Westeros has never had someone as 'insidious' as Aemond Targaryen, promises House of the Dragon star

The second season of HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon is coming out just around the corner, and the hype is reaching a boiling point. When last we checked in with our cast of violent incest enthusiasts, Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) had killed his nephew Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) while chasing the younger man on dragonback. Aemond held a grudge against his nephew for slashing out his eye years ago, although he might not have meant that chase to end in Luke's death; his dragon Vhagar took matters into her own hands. But there's no avoiding the fallout; Luke's mother Rhaenyra (Rhaenyra Targaryen) was clearly furious, which means war between her and her half-brother Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) is inevitable.

Aemond will be at the center of all of this. We know he's intense, we know he's eager for battle and glory, and we know he wants to prove himself better than his uncle Daemon (Matt Smith), widely regarded as one of the best warriors alive. Even so, actor Ewan Mitchell made some big promises when teasing Aemond's story to Total Film.

"I don't think we've seen anyone as insidious as Aemond in Westeros," Mitchell said. "He's going to play you like a violin, and you're either with him or against him. You can either be on Rhaenyra's side or you can stay in one piece."

Aemond has the makings of a great villain (or antihero, depending on your perspective), but the bar for insidiousness in Westeros is sky-high at this point. Will he be more insidious than King Joffrey, who lopped the head off main character Ned Stark in the first season of Game of Thrones? How about Cersei Lannister, who blew up a church full of people (including her own uncle) in a bid to take power in King's Landing? Ramsey Bolton, who abused Sansa Stark, killed Rickon Stark, and chopped off Theon Greyjoy's favorite appendage before keeping him as a pet?

Westeros has produced some of the most memorable baddies in recent memory, so Aemond has his work cut out for him. We've also seen hints that season 2 will explore a softer side to the character, so his insidiousness may have a ceiling. But if he wants to compete, it can only mean good things for us watching at home.

House of the Dragon season 2 premieres on Sunday, June 16.

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