House of the Dragon Episode 8 Preview Hints at Another Major Death

10/02/2022 10:51 pm EDT

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for House of the Dragon! Continue reading at your own risk... Sunday night's new episode of House of the Dragon brought even more twists and turns for fans. The episode delivered fake deaths, highly anticipated marriages, and the beginnings of a conflict that will turn into a war before the series comes to a close. The sneak peek for House of the Dragon's eighth episode suggests that the series isn't lifting its foot off the pedal, as it hints that another major character could be in trouble next week.

The trailer for next week's episode shows a couple of thrones without the normal bodies that occupy them. Otto Hightower is seen sitting on the Iron Throne, acting as a mouthpiece for King Viserys while he's away, though his whereabouts are never mentioned. We also see Rhaenys on the throne at Driftmark, and the voiceover reveals that Lord Corlys Velaryon, the Sea Snake, has suffered a "grave wound" while fighting in the Stepstones. You can check out the full preview below.

This preview doesn't ever actually show Corlys being injured, and we didn't see him suffer said injury during the seventh episode. So this is certainly a surprise, considering how important he is as a character. 

By not showing Corlys, however, House of the Dragon leaves all of the possibilities on the table. This injury could be as grave as suggested and cause him to lose his life. However, there's always the chance things may not be so dire.

Is Corlys Velaryon Dead?

Corlys is said to have a "grave" injury during the sneak peek, but the details of that injury are never revealed. That could mean any number of things, and we likely won't have a better idea until next week's episode. Fortunately, Fire & Blood does give us some idea of what could happen.

In the book that House of the Dragon is based on, Corlys doesn't die at this specific point in time. In fact, the Sea Snake sticks around throughout the entire Dance of the Dragons war that House of the Dragon has been building towards. He has a lot of story left to be told, so it would be a little surprising if this sneak peek doesn't turn out to be a red herring.

New episodes of House of the Dragon air on Sunday nights on HBO, and stream simultaneously on HBO Max.

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