Criston Cole was loved by most fans when we first saw him with the young Princess Rhaenyra. Many memes flew around on how Alicent is stuck with King Viserys, who looks older than his years due to his disease, while Rhaenyra gets to fool around with the likes of Criston, Daemon, and Harwin. But it turns out, Viserys is only supposed to be five years older than Criston.
Viserys Targaryen was born in 77 AC while Criston Cole in 82 AC. One apparent reason why Viserys looks so much older is because of the disease slowly taking over him. Another point to consider is the show aged up the King’s character quite a bit with makeup. While Criston Cole was supposed to be around 33 years old when Rhaenyra turned 18, Fabian Frankel is only 28. Add it all up, and Criston Cole looks decades younger than Viserys.
In the book Fire & Blood, Viserys never suffered from such a degenerative disease. He died a peaceful death in his sleep. There are several theories about why the showrunners decided to give him such an unexpected storyline. Some suggest being infected from a cut he got from the Iron Throne is a way of saying he’s not fit for the Throne. His leprosy can also be a nod toward how Viserys is said to be a “weak” king.
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