Over the years, Westeros has had more than its fair share of vain, cruel, and despicable residents. Look no further than cruel and sadistic teen Joffrey Baratheon, or the pathologically evil Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones. Or if we turn to prequel House of the Dragon, there's Prince Aemond and Ser Criston Cole. Pretty much everyone is morally gray, but some are definitely worse than others.
This brings us to Prince Aerion ‘Brightflame’ Targaryen, who's all set to be the latest nasty addition to the ever-growing Westeros roster. Played by 26-year-old actor Finn Bennett (True Detective: Night Country) in upcoming spinoff series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the character encapsulates just about everything bad about the Targaryen dynasty. I mean, his nickname was literally Aerion the Monstrous and Brightflame due to his fiery personality. The son of Maekar I Targaryen, Aerion is far from a model prince; he's spoiled, arrogant, sadistic, and very prone to violent (and often deadly) outbursts.
Playing a character like this is a tough gig, but Bennett is very much relishing the opportunity. “Aerion is vain and cruel,” the actor told Screen Daily. “I wanted to give him an angsty, teenager feel so I listened to a lot of Rage Against The Machine.”
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the next project in HBO's Game of Thrones franchise. Based on a series of novellas by George R.R. Martin, the show is slated to arrive in January 2026. It marks just the second spinoff after House of the Dragon. The 6-episode series, set around 90 years before Game of Thrones, follows the adventures of knight-for-hire (aka, Hedge Knight) Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), better known as Prince Aegon Targaryen.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms marks a shift in narrative style for the franchise. While both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon focus on large scale, layered, and multi-faceted stories, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is much more grounded and personal.
2026 is a big year for the franchise. In fact, between House of the Dragon season 3 and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, more episodes set within the Game of Thrones Universe will air next year than ever before in the franchise's history. Will it be too much content? Let's wait and see.