All about Aemond Targaryen’s facial scarring prosthetics in House of the Dragon

In the first season of House of the Dragon, young Aemond Targaryen (Leo Ashton) has his eye slashed out during a fight with his nephew, Lucerys Velaryon. Later, an older Aemond — now played by Ewan Mitchell — gets his revenge on Lucerys by…chasing him on a dragon that eats him alive. Conflicts in this family escalate quickly.

Before Aemond chases his nephew to death, he takes off his eyepatch to reveal his eye socket, which he has filled with a bespoke sapphire eye. Whether it’s young Aemond or older Aemond, the prosthetics and makeup teams did a great job making his scarring look convincing, as House of the Dragon prosthetic artist Barrie Gower explains in a newly released short on the Max YouTube channel:

Obviously, the prosthetics are more extensive for young Aemond than for old. As an adult, all Aemond has left is “very subtle scaring” under his eyepatch…also, he he has no eye, can’t forget about that.

The most interesting part of this video is what Gower says at the very end. “I think what’s beneath the eyepatch is something that’s briefly glimpsed in this season but it’s something that will probably be part of the storytelling in the next season.”

As for Mitchell, it sounds like Aemond’s eyepatch is a crucial part of him getting into character. “When the eyepatch goes on, all that’s left is Aemond,” he said during an interview at the CCXP convention in Brazail. “It’s like I never left.”

The second season of House of the Dragon is due out on HBO and Max sometime next summer. How will Aemond’s (lack of) eye come into play? Will he take off his eyepatch to freak everyone out during Small Council meetings? Will he store little snacks in there? Will someone stab him through his eye socket? This is a Game of Thrones show, so that kind of thing isn’t unheard of.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels