House Of The Dragon - Every Main Character Ranked From Worst To Best

Steve Toussaint's take on the legendary Sea Snake Corlys Velaryon is a formidable warrior and a figure of great influence in Westeros, commanding the greatest navy in the realm. Never shy to speak his mind on the Small Council in the early goings of proceedings, the charismatic Lord of Driftmark freely criticizes Paddy Considine's Viserys concerning the conflict in the Stepstones, in the face of what he perceives to be inaction from the crown.

Corlys is utterly implacable in his desire to further the Velaryon's status - seeing them as unjustly subservient to the other ancient Valyrian house, the Targaryens. In addition to trying to marry Viserys to his then twelve year old daughter, the Lord of Driftmark has revealed himself to be content to have people on the Throne entirely unrelated to his bloodline, as long as they bear the Velaryon name. While this is an intriguing storyline, it simultaneously throws the nature of his morality into some questionable grey areas.

With that being said, Corlys is always wise enough to ultimately listen to his wife Rhaenys - additional plaudits must be bestowed on the superb chemistry that this relation is endowed with by Toussaint and Eve Best. This eventually culminates in his setting aside of his retribution concerning the perceived involvement of Rhaenyra in the death of his son Laenor, and throwing the support of Driftmark's navy behind the Black Queen's cause. Despite his near death experience after sustaining a grievous wound, the Sea Snake's role in proceedings is far from done.