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Paddy Considine has been experiencing deteriorating health as King Viserys since his character was introduced to the show during the opening of House of the Dragon. Through four episodes, we've seen the King suffer from cuts and other afflictions caused by the Iron Throne due to his sensitive skin tissue and bones, which become frailer. During the fourth episode, Viserys is seen with welts and other markings covering his back, a sign of his rapidly declining health.
The actor recently appeared on Entertainment Weekly's West of Westeros podcast and confirmed his character's affliction. His disease is, in fact, leprosy, causing the lesions that increase on the King. He says, "He's actually suffering from a form of leprosy. His body is deteriorating, his bones are deteriorating. He is not actually old." His character is below 50 in the series, meaning his declining health isn't from old age. "He's still a young man in there. He's just, unfortunately, got this thing that's taken over his body. It becomes a metaphor for being king, and the stress and strain that it puts on you, and what it does to you physically, what it does to you mentally."
Fans have wondered what was causing the health concerns with Viserys since the initial episode in House of the Dragon, but the disease won't be a mystery any longer.
Viserys Faced Immense Pressure Through Four House of the Dragon Episodes
Being a king isn't easy, and Paddy Considine's character is facing the consequences of sitting on the Iron Throne in House of the Dragon. Viserys is constantly placed in difficult situations in the series, only halfway through the first season. So far, he's been forced to choose between his wife and a newborn child, with both meeting their demise. In addition, he remarried a new queen, dealt with a war caused by his brother Daemon, and named his daughter heir, which had never been done in Westeros until that point. Furthermore, his brother, his daughter, and young son Aegon all have a 'right' to the throne, leaving the matter of succession up in the air.
Of course, outside parties constantly try to force their way to the throne, with Otto Hightower plotting for his grandson to claim the throne through his daughter's marriage with the King. In addition, all the lords of the realm attempt to marry Viserys's daughter, Rhaenyra, the current heir. If one thing is apparent in the Game of Thrones universe, it's that the King never sits easy. Fans can watch how the rest of the drama plays out when House of the Dragon premieres on HBO and HBO Max every Sunday at 9 pm E.T.