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Game of Thrones and Marvel TV star says she’s done with fantasy

While promoting her new thriller Ponies, Emilia Clarke says we'll probably never see her "in the same frame as a dragon, ever again"

Emilia Clarke Game Of Thrones — Image credit: HBO

News by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Thu Jan 15 2026

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Whatever comes next for the Game of Thrones franchise, don't expect to see Emilia Clarke return as Daenerys Targaryen.

And before you ask, no, this has nothing to do with the upcoming release of new GoT spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Actually, Clarke herself made this fact known during a recent press tour she was doing for new Peacock series Ponies. Speaking to The New York Times, Clarke said that she was turning the page on her chapter as one of fantasy TV's most recognizable faces.

"You’re highly unlikely to see me get on a dragon," said the Solo: A Star Wars Story star, "Or even in the same frame as a dragon, ever again."

Damn, that's kind of a brutal way of saying. Then again, it's not quite as brutal as the main reason we already kind of suspected Clarke wouldn't be back in Game of Thrones: her character died.

But all the Westeros-ness of it aside, does Clarke mean that she won't be back in anything that could be considered fantasy? Remember, she had leading roles in both the aforementioned Star Wars prequel and Marvel's (admittedly not well-received) Secret Invasion. Do these fantastical world fit under those dragon wings that Clarke is leaving behind?

I guess only time will tell.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms debuts on HBO Max January 18. Ponies is streaming on Peacock now.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 may have wrapped on HBO Max, but with House of the Dragon season 3 coming just around the corner, it's always a great time to read up on all things Game of Thrones. Fortunately, Popverse has everything you need to journey through the George R.R. Martin-created Westeros, including:

Plus much more coming as it gets announced!

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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.