It looks like one of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ biggest characters won’t be back in season 2, though they might return down the road!
Among the many amazing characters in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is Prince Maekar Targaryen. Played by Sam Spruell, the man clearly dropped the ball raising sons Daeron, Aerion and Aegon, with the middle child being an absolute monster. For all his shortcomings, Spruell made the character compelling with many layers to him.
Fans of the books know that he's a character who does not appear in the second novella in George R.R. Martin's Dunk and Egg series; however, the ending of season 1 seemed to hint that perhaps the book would deviate from the source materal. This is because the post-credits scene in the season 1 finale, saw Maekar questioning where Egg has gone, after noticing his youngest son has slipped away. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem this will be the case.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Spruell revealed that it’s highly unlikely he’ll be back in season 2 of the series and confirmed he's not currently filming with the rest of the cast.
“I’m not going to be in season two," he revealed before then adding, “Well, we’ll see. Never say never, but I’m pretty sure that there will be other stories to tell.”
Given that Maekar appeared upset when he discovered Egg missing which was a change to the books, we thought perhaps the show might enter some uncharted territory. One would understandably have assumed Maekar would be in a role in the second season, especially with how we saw Egg, coming to Ser Duncan to tell him he had his father's permission to join the errant knight. For those unfamiliar with the books, it would suggest this would be a thread in season 2 with Maekar looking for Egg.
Spruell even pointed out that it had to hit Maekar hard that his son would choose to go with an errant would-be knight over his own father, pushing him to hunt down both of them.
“It says something about Aegon’s judgment of where he’s going to get the best paternal figure and where he’s going to learn about the world in a more morally stable way. There is a wisdom to Dunk that comes naturally and instinctually, and I don’t think Maekar will ever get close to it. That’s what makes Dunk’s heroic nature so compelling. It is just in him in a way that it’s not in Maekar. So Egg can see that as well. He can see that if he’s to be the person that he wants to be, he must follow Dunk rather than his own father, which is unbelievably upsetting for Maekar. So I hope that some of that upset and humiliation will be explored potentially in future books or seasons of the show.”
It is possible that the showrunners may depart from the books in season 2 to include Maekar. Of course, the man will be busy, as with the death of his brother (at his own hand to boot), he’s now next in line for the Iron Throne. That thrusts him into a new spotlight and a coming responsibility as he has to navigate his new challenges.
So it’s logical he’d be too busy to be hunting Egg and Dunk down, but it’s hard to believe he’ll stay off their trail forever. This is a man who prides himself on his reputation and won't take his son abandoning him for a lowly pseudo-knight lying down. A showdown between him and Dunk would be a major turning point for the series.
Thus, while Maekar may not return for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' second season, here’s hoping he’ll be popping up in some way down the road to give this character more attention.