House of the Dragon has its share of disturbed and disturbing characters. There’s Daemon Targaryen, who murders his wife and marries his niece. There’s Larys Strong, who loves power almost as much as he loves looking at the queen’s bare feet. And there’s Aegon Targaryen, the heir to the throne who was so reluctant to take on his responsibility he hid himself away when he heard his father King Viserys had died.
Showrunner Ryan Condal gave some insights into Aegon’s state of mind in the new book House of the Dragon: Inside the Creation of a Targaryen Dynasty, which is available to buy now. “Aegon is a great example of neglect and indulgence,” Condal said. “This is the medieval version of the millionaire’s prodigal son. His mother was 15, and his father never paid any attention to him. His father deeply, deeply loved Aemma and Rhaenyra and was having kids to carry on the line. He really didn’t want Aegon — he wanted Baelon, the son that killed his first wife.”
We’ve only had the adult version of Aegon for a few episodes, but he doesn’t seem like the most stand-up guy. However, you do have to wonder if things would have been different if he wasn’t raised by a fanatical mother and distant father.
Why was Aegon Targaryen reluctant to become king on House of the Dragon?
Overall, I think King Viserys I Targaryen came across as a basically good guy; I’ll never forget him walking across the floor of the Iron Throne room in an attempt to support his daughter Rhaenrya’s claim to the throne, even as he was on death’s door. But Condal is right that there’s a dark side to that; as much as Viserys loved his eldest daughter, he didn’t seem to care much for his other children, and that had to mess them up a bit. Sure, they had their mother, but Alicent had them very young, was forced into the marriage in the first place, and had her own things she was dealing with.
Viserys was his own worst enemy, in a way. You could argue that he was the direct cause of all the problems his descendants will be dealing with in future seasons of House of the Dragon.
Speaking of those problems, we’ll probably see them play out sometime in 2024, when House of the Dragon returns for a second season.
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h/t Insider