House of the Dragon: Is Aegon the Mad King?

There are two types of George Martin fans: those who have read all the books and are trying to choke the new ones from the author — and those who have only watched the TV shows. For the latter, it’s often harder to navigate the convoluted timeline and namesake characters of Westeros, leading to major confusion.

Watching Aegon II Targaryen develop a rather unlikable and whimsical (at best) personality, some House of the Dragons viewers have been wondering whether it’s him who could later become known as the Mad King, the last ruler of the Targaryen dynasty… Especially, seeing how the House is rapidly approaching its self-destruction.

Will Aegon II Targaryen Become the Mad King?

While many would argue that Aegon is quite an emotionally and intellectually challenged individual deserving of the title, he is not the Mad King from Game of Thrones. Among other things, the confusion might have stemmed from the fact that the two have rather similar names: Aegon II Targaryen and Aerys II Targaryen.

Aegon is a notorious drunkard; he’s lazy, largely indifferent to his duties, and is overall a terrible King. But he’s nowhere near the Mad King — both metaphorically and literally. Aegon is merely frustrating to deal with but not mad, but most importantly, he lived half a century away from Aerys II, so they were two different people.

The Mad King Was Far Worse Than Aegon

For all the sins and flaws of the young Aegon, he can almost be considered a saint compared to Aerys II Targaryen. The latter began his reign as a benevolent and rather popular King, but the Targaryen curse aka madness caused by incestuous birth changed the course of his reign — and the history of Westeros as a whole.

Aerys II was notorious for his paranoia and brutality. He was a sadist and a lunatic who enjoyed torturing people and burning them alive; he saw an enemy in every corner; he believed himself to be a dragon trapped in a human shell. Ultimately, Aerys II brought the end of the Targaryen era when he executed several powerful lords and caused a massive rebellion that would crush his House into oblivion.

Aegon II doesn’t look too bad compared to his future successor, does he?