For my money, King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) was the best part of the second season of House of the Dragon. He's a bratty callow spoiled prince who isn't fit to run the Seven Kingdoms. He shouldn't be likable, and he's not...exactly. But he tried so hard that you couldn't help but feel for him, especially when all of his plans blew up and his face and he ended up consigned to his bed with burns all over his body and private parts that no longer work. And then his own mother sold him out to his rival. Aegon, I feel for you, man.
Aegon slipped out of King's Landing at the end of the season, which is roughly in line with what happens in George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, on which the show is loosely based. In the finale, Aegon's sister Helaena foretold what would happen to Aegon down the line: "Aegon will be king again. He's yet to see victory. He sits on a wooden throne."
Once again, this is roughly in line with what happens to Aegon in the book, although it doesn't tell us everything. Was it a good idea to give away what happens like this seasons away from it coming to pass? Experts can debate, but it has produced some cool fanart, like this piece from didoleonina:
I love how baroque and severe it is. As for what exactly Helaena is talking about, we'll have to keep watching Houes of the Dragon to be sure. The third season is being filmed now, with new episodes set to air on HBO and Max sometime in 2026.
In the meanwhile, Aegon is inspiring artists across the internet. Justine Matteon makes a lot of great art based on House of the Dragon, including this comic book version of one of the best scenes from House of the Dragon season 2, when Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) confronts his grandson Aegon for making a dunderheaded political move:
May season 3 bring us scenes this inspiring. While we wait, HBO will debut a new Game of Thrones prequel show called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms later this year.
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