Collider argues that the new stage play *Game of Thrones: The Mad King* reinforces *House of the Dragon*’s expanded focus on the “Song of Ice and Fire” prophecy. The play, which has opened in Stratford-upon-Avon, depicts King Aerys II and his son Rhaegar engaging with the prophecy before the events of Robert’s Rebellion, linking it thematically to Rhaenyra Targaryen’s pursuit of it in the television prequel.

According to audience reports cited by the article, Rhaegar believes he may be the foretold figure because he was supposedly conceived beneath a red star, while Aerys’s fixation is presented as part of his growing instability. When Aerys describes the red-star story as propaganda, Rhaegar is forced to reconsider his role, adding further context to his later actions and to the prophecy’s influence across the Targaryen dynasty.