'House Of The Dragon' Creator Says House Velaryon Isn't Black 'To Tick A Box' And Then Immediately Contradicts Himself

House of the Dragon co-creator Ryan Condal has taken some heat for straying from George R.R. Martin's depiction of the Velaryon family, making several members Black in the latest HBO hit.

Martin, in his original book Fire and Blood, described the Velaryons as having white skin, ghostly pale hair and purple eyes.

In the latest Game of Thrones prequel, though, House Velaryon is Black - led by Corlys Velaryon (known as the Sea Snake), who is portrayed by Steve Toussaint.

British actor Steve Toussaint portrays Corlys Velaryon in House of the Dragon. (Photo by HOLLIE ADAMS/AFP via Getty Images)

Speaking to TheGrill, Condal said the decision to diversify the hit show wasn't intended to appeal to left-wing ideals ... before then following that up by saying "it's 2022."

"I think it was not that simple," he said. "I think the reason that it’s been a successful choice ... is because it was thought out. It wasn’t just done perfunctorily or wasn’t just done to tick a box or ... to be seen as progressive.

"It’s 2022," he then added, contradicting himself faster than a Joe Biden press conference. "It’s a different era than these shows used to be made in. We have an incredibly diverse audience that’s not only across America, but in multiple countries that speak all sorts of different languages, that represent ... all the colors under the sun.

"It was really important to see some of that reflected up on screen."

House of the Dragon looks different than original books

What a wild ride that was!

You start by saying you're not trying to check a progressive box that literally everybody is pressured to check nowadays, and then BAM ... you say, 'Just kidding. It is 2022, you know.'

Look, House of the Dragon is great. I didn't think anything would be able to compete with Game of Thrones - last season not included, obviously - but the first nine episodes of this prequel have been awesome.

And, frankly, I didn't know - nor do I care - that the characters look different in this depiction than Martin's books. I don't get into the weeds with that stuff, and really, reaaaaaaaaallllllyyyyy don't care.

I don't care if you're black, white or purple. Can you go toe to toe with the Targaryens? Yes? Sold!

But don't sit there and tell me you didn't try to check a box, and then immediately tell me what year it is and that "it's a different era."

As Jo Bennett from The Office once said, 'You can't give me gravy and tell me it's jelly, because gravy ain't sweet! Is it, Jim?'

Anyway, Condal went on to then say this was a fantasy world and not everyone is white in fantasyland, which is certainly true. So there's that.

"This is a fantasy world. I think if this was a historical fiction piece, it would be a more nuanced discussion," he said. "But I think simply because this is a fantasy world, if we believe in dragons, and shape-shifters and direwolves, we can believe everybody in the story is not white."