‘House of the Dragon’: Paddy Considine Reveals What’s Causing Viserys’ Skin Lesions
Throughout House of the Dragon, Paddy Considine’s character appears to be suffering from some mysterious illness. Whatever King Viserys is sick with causes wounds on his skin that refuse to heal. House of the Dragon fans have speculated on the cause, but Considine recently confirmed what is causing Viserys’ skin lesions.
[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Episode 4.]
Viserys is sick with a mysterious illness in ‘House of the Dragon’
King Viserys is sick with an unnamed illness in House of the Dragon. At the beginning of the series, his symptoms appear to be nothing more than a small injury that refuses to heal. However, the King is getting worse as the season continues.
Nearly four years have gone by between episodes 1 and 4. By episode 4, Viserys rests in a bathtub, and Alicent helps bathe him. Later, when the pair are having sex, the scene shows that Viserys’ back is covered with sores. He is also missing two fingers.
Paddy Considine recently revealed what is causing Viserys’ skin lesions
Fans of House of the Dragon have speculated about what could be afflicting Viserys, from greyscale to hemophilia. While appearing on an episode of Entertainment Weekly’s West of Westeros podcast, Paddy Considine revealed that the King has a “form of leprosy.”
“His body is deteriorating, his bones are deteriorating. He is not actually old. He’s still a young man in there. He’s just, unfortunately, got this thing that’s taken over his body,” Considine said. “It becomes a metaphor for being king, and the stress and strain that it puts on you, and what it does to you physically, what it does to you mentally.”
According to the World Health Organization, leprosy is an infectious bacterial disease that causes skin lesions and nerve damage. It’s an age-old disease described in ancient literature, including the Bible. If left untreated, leprosy can lead to paralysis and blindness. Today, it’s curable with antibiotics, but those aren’t around in House of the Dragon.
Is Viserys going to die?
In George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, Viserys meets his end by dying peacefully in his sleep at 52 years old. The books never mention the King suffering from any illness, so the HBO series may deviate from the source material.
While leprosy isn’t necessarily fatal, it could be the reason for Viserys’ death in House of the Dragon. It’s also worth noting that in Martin’s books, Viserys death kicks off the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.
Despite Viserys’ wish that Rhaenyra would claim the Iron Throne, her half-brother Aegon II gains a faction of supporters who want to see him become King. House of the Dragon will likely dive into the war, which means Viserys will meet his end in one way or another.
House of the Dragon airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
