House of the Dragon's Season 1 finale may introduce a terrifying new dragon

While the beasts haven’t received much screentime throughout House of the Dragon Season 1, there’s no denying that the HBO series has already featured its fair share of dragons.

From Vhagar to Syrax, House of the Dragon has spotlighted more dragons in its first nine episodes than its HBO parent series, Game of Thrones, ever did. And as fans of Fire & Blood, the 2018 novel that inspired House of the Dragon, will already know, the number of dragons featured in the show will likely grow quite a bit in its second season.

The teaser trailer for the Season 1 finale even features a moment when Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) sings to a dragon that doesn’t look like the others we’ve seen. While there are several canonical dragons it could be, some fans believe they’ve already determined the identity of the terrifying reptile.

A New Dragon — In Fire & Blood, it’s noted that three wild dragons live on Dragonstone when the Dance of the Dragons, the internecine Targaryen conflict House of the Dragon is bringing to life, began. Two were known as Sheepstealer and the Grey Ghost, while the third was dubbed The Cannibal due to its habit of eating dead and newborn dragons, as well as dragon eggs.

The Cannibal was a black dragon with green eyes. It’s hard to make out the color and overall appearance of the dragon Daemon approaches in the Episode 10 trailer, but its wild, crooked teeth certainly give it an even more menacing vibe than many of the other dragons featured up to this point.

Introducing “The Cannibal” — It’s noted in Fire & Blood that the Cannibal never bonded with a rider. Therefore, should Daemon seek out the creature in Episode 10, it seems safe to assume that nothing major will come from their interaction.

However, Episode 10 is expected to be the installment where the Dance of the Dragons finally begins. If so, it would be thematically appropriate for the episode to briefly spotlight the Cannibal. The Dance, after all, is a conflict where the Targaryens and their dragons begin to slaughter each other.

What better way could there be to symbolically foreshadow upcoming events than by introducing a dragon that devours its kin?

The Inverse Analysis — Fire & Blood readers will have to wait for House of the Dragon Episode 10’s premiere to find out whether the dragon featured in the trailer is indeed the Cannibal. There are several notable dragons it could be instead, including Vermithor.

But if it is the Cannibal, that means House of the Dragon is about to introduce a dragon unlike any other that fans have seen.

The Season 1 finale of House of the Dragon premieres Sunday, October 23 on HBO.