How to Train Your Dragon‘s live-action remake is set to improve Astrid immensely from her original incarnation in the animated movies. Astrid was one of the more important supporting characters in the original How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, serving initally as a rival to Hiccup before developing into his closest confidant and romantic interest over the course of the first movie. Although she was an important player in the story, the focus on Hiccup and Toothless meant that Astrid never took the spotlight for herself, resulting in a lack of greater character depth or personal agency for the character.

That’s changed for 2025’s live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon. While the film has been said to be a largely faithful recreation of the 2010 modern animated classic, some elements of the movie have been changed. During a media event attended by Screen Rant, How to Train Your Dragon director Dean DeBlois revealed that perhaps some of the biggest changes the story has made in expanding on Astrid, making her a deeper character with more personal reasons for her conflict with Hiccup. This highlights the film’s unique balancing act in updating the story for live-action while remaining faithful.

Astrid Gets More Focus In 2025’s How To Train Your Dragon

Astrid Didn’t Realize Her Full Potential In The Original Animated Film

How to Train Your Dragon director Dean DeBlois revealed that Astrid will be getting more depth and attention in the 2025 live-action remake, which makes sense given her importance in the narrative but lack of focus in the original films. During the media event attended by Screen Rant, DeBlois reflected on Astrid’s role. Although the character was an interesting figure in the narrative and a likable hero in her own right, she didn’t feel as fleshed out as characters like Hiccup and Stoick. Astrid was a good character but one who didn’t reach her full potential in the original movies.

DeBlois explained that the new film “was a chance to just get in there [and] to better understand why she’s got such an acrimonious relationship with Hiccup in the beginning. She’s worked really hard for the attention that she gets.” This gives Astrid more genuine stakes when she sides with Hiccup. The expanded focus and tonal shift of the live-action film clearly benefits Astrid more than other characters, as she’s been now given a more fleshed out dynamic with Hiccup, a deeper connection to Stoick, and a clearer set of motivations as her own character outside of both of them.

Astrid’s Role In The Original Films, Explained

Astrid Was An Important But Underdeveloped Character In The Original Trilogy

Astrid debuted in How to Train Your Dragon as the most capable future dragon hunter of Berk. A popular leader-in-training, Astrid’s dismissal of Hiccup in the original film changes into admiration and attraction after she learns that he’s not only befriended a dragon but figured out how to use this connection to take to the skies as well. Astrid soon joins Hiccup as a major dragon rider atop her own dragon, a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Nadder that she names Stormfly. This allows Astrid to keep up with Hiccup in the other battles of the series.

Astrid also forms a romance with Hiccup that runs through the whole trilogy. Astrid fights alongside Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon 2 and explores alongside him in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. The third film ended with the pair married and the Chiefs of Berk. Astrid was a likable character in those films, but was rarely the focus as the plots largely centered around Hiccup and Toothless. This means she’s the perfect character to expand upon in the live-action remake, as she could benefit the most from enhanced depth given her importance to the story.

Astrid Wanting To Become Chief Is A Great Touch To How To Train Your Dragon

Astrid Has New Reason To Dislike Hiccup And A Desire To Impress Stoick

Astrid will be given a clearer set of motivations in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon, which should in turn make her decision to side with Hiccup in the third act all the more emotionally resonant. DeBlois explained that in the film, Astrid has spent years training as part of a mission to impress Stoick and eventually become his successor as Chief of Berk. This ambition creates a natural kinship between them that contrasts naturally against the pricklier relationship Stoick has with his own son. “Astrid is the the kid [Stoick] would have loved to have had,” DeBlois revealed.

“Hiccup is never focused on this destiny. His mind goes elsewhere. He has the benefit of privilege. He’s the son of the chief, and so he coasts by.” This gives Astrid plenty of natural motivation to dislike Hiccup and makes her a more interesting character than the “aloof popular girl” she was in the original movie. This also adds stakes to her own hard decisions. “She has to give up a lot to fall from grace with Hiccup. It’s a better character to watch.” All of these tweaks are clever touches that improve the character for the new film.

Astrid Proves The New How To Train Your Dragon Can Build On The Original

How to Train Your Dragon Uses The Extra Run-Time To Improve Characters Like Astrid

How to Train Your Dragon seems to be a very similar movie to the original animated version from 2010. The overall story, central characters, and even specific scenes seem to be recreated for the new medium instead of changed or tweaked. Astrid is one of the big exceptions to that approach, as DeBlois’ comments indicate that Astrid benefited greatly from this fresh approach to the character. This also proves that the film, while deeply indebted to the original, could still offer enough unique new elements to justify itself to long-time fans and expand on the previous successes of the franchise.

The film will explore Hiccup’s role in Berk from a more three-dimensional perspective, genuinely expanding on the views of other characters who were underserved by the тιԍнтer run-time and focus of the original animated films. It allows the movie to quietly explore questions about privilege and power, especially how those with the former can reshape how communities use the latter. Astrid’s character tweaks naturally improve the story around her and deepen the other characters. It’s a clever approach that proves the How to Train Your Dragon remake still has lots of new story to tell and character dynamics to explore.