Who Is Larys Strong in House of the Dragon? Meet Matthew Needham’s Character

The world of George RR Martin’s writings is full of some characters that tend to be quite politically motivated in their approach to life, and that holds true in House of the Dragon just as much as it did in Game of Thrones. In that regard, one of the characters that clearly had political motivations the moment he was introduced was Larys Strong, who initially looked like a harmless man but was shaping up to be a cunning operator. So, who is Larys Strong in House of the Dragon?

Larys Strong is the second son of Lord Lyonel Strong, who used to be the Master of Laws but is now the Hand of the King. He is called the Clubfoot due to a birth abnormality that makes it hard for him to walk. Although he is physically weak, he is a cunning man that knows how to manipulate people.

Many of Martin’s physically weak characters have always been some of the smartest, and that includes Larys Strong. Although it doesn’t seem like Larys has a large role to play early on in the series, he is going to become an important figure in the coming episodes and even in the future during the Dance of the Dragons. Now, let’s get to know more about Larys Strong in House of the Dragon.

Who Is Larys Strong?

Similar to Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon has a cast that focuses on a few central characters that are obviously the main focus points of the series. We are talking about the Targaryens, who are the main characters of House of the Dragon, considering that the series will explore the events before, during, and shortly after the Targaryen civil war or the Dance of the Dragons.

But while it might be true that House of the Dragon focuses heavily on the Targaryen dynasty and the different members of the family that are going to be important in the Dance of the Dragons, it is also worth mentioning that there are a lot of different supporting characters that may not be Targaryens but are important in the overall scheme of how the different events of this series unfold. One such character is Larys Strong.

At first, it didn’t appear that Larys Strong was going to be an important character, especially because he didn’t have a particularly striking debut when he first appeared in episode 3. But those who have been keeping an eye out for him, especially in episode 5, will be able to see that he will be an important character in the future. So, who exactly is Larys Strong?

Played by Matthew Needham, Larys Strong is the second son of Lord Lyonel Strong, who was introduced as early as the first episode as the Master of Laws but has since become the Hand of the King after King Viserys dismissed Otto Hightower from the post. He is also the younger brother of Ser Harwin Strong, who was the strongest and mightiest knight in the Seven Kingdoms during his time.

Unlike Harwin, who is a mighty man that’s stronger than almost anyone in the Seven Kingdoms during his peak, Larys is the complete opposite. That’s because he was born with a defect that caused one or both of his feet to be rotated inward and downward. Due to this birth defect, he is often called the Clubfoot. 

Larys is incapable of walking properly without the help of a cane, and that means that he isn’t the most physically capable man in the Seven Kingdoms. Despite this condition, Larys is shown to be quite close to his older brother Harwin, who is said to be a fierce protector of his brother. And it doesn’t appear that Harwin actually sees his brother in a different light despite the fact that he was born with this defect.

What Is Larys’ Role In House Of The Dragon?

It was during episode 3 that Larys Strong was introduced. He joined the king’s hunting party in the Kingswood during Aegon II’s second name day. However, because he himself admitted that he wasn’t physically capable of hunting together with the other men, he spent his time with the ladies in the queen’s tent. 

After that, it didn’t seem like Larys was going to be an important character. But that changed during the events of episode 5 when he grew to become quite familiar with Queen Alicent, who he clearly knew he could manipulate. And that’s how some of the most important events of the storyline developed.

It was in episode 5 when Larys met with Queen Alicent, who was praying in the weirwood tree in the Red Keep. Larys suggested that neither he nor Alicent belonged there, as the queen told him to quickly state his purpose. Of course, Larys wasn’t obvious in his approach, but he was clearly manipulating the queen against Rhaenyra when he suggested that the Grand Maester himself brought tea to the princess for some sort of an “illness.”

Of course, Alicent was already aware of what this tea was for. That’s because the tea was brought to Rhaenyra during the day when she was accused of having slept with Daemon Targaryen. And considering that Alicent confronted Rhaenyra about this but was told by her friend that nothing happened, she realized that the princess was lying and could no longer be trusted.

It was through Larys’ machinations that Alicent confronted Ser Criston Cole about what happened to Rhaenyra on the night of Daemon’s return to King’s Landing. Ser Criston, of course, thought that he was being questioned about what happened between him and Rhaenyra, and that’s why he admitted to having slept with the princess. And this was the final nail in the coffin for Alicent in relation to how she saw Rhaenyra.

As such, it was during the banquet for Rhaenyra’s betrothal to Laenor Velaryon that Alicent decided to wear a green dress instead of the usual Targaryen red and black color motif. And it was Larys and Harwin who talked about the significance of the green dress, as they both said that green is the color of the Hightower beacon whenever there’s war.

In that regard, it was clear that Larys Strong was manipulating Alicent as a rumor monger, as it was clear that he knew what the effects of his gossiping were going to be. He might not be a physically strong man, but the fact that he was able to showcase his cunning personality hiding under a seemingly harmless person makes him a dangerous character that should be important in the future events of House of the Dragon.