Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon returned to HBO last month, but did Aegon II really die in the show?
Last month, a trailer for the second season of the show was released, which built upon the tension that highlighted season one’s end, as Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) butt heads to claim the Iron Throne, kickstarting a Targaryen civil war, otherwise known as the Dance of the Dragons.
The trailer sees The Blacks, led by Rhaenyra and Daemon (Matt Smith), plan an invasion of King’s Landing to claim the Iron Throne from the Greens, led by Aegon. Over the course of the intense trailer, we get several glimpses of the bloody and fiery war to come, along with a trip to The Wall.
The lengthy battle was seen in full in a new episode, ‘A Dance Of Dragons’. Aegon appeared on the back of dragon Sunfyre, and viewers got to see a thrilling battle happen in mid-air. But what followed could turn out to be devastating for Aegon – but what really happened?
What happened to Aegon at the end of the episode?
At the end of the episode, Cole (Fabien Frankel) wakes up from being briefly knocked out. He is startled and starts looking around for his king.
He soon finds Aemond next to him, with Sunfyre’s unmoving body alongside him.
Does this mean Aegon is dead?
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After discovering Sunfyre’s unmoving body, Cole sees Aegon lying prone on the ground near the dragon. Aegon certainly looks dead, although this isn’t confirmed in the episode.
How did Aegon die?
In the episode itself, Aegon is seen getting the full brunt of Vhagar’s fire breath – and we see him fall from a great height, hitting the ground with considerable impact which suggests a combination of both things could have led to the scene Cole discovers.
However, there is also much ambiguity too. When Cole finds Aegon, Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) blade was also drawn implying that Aegon was alive but in bad shape and that his brother was considering a mercy killing. There is also some speculation he could be responsible for his brother’s death – if it’s confirmed he has indeed died.
Is this what happens in the book?
In Fire & Blood by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin – on which the show is based – Aegon actually survives and it’s confirmed that he and Sunfyre were injured not by Aemond and Vhagar, but by Rhaenys (Eve Best) and dragon Meleys.
While Aegon doesn’t die in the book, he’s in terrible shape. After the battle, Aegon suffers several broken bones and severe burns to more than half of his body. His armour melts into his arm at one point and it takes him over twelve months to recover.
It remains to be seen whether or not House Of The Dragon will follow the book closely or veer away from it, as it has in previous episodes, meaning there is still much ambiguity over whether Aegon is alive or dead.
In a four-star review of the first season, NME wrote: “What is reassuring is that House Of The Dragon feels as though it is walking on solid ground: the bubbling rivalries, the jostling for power, the eruptions of violence; six episodes in, it is all coming together to create a rich stew … it is a relief to see a prequel that seems to know what it’s doing. A decent watch for fans and neutrals alike.”