Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Showrunner Hints at a Key Game of Thrones Character’s Return

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Set decades before the events of Game of Thrones, the new series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms still leaves the door open for characters we already know. This HBO spin-off focuses on a wandering knight named Dunk (Peter Claffey) and his young apprentice, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). The show aims to bridge the gap between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, and upcoming episodes might strengthen that connection by bringing back a well-known face.

The third episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms revealed that Dunk’s new squire is actually Aegon Targaryen – a different Aegon than the ones seen in House of the Dragon or Game of Thrones. Though many Targaryens from this era are unknown, Aemon Targaryen, a character from Game of Thrones, is alive and present during these events in Westeros.

Peter Vaughan portrayed Aemon in the original series, and he’s fondly remembered as the Maester at Castle Black who guided Jon Snow. Though appearing as an elderly man near the end of Game of Thrones, Aemon had actually been a young Targaryen prince with a claim to the throne nearly ninety years earlier.

While Aemon hasn’t appeared in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms yet—unlike his three brothers—showrunner Ira Parker hasn’t dismissed the possibility. During a Reddit Q&A, Parker revealed Aemon nearly made it into Season 1 and could still appear in future seasons, specifically Seasons 2 or 3.

“Possible. Almost happened. Then it didn’t. Maybe…”

The HBO series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is adapted from George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. The first season covers the first story, and future seasons are planned to cover the remaining ones, leaving the possibility for the character Aemon to appear later in the show.

How Could Aemon Fit Into A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?

Having Aemon Targaryen appear in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms would be a great way to connect the prequel series to Game of Thrones. While he’s a minor character in Game of Thrones, showing his younger years and his importance to the Targaryen family would give fans a fascinating look into his story.

Aemon was briefly mentioned earlier in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. During a conversation in Episode 3, Raymun Fossoway tells Dunk about the three sons of Maekar Targaryen. He describes one of them as so unremarkable that they were considering sending him to the Citadel to train as a maester. This “third” son Fossoway refers to is Aemon, who comes after Daeron and Egg in birth order.

As a huge supporter of Aemon, I always knew he was key to how Egg eventually became king! It’s amazing to think Egg, being so far down the line of succession – the fourth son of a fourth son – actually ended up on the Iron Throne. Sadly, Egg’s older brothers, Aerion and Daeron, both passed away. That meant the line of succession fell to Aemon, but being the honorable man he was, he turned down the crown to stay true to his vows as a Maester. It was a selfless act that paved the way for Egg’s reign, and I’ll always admire Aemon for that.

In Season 1 of Game of Thrones, Aemon revealed he had given up his claim to the throne. He shared with Jon Snow – who didn’t realize it at the time, but was actually his relative – that they were both descended from the Targaryen family and related to the former, unstable king known as the Mad King.

My father was Maekar, the First. I turned down the throne after him, and my brother Aegon became king. After Aegon, his son Aerys – known as the Mad King – took the throne.

George R.R. Martin’s novellas haven’t yet explored how Egg became king or his connection with Aemon. But writer Steve Parker has expressed a strong desire to tell Egg’s complete life story, telling Esquire they plan to revisit the character as an adult, ten years later.

Even if Parker doesn’t achieve his desired outcome, he could still build upon the existing story from Martin’s novellas in future seasons by introducing the character of Aemon. Since viewers have already been introduced to other Targaryens from that era, bringing Aemon back would feel natural, especially considering how important his decision to step down is to Egg’s story.

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2026-02-12 22:35