Fans of Game of Thrones are very familiar with the term the ‘Mad King’ and know that it refers to someone from the Targaryen dynasty. So, we can’t help but wonder whether the Mad King will feature in House of the Dragon, or if he already did.
Daemon Targaryen seems to be a perfect candidate for the title, given his dark and dicey personality and suppressed ambition to get to the throne. There’s also the scene where he ruthlessly butchered criminals on the street for punishing them for their crimes.
Although he seems like the perfect match to the title of the Mad King, Daemon Targaryen isn’t referred to as the Mad King in the GOT Universe.
Mad King refers to Aerys II Targaryen, a king who came long after Daemon Targaryen. Aerys II Targaryen was the father of Rhaeger, Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen and was killed by Jaime Lannister.
We saw a glimpse of him in Game of Thrones and do not know much about him except how he was overthrown. Here’s everything we know about the Mad King till now.
Will Daemon Targaryen Become the Mad King?
Daemon Targaryen is not the Mad King of the Targaryens. However, madness is generational among the Targaryens. So, Daemon may be labelled as mad in the future.
Generally, the word ‘mad’ is associated with someone who practices an uneasy amount of violence, becomes a tyrant and operates out of rage rather than logical thinking. If you remember, Daenerys was referred to as the Mad Queen because of her ruthless actions in the end of the series.
Dany decided to burn down King’s Landing and did not care about innocent citizens or even children. She destroyed a city with her dragon without any concern for the people. Such acts proved that she had descended to madness.
Daemon Targaryen does show similar signs in the first episode itself. He murders criminals on the street to punish them without any concern for law and order and does not hesitate to offer his own wife to another man.
He also seems to enjoy inflicting violence on others and killing people, as we saw during the tournament. So, he may show signs of madness and might descend into insanity. But the theory is too far-fetched as of now.
Even if we are to consider Daemon will end up being mad, he is still not the Mad King. The Mad King refers to another specific character in the universe, whom we will come to next.
Who is the Mad King? Why is he called mad?
The Mad King refers to King Aerys II Targaryen. He was the last member of House Targaryen to sit on the Iron Throne. Aerys Targaryen was the father of Rhaegar, Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen, the siblings we are familiar with from GOT.
If you’re a GOT loyalist or fan, you’ll come across several familiar names in the new few lines, because this is where House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones coincides.
Aerys Targaryen was overthrown by Robert’s Rebellion, a major civil war led by Robert Baratheon and aided by Ned Stark and Tywin Lannister among others. He was killed by Jaime Lannister, after which Jaime earned the title of Kingslayer.
Aerys Targaryen’s madness began due to his incestuous parentage, which is common among the Targaryens as they believe in keeping their lineage pure and within the family. This is something we will see in House of the Dragon too. Princess Rhaenyra has children with her uncle, Daemon Targaryen.
Aerys was imprisoned and tortured for long before being rescued by Ser Barrister Selmy. Aerys’ madness began with his imprisonment. He gradually earned the title of the Mad King due to his cruelty and violence.
Aerys’ reign being murderous, violent and erratic and he grew jealous of others, particularly of the Hand of his King, Tywin Lannister. The last straw was plucked when Aerys planted wildfire throughout the underground paths of King’s Landing.
Due to his violent reign and no concern for human lives, he earned the title of the Mad King.
Why did Jaime kill the Mad King?
Aerys Targaryen employed Tywin’s son Jaime Lannister in the Kingsguard. When he realized that Tywin Lannister had joined Robert Baratheon’s cause and betrayed him, he ordered his own son, Jaime to kill his father.
When Jaime refused to listen to Aerys, he threatened to blast off the wildfire he planted under the city and destroy the entire city. This is when Jaime killed the Mad King to save the city and his family.
Jaime revealed this story to Brienne in season 3 of Game of Thrones, explaining how he was always misunderstood for killing the Mad King. But he actually saved the city and his family.
Will the Mad King feature in House of the Dragon?
As of now, there is no mention of the Mad King or anyone of his time in the series. House of the Dragon is set 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones. With a rough estimation, we can say that Aerys II Targaryen will only appear at least a 100 years later in the series.
It is not yet confirmed whether the Mad King will appear in the series or not, but he might if the show continues for more seasons. It all depends on how the story proceeds and how long it will cover.
About House Of The Dragon
House of the Dragon is the prequel series to HBO’s blockbuster Game of Thrones based on George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
Set three hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will show Westeros under the Targaryen family’s rule before the dragons went extinct. It will follow the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war between siblings Aegon II and Rhaenyra, who fought for the throne after the death of their father, Viserys I.
Directed by Ryan Condall and Miguel Sapochnik, the show stars Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Craney as Aegon II Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, and Graham McTavish.
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