A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ King Joffrey Replacement Has One of the Franchise’s Best Deaths (but There’s 1 Problem)

by

A fan-made story set in the world of Game of Thrones has reimagined King Joffrey’s fate with a particularly impactful death – though it’s unlikely to be shown on screen. George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series is known for its shocking and memorable character deaths, like Tywin Lannister’s ignominious end and Oberyn Martell’s brutal fight with The Mountain. These moments have stayed with viewers long after the story concluded.

Joffrey’s death at his wedding is a prime example of a widely shared, shocking moment, largely because everyone disliked the character so much. Some viewers might be disappointed to learn that the new A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms series introduces a similarly unpleasant character from House Targaryen. This new villain, like Joffrey in Game of Thrones, eventually faces a fitting punishment. However, that scene won’t actually be shown in the series. Be warned: Spoilers follow for the Dunk and Egg novellas and the upcoming show.

Aerion Targaryen Is A Knight of the Seven Kingdom’s Joffrey Baratheon Replacement

Fans of Game of Thrones were introduced to a new, unpleasant character in the second episode, Prince Aerion Targaryen, though they might not realize his role yet. He immediately dismisses Dunk as a low-ranking servant and doubts his claim to be a knight – a reaction many share initially. However, the show clearly intends for viewers to dislike him. Readers of The Hedge Knight already know why: he’s the story’s villain.

Prince Aerion is just as spoiled and cruel as Joffrey, and his bad behavior kicks off the main conflict of the story. He attacks a young girl performing a puppet show simply because it shows a dragon dying – even though it wasn’t meant to be a dig at his family. He begins to hurt her, and when Dunk intervenes to protect her, he’s arrested for attacking a prince. This leads to the events known as the Trial of the Seven. Throughout the story, Aerion consistently demonstrates how awful he is, and even his own brothers acknowledge it – he isn’t just mean to those he considers lower class. Like Joffrey, Aerion’s cruelty stems from deeper issues; actor Finn Bennett explains that Aerion is ashamed of how far House Targaryen has fallen and is trying to overcompensate.

Prince Aerion Has One of A Song of Ice and Fire’s Best Deaths, but We Won’t Get to See It

Prince Aerion is shaping up to be as unlikeable as King Joffrey, and his story will likely end tragically – though we probably won’t see it happen in the show. While Dunk and his allies win the Trial of the Seven, Aerion actually lives through it. We only know his fate because of details in the original books. He eventually drinks wildfire, which, unsurprisingly, kills him. According to Jeor Mormont, as told to Jon Snow in A Clash of Kings, he believed this would turn him into a dragon.

He was the one they called Aerion Brightflame. One night, while drunk, he foolishly drank a jar of wildfire, claiming it would turn him into a dragon. Thankfully, the gods intervened and he simply died.

I’ve noticed Aerion Brightflame comes up a couple of times in A Storm of Swords. Stannis Baratheon actually tells his wife that Aerion drank wildfire trying to change himself, and that he died horribly, screaming. Then, when I was reading, Sansa tries to tell Olenna Tyrell that Joffrey is good-looking, hoping to soften the truth. But Olenna immediately compares him to Aerion, saying Aerion was handsome too, “but a monster all the same.” It really struck me how clearly that connects them as being similar characters within the story.

While Joffrey’s death happened on screen, Aerion’s won’t – which is a little disappointing, considering how captivating his decision to drink wildfire would have been. It would have been a striking and psychologically revealing scene. However, since Dunk isn’t present, it won’t be shown in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. We might hear about it later through another character, but that’s likely all we’ll get.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/list/7-ways-a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms-is-different-from-game-of-thrones-house-of-the-dragon/embed/#

Read More

2026-01-29 21:40