Will House of the Dragon Show the Mad King?
We’ve heard so much about him in Game of Thrones; will we meet Aerys II Targaryen in House of the Dragon?
In Game of Thrones, we only saw three Targaryens: one of them died off quickly because he was an utter cretin, another was a blind old maester, and the third was often compared to the Mad King, especially by the end of her rule. But even beyond Daenerys’ progressing bloodlust, Aerys II Targaryen was referred to pretty often in the original TV show. Will we finally meet him in the Targaryen-centered prequel?
The Mad King Loomed All Over Westeros
Despite dying long before the events of Game of Thrones, Aerys II Targaryen’s shadow still managed to pester the living from beyond the grave. Too much had happened because of him, and too many fates were permanently altered or outright destroyed by his insane decisions. Many resented him even in death.
From Jaime Lannister who bore the insulting title of “the Kingslayer” despite acting decisively to prevent a tragedy to Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark who lost their fathers and brothers to the Mad King’s despotic and unprovoked executions, Aerys II Targaryen was still present in Westeros and its people’s minds, perhaps, too much.
But we never saw him in action — and some fans hope to meet the Mad King in House of the Dragon. Unfortunately, we have some numbers they might not like.
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The Mad King Lived Long After HotD’s Events
House of the Dragon does follow the Targaryens, true, but the prequel show’s core event is the Dance of Dragons which happened soon after Viserys I Targaryen’s death in 132 AC. Aerys II Targaryen, meanwhile, died in 281 AC — almost 150 years later. However unique the Targaryens were, even they didn’t ever live that long.
In other words, we will neither see the Mad King in House of the Dragon nor get any references to him: it’s simply a century too early for his birth. But if you fancy properly insane white-haired psychopaths, you’re still in luck. The entirety of HotD revolves around the bunch of them, so while there won’t be the Mad King there, there are quite a few of lowercase mad kings and queens to choose from.