After the first live-action remake nearly copied the original film exactly, a possible theory for How To Train Your Dragon 2 could be what it needs to take the franchise in a fresh direction. Despite the mixed feelings from audiences towards live-action remakes, HTTYD and Disney’s Lilo & Sтιтch are major winners at the 2025 box office, leading to sequels for both films.

The franchise remains popular 15 years after it began, as HTTYD has already grossed over $450 million at the box office. The studio announced a remake of the 2014 sequel, two months before the first film premiered, demonstrating confidence in the series. While audiences and critics enjoyed the 2025 remake, one common complaint is that it’s too similar to the original.

It includes the same story, dialogue, music, and iconic scenes that made the first so memorable. While the ending sets up the story for the sequel, HTTYD 2 has an opportunity to make some changes that keep it from being another sH๏τ-for-sH๏τ remake. One interesting theory could be divisive, but it would be worth exploring.

Valka Could Be How To Train Your Dragon 2’s Villain – Theory Explained

Hiccup’s Mother Was Originally An Antagonist

How to Train Your Dragon 2 revealed that Valka was surprisingly alive, showing her to be an advocate for the dragons and the reason why she never returned to her son. However, the sequel nearly took a different direction for the character, which would have been darker. In a 2014 interview with Collider, director Dean Deblois confirmed Valka’s initial storyline in which she would have been the antagonist.

The director explained that Valka still lived in a nest with dragons protecting them from hunters and trappers. However, she has an ideological conflict with Hiccup, as she believes dragons should not coexist with humans and wants to segregate them. In the third act, Valka tries to kidnap the dragons from Berk before Drago can reach them, leading to a battle with her son.

Drago was always meant to be the main villain, but Valka would have been a unique, sympathetic antagonist with understandable motivations. However, Deblois changed Valka’s narrative because he thought it might be “a little heavy and a little challenging for the kids,” including the parents who brought them to the film. Read the full comment below:

Well one of the biggest changes to the story, and it did come later than I would’ve liked because I think we could’ve done a better job of integrating it if I knew that we were going to go that direction, was the notion of Valka being the sympathetic antagonist of the movie. That was her original role, that Hiccup not only found this character kind of living in the wild like Jane Goodall or Diane Fossey and not only is she his mother but she would represent on one side everything he aspired to be, this life of not only wild abandon but also dedicated purpose, importance, out there saving dragons and living a very dragon-centric life, learning all of their secrets and becoming like a dragon herself. All of that, to Hiccup, would be amazing but at the same time they would clash in a fundamental way on the idea that Hiccup believes wholeheartedly in coexistence and that it’s possible among humans and dragons, whereas Valka in her years of defending dragons from Drago’s forces and trappers and whatnot had come to distrust humans so deeply that she believed the only way to really protect them was to hide them away, to segregate them.

Cate Blanchett Playing A Live-Action Villainous Valka Would Be So Cool

The Two-Time Oscar Winner Always Plays Villains Well

Blanchett is one of the best actors in Hollywood, with two Academy Award wins in her career. She can play any role well, but often excels in villainous roles. She clearly has fun getting to chew up the scenery as menacing, vile characters who audiences love to hate. A few of her villainous highlights include Hela in Thor: Ragnarok and Lady Tremaine in 2015’s Cinderella.

Her return to the HTTYD franchise would already be exciting, but allowing her to explore a new side of the character in live-action would be worthwhile. The remake of the sequel would benefit greatly from having Blanchett’s talent attached to it, and a surprise villainous turn would give her more opportunities to showcase her versatility.

Valka Makes Some Questionable Decisions – But She Could Still Be Redeemed By The End Of HTTYD 2

Valka’s Actions Have Good Motives Behind Them

Based on Deblois’ description, much of Valka’s character remains the same in this alternate storyline. She still cares for dragons and left home to protect them from other humans. Her conflict with Hiccup stems from her pᴀssion for the creatures, and both would be coming from the same place but with different perspectives. Hiccup has seen that coexistence is possible, while Valka only knows humanity’s dark side.

Even her attack on Berk is out of caution. She isn’t looking to destroy Berk, but wants to save the dragons from Drago’s army. While her actions are unsavory, she can still learn from her mistakes and join Hiccup’s cause to fight Drago. She only wants to protect dragons, and could easily agree with her son’s perspective if she believes humanity has changed.

This How To Train Your Dragon Theory Is Cool, But Unlikely

HTTYD 2 May Follow The Example Of The Original

While some audiences are annoyed that the live-action How to Train Your Dragon was essentially a sH๏τ-for-sH๏τ remake, that’s part of the reason why it succeeded. It recaptured the magic of the original for many people who grew up with it, and introduced the franchise to a new generation. The story, characters, and themes are the same, and audiences preferred that most of the story beats remain untouched.

The film was also directed by Deblois, who helmed the animated trilogy. Since he felt Valka’s villainous portrayal was too challenging for young audiences, he likely would avoid doing it in the sequel. However, this change would be worthwhile for two main reasons. It prevents the sequel from being too similar to the original without changing the story drastically, and gives Hiccup an interesting moral dilemma.

However, there is also the possibility of backlash towards Valka’s change, and DreamWorks may want to keep the image of its franchise intact. Lilo & Sтιтch faced plenty of controversy regarding its changes, and Deblois may want to avoid any unnecessary division. Still, a bold change like this for How To Train Your Dragon 2 would be welcome after the first made so few additions.