'House of the Dragon' finale bucks shock death trend with character's shock survival

House of the Dragon has aired its much-anticipated season one finale and turned the trend for shock deaths on its head - with a shock survival for one character.

The series is a prequel to Game Of Thrones, which was known for its ruthless killing off of characters, but this time the George RR Martin adaptation surprised fans by saving a character who appeared to be doomed instead.

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Lord Corlys Velaryon, played by Steve Touissant, was said to have been mortally wounded two episodes ago, sparking a squabble for the Driftwood Throne between his relatives.

Vaemond Velaryon was brutally killed in his attempt at a power grab, leaving Lucerys Velaryon in line for the throne, but a surprise scene during the finale showed Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) by her husband Corlys’ sickbed who may not have been well, but was certainly alive.

Corlys then went to visit Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and pledged allegiance to her, bolstering their fight against Alicent Hightower’s Greens.

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Viewers were surprised to see his recovery, but pleased that he had survived.

One person tweeted: "Lord Corlys is alive. Eat that."

Another fan added: "CORLYS ALIVE THATS MY G YAS"

Someone else wrote: "Corlys is alive. I thought this dude was dead this entire time."

One viewer welcomed Toussaint's character back, tweeting: "Lord Corlys, you have been missed!"

Someone else commented: "Lord Corlys really came back outta nowhere."

Another fan wrote: "Shoutout to Lord Corlys for coming through in that episode though."

House of the Dragon fans had to be careful to avoid spoilers for the finale after the episode was leaked online two days before it was due to air.

Its predecessor Game Of Thrones had often been subject to leaks, but this was the first one to hit the new series.

An HBO statement last week read: “We are aware that the tenth episode of House of the Dragon has been posted on illegal torrent sites.

“HBO is aggressively monitoring and pulling these copies from the internet. We’re disappointed that this unlawful action has disrupted the viewing experience for loyal fans of the show, who will get to see a pristine version of the episode when it premieres Sunday.”

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