Prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) emerged from Episode 3 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, "The Squire," as the series' most despicable villain so far. When he attacks sweet Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford) for mocking his family in her puppet show, it becomes impossible not to utterly loathe him.
The episode's biggest plot twist features the reveal that series protagonist Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) is actually Aerion's younger brother, Aegon Targaryen. This explains Egg's callous attitude towards Aerion during his tourney match, with Egg cheering on for his opponent to kill him. Egg also confirms that he shaved his head to avoid looking like Aerion, showing just how cruel his older brother has been.
George R.R. Martin's Westeros franchise is no stranger to utterly despicable villains. Beginning in season 1 of Game of Thrones, the series introduces the detestable Viserys Targaryen (Harry Lloyd) and Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleason), only to later outdo their cruelty with Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), who first shows up in season 3.
One of Aerion's first displays of viciousness mirrors one of Game of Thrones' worst villains, subtly reminding longtime viewers of the franchise of one of their least favorite characters. Additionally, this connection to an existing A Song of Ice and Fire figure may expand on his relationship with his younger brother Egg.
Prince Aerion the Horse Slayer
Prince Aerion's tourney matchup against Ser Humfrey Hardyng (Ross Anderson) proves to be hard to watch. Aerion showcases his dishonor by lowering his lance during the match, killing Ser Humfrey's horse. The knight falls underneath his dying mount, injuring his leg in the process.
The crowd is horrified to witness the horse's death, as they begin to boo and jeer at Aerion before throwing stones his way. Both Egg, who knows his brother quite well, and Targaryen critic Raymun Fossaway (Shaun Thomas) believe Aerion's attack on the horse was intentional and not a jousting mistake, and the crowd's reaction suggests that most onlookers share their opinion. As such, it seems that Aerion's villainy is no secret among the realm.
Prince Aerion and the Mountain That Rides
Long before Prince Aerion (dis)graced the screen, Game of Thrones introduced another villain in a similar fashion. In season 1, King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) hosts a grand tourney to honor the appointment of Eddard Stark (Sean Bean) as Hand of the King. Knights from across the Seven Kingdoms come to fight in this tournament.
After falling off his mount in a tilt against Ser Loras Tyrell (Finn Jones), Ser Gregor Clegane (played by Conan Stevens in season 1, Ian Whyte in season 2, and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson in season 4 and beyond), also known as "The Mountain that Rides," or simply "The Mountain," angrily decapitates his own horse. The crowd reacts in horror at this sheer display of cruelty.
Although the situation is all in all quite different, Aerion's horse slaying may bring one of Gregor's first acts of cruelty to mind. Throughout his time on Game of Thrones, the Mountain proved to be one of the worst of the worst. His offscreen murder of the Targaryen children and Elia Martell, brutal killing of Prince Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal), and general senseless cruelty after becoming a silent servant to Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) all cement him as pure evil, so in Aerion's actions echoing the Mountains, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms connects their villain to one of Game of Thrones' worst.
What Does This Mean for Egg?
No one hates Ser Gregor Clegane more than his younger brother, Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann), better known as "The Hound." The brothers' heated rivalry began when they were children, and Gregor shoved young Sandor's face into some flames. For the rest of his life, the Hound sported burn scars and feared any kind of fire.
If Prince Aerion is supposed to represent the Mountain in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, then it stands to reason that his younger brother hates and fears him similarly to how Sandor hates Gregor. "The Squire" ends with Egg's Targaryen reveal, confirming that, like the Mountain, Prince Aerion has a little brother who loathes him.
While young, sweet, and small Egg has little in common with middle aged, gruff, and tall Sandor Clegane, their hatred of their villainous older brothers puts them in a somewhat similar position in their respective series. If Aerion and the Mountain are despised so deeply by their own kin, the extent of their villainy must know no bounds.
Make sure to tune into A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which airs Sundays at 10:00 ET on HBO Max.