The highly anticipated ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel, ‘House of the Dragon’, introduces us to an all-new cast of characters. Set centuries before “Game of Thrones,” the series follows the strife and drama of House Targaryen, the powerful dragon-riding royal family that rules Westeros. Among the many new characters we’ll meet is Aegon Targaryen, who may seem like just one of many family members, but who, in fact, is on his way to becoming one of the characters. keys to the saga. Sharing a name with the first king of Westeros, Aegon the Conqueror, he follows his own path of chaos and war. In episode six, viewers met the preteen prince.
Who is Aegon Targaryen in “House of the Dragon”?
The official HBO character description of Prince Aegon Targaryen, who will eventually be played by Tom Glynn-Carney, simply describes him as the “firstborn son of King Viserys”, the king at the start of the series (played by Paddy Considine). This description, however, greatly understates the importance he is going to have as the plot progresses.
It all goes back to the Targaryen Clan’s backstory at the time. As noted in George RR Martin’s book “Fire and Blood”, King Viserys married twice, resulting in a succession dispute. His first marriage is to Queen Aemma, a member of House Arryn. Their marriage produces only one surviving child: Princess Rhaenyra. After Aemma died in childbirth, as well as who their son and heir would have been, Viserys officially declares Rhaenyra his heiress.
However, as viewers see in episode two, Viserys remarries Alicent Hightower (played in “House of the Dragon” as a teenager by Emily Carey), and they have two sons, Aegon being their eldest. In the book, he is 10 years younger than his half-sister, Rhaenyra, but in the series, their age gap is even greater. Although he now has male heirs, Viserys still intends for Rhaenyra to be his successor, much to the frustration of his new queen and his faction at court. This plan remains in place until Viserys’ death.
At this point, the Hightower faction and several others decide to ignore Viserys’ wishes and crown Prince Aegon as King Aegon II. Rhaenyra is not even informed of her father’s death until Aegon’s coronation. This “stolen” crown initiates the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, in which the rival heirs of the Targaryens, Rhaenyra and Aegon, and their factions fight to the death for the Iron Throne.
Will Aegon Targaryen be in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 1?
According to HBO’s “House of the Dragon” cast list, Glynn-Carney will appear as an older Aegon in the first season of “House of the Dragon” at some point. In episode three, Aegon appeared as a baby. After the time jump in episode six, he appeared as a young teenager, played by Ty Tennant. In the episode, he teams up with his nephews, Jacaerys, aka Jace, (Leo Hart) and Lucerys, aka Luke (Harvey Sadler), to prank his younger brother Aemond (Leo Ashton). His mother Alicent (Olivia Cooke) warns him that they are not his friends and that he must above all be faithful to his siblings.
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