House of the Dragon: Aegon and Joffrey Are Actually Soulmates From Hell
An evil duo you never knew you needed.
Game of Thrones is constantly compared to its newly-released prequel, House of the Dragon, but there is one thing in the original show that is arguably unbeatable: the level of hatred that its most disgusting villain, Joffrey Baratheon, has caused in fans.
House of the Dragon, however, appears to be on track to challenge Game of Thrones with its own despicable character, Aegon II Targaryen. And even though some people argue that Aegon is nowhere near Joffrey when it comes to being insufferable and cruel (yet), the two actually have a lot more in common than you thought.
Their similarities were listed by @TqValyrian in a lengthy Twitter thread, starting with the most obvious one: both Joffrey and Aegon usurped the throne, even though both claim to be legitimate heirs.
Besides, both are united in their hatred towards their uncles. While Aegon isn't particularly fond of Rhaenyra's husband Daemon Targaryen, Joffrey can't stand his uncle Tyrion. Practically every interaction between Tyrion and Joffrey varies from gaslighting and passive aggression to open abuse and outright spat. Aegon and Daemon, as fans suspect, are soon to follow suit.
It's all in the family, huh? Both Aegon and Joffrey have very similar mothers, as Alicent and Cersei are manipulative, jealous, and tend to be too much into scheming as they clinge to their power.
Both Aegon and Joffrey are sworn enemies with a female Targaryen who is the rightful heir to the throne. In Aegon's case, it's Rhaenyra; in Joffrey's, it's her descendant Daenerys.
The next similarity is a spoiler for those who haven't read the books, so if you want the second season of House of the Dragon to be a suprise for you, consider skipping the following part.
Joffrey died of poison that was given to him by someone who he believed was his ally (although Olenna was the loudest person to urge everyone to "help your king"...). The very same death awaits Aegon II Targaryen; even though it's unclear whether House of the Dragon will stick to the book version of the events.
Finally, both actors – Jack Gleeson and Tom Glynn-Carney – have agreed during the recent GoT Convention that their characters are much more alike than it seems.
House of the Dragon season 2 is set to start filming in March 2023, with the premiere date to be announced later. Fans might have to wait up until 2024 before they know whether Aegon II could become even worse than Joffrey was.