryens)

[foolsgold]

Honestly I feel like Robert was more like Aegon the unworthy, just not as bad. He does everything Aegon IV did, he cheats on his wife, hates his children, father's a bunch of bastards, and bankrupts the realm. The only difference is that he was kinda cool to the end