The second season of HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon came and went last year, and the show was as popular as ever. Clearly, people still have an appetite for dragon-riding blonde people scheming and plotting. The downside is that we'll have to wait until 2026 to see more of it.
When that happens, one of the characters I'm most intrigued to see is King Aegon II Targaryen, played by Tom Glynn-Carney. Season 2 ended with Aegon fleeing King's Landing alongside Larys Strong in fear of his brother Aemond, who was sitting the Iron Throne after Aegon suffered a grave injury on the battlefield. The idea is for Aegon and Larys to lay low while Aemond and his half-sister Rhaenyra fight each other over the Iron Throne, and then return to claim it.
"He's on a new chapter," Glynn-Carney said on the red carpet for the Golden Globe Awards this past weekend. "I think he's a way more focused, driven version of Aegon that we've seen. I haven't yet read the season 3 scripts, so it's difficult to say what the writers have discussed, what they've decided on. I'm assured there's a lot to come. I've had a little chat about the arc and how excited I should be about taking it on. I think we'll see a different version of him, which is quite exciting."
Tom Glynn-Carney discusses his character arc as King Aegon II Targaryen in ‘HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’ Season 2.
— westerosies (@westerosies) January 6, 2025
Tom also reveals he has not yet received the scripts for Season 3. pic.twitter.com/9p8ECuarLc
We've heard that filming on House of the Dragon season 3 will begin fairly soon, so if Aegon hasn't read the scripts yet, he likely will in the near future. If you've read the source material for the show, George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, you know that Aegon does indeed embark upon a new chapter after leaving King's Landing, although it's anybody's guess whether the TV series will stick to the text. Frankly, after all the major changes they've made, I'm not expecting it; if they're not interested in adapting Aegon's story as written, I just hope whatever they come up with is compelling.
We do know they're sticking to the book in one way (we're getting into MAJOR SPOILERS here, so beware): in the season 2 finale, Aegon's sister Helaena shares a vision she had of Aegon becoming king again and sitting on a wooden throne, which basically tracks with what he does in Fire & Blood. The particulars of how he gets there are anyone's guess.
"We've seen how much he wants it, and how much he craves validation and a pat on the back from people," Glynn-Carney continued, describing Aegon's drive. "When he doesn't get that, all hell breaks loose. It's volatile, it's up for grabs."
Aegon was my personal MVP character from the second season of House of the Dragon, so I hope the show does right by him going forward. While we wait for the third season, fans might want to check out A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a new Game of Thrones prequel series coming out sometime this year.
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