HBO has released new trailers for House of the Dragon season 2. This is what the two trailers mean and the reason for releasing multiple.

HBO’s House of the Dragon has released two “dueling trailers” for its upcoming season 2, one for Team Green and one for Team Black. The show’s first season was primarily set up, establishing the two factions in the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. These events take place nearly two hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones but are pivotal in establishing the world as it’s known in the original show. The sides have been split into “Green” and “Black” factions, representing Rhaenyra Targaryen and Aegon II in their claims to the Iron Throne.

The Game of Thrones prequel premiered in 2022 to critical acclaim, making its return one of the most-anticipated television releases of 2024. The eight-episode House of the Dragon season 2 premieres on HBO on Sunday, June 16, and will see an all-out war erupt in Westeros. The battle lines have been drawn between the Green and Black sides, and the noble houses of Westeros must now swear their allegiance to their favored Targaryen monarch. With the way HBO is marketing the series, it seems that audiences are also intended to choose their own side.

House Of The Dragon Season 2’s Black & Green Trailers Are Smart Meta Marketing

House of the Dragon’s trailers play off the show’s natural discourse, with fans choosing their preferred side.

The Max YouTube channel released the Official Green Trailer and the Official Black Trailer, one for each Targaryen faction in the series. It’s clever marketing to increase the hype, enforcing the idea that neither faction is good or bad and playing off the notion that audiences will like to choose their own side to support. Season 1 had a natural discourse form around the two sides, with viewers impassioned by the moral dilemmas posed by choosing either side. The House of the Dragon season 1 ending left many leaning toward Rhaenyra and the Black faction, but things could easily change.

House of the Dragon isn’t the first title to utilize such a marketing tool. In the 2010s, buzz surrounded franchises like Twilight and The Hunger Games as fans were divided, choosing their favorable outcome for each film series’ central love triangle. After the cultural phenomenon of “Barbenheimer” in 2023, companies are realizing the sheer power of the internet, word of mouth, and authentic discussion in marketing their media. It’s a genius strategy by HBO to lean into House of the Dragon’s discourse, building anticipation for the sophomore season.

House Of The Dragon Season 2’s Black & Green Trailers Set Up The Dance Of The Dragons

House of the Dragon’s trailers also set up the season’s main narrative, the Targaryen civil war.

While the House of the Dragon season 2 trailers offer genius marketing, they also play up the central aspect of the show’s narrative: the Dance of the Dragons has begun. Westeros is torn between two sides, and war will ravage the country as Rhaenyra and Aegon contend for the throne. Viewers know that the previous monarch, Viserys Targaryen, intended for Rhaenyra to sit the Iron Throne, trusting her with Aegon’s prophecy. However, Alicent interpreted his final words differently, believing that Aegon II was the intended heir.

With Aemond killing Lucerys Velaryon in the season 1 finale, war is now inevitable. The trailer shows both sides prepared for the conflict, with armies mobilized, alliances forming, and main characters vocalizing their motivations for the upcoming conflict. Team Green is composed of Alicent Hightower, Otto Hightower, Aegon II, Aemond, and Criston Cole, who currently rule the Seven Kingdoms from King’s Landing. Team Black consists of Rhaenyra, Daemon, Corlys Velaryon, and Rhaenys Targaryen, who oppose the Greens from their seat of power on Dragonstone.

What House Of The Dragon’s Black & Green Trailers Reveal

House of the Dragon’s trailers reveal new characters and dragons for the first time.

There are several reveals in both House of the Dragon season 2 trailers. Aegon II has fully embraced his faction, swapping the traditional Targaryen black-and-red color scheme for green colors. This corresponds to the green sigil of House Hightower, as Alicent and Otto are seen as the primary representatives of their side. A rivalry between Aemond and Daemon is further teased, both Otto and Alicent reveal insights into their reasonings heading into season 2, and Aegon II is seen growing more comfortable in his new position of power, with his dragon Sunfyre shown fully grown for the first time.

The Team Black trailer begins with Rhaenyra mourning their losses from season 1, but the action quickly picks up. Jacaerys Velaryon is shown delegating with an important new character, Cregan Stark, conversing atop the Wall to bring the North over to the side of Rhaenyra’s faction. Daemon and other dragonriders are seen suited up in combat, beginning their war effort in Westeros. The assassins Blood & Cheese are also shown in a brief clip. House of the Dragon season 2 is amping up the action, and it all looks incredibly exciting.