Game of Thrones: Every Targaryen who should appear in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Maekar Targaryen

The fourth son of King Daeron II was Maekar Targaryen, and he will undoubtedly appear in the show because he is Egg’s father and he plays a fairly large role in the first Dunk and Egg novella. Along with his sons Egg, Aerion and Daeron, Maekar was in attendance at the Tourney at Ashford and fought alongside Aerion in the trial of seven when he sought vengeance against Duncan.

At the end of the novella, Maekar confesses to accidentally killing his brother Baelor and expresses deep regret. In response to the events, Maekar banishes Aerion to the Free Cities and offered Dunk a position in his personal guard so he could be a mentor to Egg. When Dunk refuses, Maekar allows Egg to travel with Dunk on the promise he keep his head shaved so his identity will remain hidden. Maekar also gives his son a ring with his personal seal on it in case of emergencies.

I think it will be fun to see Maekar onscreen. He reminds me of a Targaryen version of Stannis Baratheon. Maekar was a strong warrior with a powerful build who brandished a mace in battle, and is described in The World of Ice and Fire as harsh, quick to judge and not very charismatic. Like Stannis, Maekar is a decorated war hero, having served as a commander in two Blackfyre Rebellions. However, he got little credit for his role in the first Blackfyre rebellion, with his brother Baelor getting most of the glory for leading a charge against the rebels. This wounded Maekar’s pride; he felt his role was under-appreciated, much like Stannis felt under-appreciated for holding Storm’s End through a siege while his brother Robert was celebrated for slaying Rhaegar Targaryen at the Trident.

Maekar eventually becomes king of Westeros and sits the throne for 12 years, so he would be an interesting character for the show to focus on. He also has an interesting relationship with Bloodraven, as he feuded with his powerful uncle early in life but chose to keep him as Hand of the King when he ascended the throne. With Bloodraven being a schemer that will likely put Littlefinger and Varys to shame, his dynamic with Maekar could end up being one of the more fascinating relationships on the series should they flesh it out properly.