The world of Westeros is about to change forever when A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a prequel spinoff set roughly 100 years before Game of Thrones, airs on HBO Max later today. The series is based on George R.R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, and is described as hugely different from the original show, as well as its first spin-off, House of the Dragon.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, unlike its predecessors, will focus on the "smallfolk" instead of mainly following the high born nobles of Westeros. It will have lower stakes, stick with its two leads, Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), rather than morphing into a huge ensemble cast; utilize a different composer, with Dan Romer taking the reins from Ramin Djawadi, who scored both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon; and even air shorter episodes, with the new show's 30-40 minute runtimes significantly shorter than the other Westeros series' hour-long outings.
With all these massive changes to what has become the standard for adapting Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire to television, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms may end up feeling like a far cry from the original series. However, despite the huge differences between the upcoming series and its predecessors, as well as the 100 year time gap acting as a major obstacle, a couple of Game of Thrones characters could still appear in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in future seasons. Keep your eyes peeled for cameos from these three familiar faces from Game of Thrones.
The Three-Eyed Raven
The Three-Eyed Raven, also known as Ser Brynden Rivers, Bloodraven, or the three-eyed crow, if you prefer the books, acts as Bran's mentor throughout Game of Thrones. He first appears in the form of a bird in the first season, before Bran finally reaches his cave in season 4 and meets the man himself, where he is played by Struan Rodger. The character returns for season 6, where he is played by Max Von Sydow, who received an Emmy nomination for his work.
Before becoming the reclusive Three-Eyed Raven seen in Game of Thrones, Ser Brynden was a hugely important figure throughout the history of Westeros. A Targaryan bastard, Bloodraven played a huge role in the Blackfyre Rebellion, and eventually served as Hand of the King to Kings Aerys and Maekar before joining the Night's Watch, becoming Lord Commander, and then vanishing beyond the Wall.
During his time as Hand, Ser Brynden makes a brief appearance in the end of the third Dunk and Egg novella, "The Mystery Knight." Given that the third season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will likely adapt "The Mystery Knight," it's safe to assume that Bloodraven will return to HBO before too long.
Maester Aemon
The old, blind, and refreshingly kind Maester of the Night's Watch, Maester Aemon, serves as a key recurring character throughout Game of Thrones. Appearing in seasons 1, 3, 4, and 5, Maester Aemon would sadly be actor Peter Vaughn's final role before his death in 2016. Additionally, the season 1 twist, in which Jon Snow learns that Maester Aemon is of Targaryen ancestry, makes for one of the show's first big reveals.
Without spoiling the Dunk and Egg novellas, Maester Aemon has a close friendship with Egg. In fact, Aemon's last line in Game of Thrones is "Egg...I dreamed I was old." Though Maester Aemon never appears in Martin's novellas, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms could still include him in some sort of flashback sequence.
Walder Frey
Every Game of Thrones fan hates Walder Frey, played by David Bradley. To pay Robb Stark back for breaking a marriage contract to one of Walder's daughters, he helped orchestrate the infamous Red Wedding, the brutal massacre of Stark forces, including Robb and his mother Catelyn, after lulling them into a false sense of security. Lord Frey's murder in season 6 at the hands of Arya Stark makes for one of the most satisfying moments in the series.
Often referred to as "the Late Lord Frey" due to his age, the elderly Walder was actually alive during A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. In fact, he makes a brief appearance in "The Mystery Knight" as the unnamed four-year-old son of a Frey lord that Martin later confirmed was, in fact, Walder.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker mentioned wanting to expand Walder's role in the series, envisioning a scene in which Dunk ends up saving a child who turns out to be Walder. However, this is one familiar face that fans might not be so thrilled to see.
Make sure to catch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms when it airs on HBO Max on Sunday, January 18.