10 Game of Thrones prequel series ideas
By Corey Smith
5. The reign of Maegor the Cruel
Perhaps one of the coolest parts about any potential prequel series is that we’ll learn that maybe villains like Joffrey or Littlefinger aren’t that bad. Just kidding, they are. But if anyone could give them a run for their money, it would be this guy, Maegor the Cruel. You don’t get the name Maegor the Cruel by being a nice guy, am I right?
Jokes aside, Maegor was just the third Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne, after his father Aegon the Conqueror, well conquered the Seven Kingdoms. Fans would likely relish the opportunity to see House Targaryen truly begin to assert their dominance over the continent of Westeros, and after Aegon, Maegor was perhaps most responsible for the Targaryen hallmarks we all know today. Maegor finished building the Red Keep, the Dragonpit and was responsible for the first uprising of the Faith Militant, the same order that would come to be known as the Sparrows centuries later.
Maegor was hated by the entire kingdom, and he hated everyone in turn. Despite wielding the Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre, riding Balerion (the largest dragon in Westerosi history) and of course being king, Maegor was never happy except in battle. Maegor lived for fighting and killing, and violence was never far away. In addition to his violent streak, Maegor had a bit of a Henry VIII tilt to him, in that Maegor married no less than six wives, none of whom would bear him a suitable heir, and most of whom would not survive their marriages.
The one wife he did appear to favor, Tyanna would ultimately be revealed to be the reason for his lack of heirs, as Tyanna would poison Maegor’s other wives, causing monstrously deformed still births. When Maegor found, he cut out Tyanna’s heart and fed it to his dogs. And you thought Ramsay Bolton was bad.
Although perhaps the shortest of any potential prequel series, Maegor’s reign would prove to be fairly close to the series format we all know and love. A despotic figure on the Iron Throne, a war with the Faith of Seven, and betrayal after betrayal. Dragons were around at this point, but would likely not be used more than in the current series. The main challenge would, of course, be getting people to tune into a series where a monster is in charge for three or four seasons, but hey, they did it with Joffrey. Bring on Maegor the Cruel.