Spoilers ahead for the A Song of Ice and Fire book series.
George R.R. Martin famously has not yet finished The Winds of Winter as the sixth installment of the seven he has planned for his A Song of Ice and Fire saga, and July 12 marked the 13th anniversary of when A Dance with Dragons was published as Book 5 back in 2011. The book hit shelves just months after the Game of Thrones pilot aired, and at the time, there was no reason to worry that the show would end before Martin would finish the next book. Those were the days, right?
Well, I've had Westeros on the brain lately with House of the Dragon Season 2 airing new episodes on HBO, and seeing that July 12 marked thirteen years since A Dance with Dragons set me flashing back to when Game of Thrones adapted that novel... or, more specifically, didn't really adapt that novel in its later seasons. As the wait continues for The Winds of Winter, I really find myself wishing that one ADWD plot hadn't been cut from the show: Aegon Targaryen.
The Prince That Was Promised (In The Books)
Now, when I mention "Aegon Targaryen," I'm not talking about the show establishing that Aegon was Jon Snow's real name at birth, or any of the many Aegons from George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood. The character I'm referring to in fact may not truly be a Targaryen, but he certainly was set up in A Dance with Dragons by players like Varys as a legitimate claimant to the Iron Throne. Notably, his place in the Targaryen family tree would rank him ahead of both Daenerys and Jon in the Targaryen line of succession.
And that is because this Aegon is purportedly the eldest son of Rhaegar Targaryen and his wife Elia Martell, who survived the sack of King's Landing as an infant at the end of Robert's Rebellion after Varys smuggled him to freedom and replaced him with the son of a commoner. This Aegon is also known for his alias of "Young Griff" that had been used to protect his identity and the fan nickname of "fAegon" among those who believe he's a fake. He was raised in Essos with all the training and education needed to make a pretty great king, all things considered.
Is Aegon A True Targaryen And Jon's Older Brother?
I don't want to get too far into the weeds about whether or not ADWD's Aegon truly is the firstborn son of Rhaegar Targaryen and therefore Jon Snow's elder brother, although it's worth noting that the odds are good that he's actually a Blackfyre – a.k.a. born of a bastard Targaryen line – whether he knows it himself or not. It arguably doesn't even matter whether he's truly a Targaryen or not.
What matters is if enough people believe and support his claim, and as of the end of A Dance with Dragons, Aegon was convinced by Tyrion to land in Westeros to begin his invasion while Dany – who is currently the only confirmed surviving Targaryen in A Song of Ice and Fire – was still stuck in Meereen. (The books technically haven't established that Rhaegar + Lyanna = Jon just yet, let alone settled whether or not Rhaegar annulled his marriage to Elia to make Jon his true heir.) If nothing else, Aegon has a head start on Dany, which could make a big difference.
A Possible Daenerys Vs. Aegon Plot
A Dance with Dragons set up a potential clash between Dany and Aegon, and I so wish that Aegon hadn't been cut from Game of Thrones to make the story impossible on the small screen. Would this story on screen have made Daenerys admit to herself that she's seeking the Iron Throne by conquest rather than birthright, since she would be behind Aegon (and Jon) in the Targaryen line? Would Cersei have been knocked out of the game of thrones earlier than the end of the last season if Aegon was around? If Dany is going to roast King's Landing at some point, would a conflict with her purported nephew have set it up better than what happened on HBO?
And would Game of Thrones have a stronger legacy than its divisive series finale if it had lasted as long as George R.R. Martin wanted and included Aegon vs. Dany? Alas, we'll never know. As a Stark fan who generally prefers the first three A Song of Ice and Fire books to A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons as the fourth and fifth, I've historically always been more bitter about Lady Stoneheart being cut from the show than anything from the most recent two novels, but I'm starting to rethink that.
Was Aegon The Worst Cut From Book To Show?
Just as Catelyn Stark's resurrection as Lady Stoneheart could have made Jaime and Brienne's stories in the later seasons much more interesting, Aegon's inclusion could have made for some great development for Dany and perhaps even another Dance of the Dragons. An Aegon interlude also could have helped the end of Thrones feel less rushed and maybe let the Night King march south for more than a few episodes.
Sure, this undoubtedly would have been a very expensive plotline to produce for TV, but dang it, I would have loved to see it. While we won't know for sure how important this Aegon Targaryen – or fAegon of Blackfyre descent, depending on your point of view – actually is in the grand scheme of George R.R. Martin's saga until The Winds of Winter comes out, I think it's safe to say that Game of Thrones' last few seasons would have been quite different if the character hadn't been cut.
Just imagine if we'd gotten to see a Targaryen (or Targaryen pretender) who actually had the training to be a good ruler, and how Dany might have reacted! I was always way more invested in the Stark-adjacent storylines – see: why I'm still bitter about Lady Stoneheart – but Aegon in the mix could have made Dany's story a lot spicier on Game of Thrones.
For now, I can only wonder what might have been... and perhaps cross my fingers again that The Winds of Winter could be ready for publication sometime in the foreseeable future. Earlier this year, George R.R. Martin at least confirmed that he doesn't intend to write any more Dunk and Egg stories until after he finishes Winds, but given that this is the author who once expressed hope that he'd have the book ready by 2016, I find it's best not to get one's hopes up too high without proof.
If you want to revisit Game of Thrones, you can find the full series streaming with a Max subscription now, as well as every episode of House of the Dragon so far. New episodes of Season 2 are currently releasing weekly on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO in the 2024 TV schedule.
