Aemand Targaryen has been one of the most menacing characters in Westeros for most of ‘House of the Dragon’. With Vhagar, the biggest dragon ever known, and a strong desire to prove himself, he has been seemingly unstoppable more than once.
However, season 3 is going to challenge that image in big ways.
‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 3 Teases A More Desperate And Dangerous Aemond
Actor Ewan Mitchell says Aemond is coming into the new season in a state he hasn’t been in for years: Weakness. The prince is no longer so feared, as Team Black is now backed by several powerful dragonriders. That could actually make him even more of a threat.
Related: 5 Controversial Changes ‘House of the Dragon’ Made From George R. R. Martin’s Books
At the end of season 2, the dragonseeds changed the game. Riders joined Seasmoke, Silverwing, and Vermithor, providing Rhaenyra’s side with a dragon force that could match Vhagar. That’s a frightening development for Aemond.
Mitchell said his character comes into season 3 with both “clarity” and “desperation”. “Aemond is on the back foot. He knows that he can’t match these guys on dragonback. And so he’s going in with this mindset of actually, “Okay, I’ve got to strategically move forward with this in a different way,” he told SR.
Aemond knows he can’t just do it with brute force and dragonfire. Having the most powerful dragon in the world is no longer enough to give him confidence. That realization seems to bring back old insecurities that have plagued him since his childhood.
Before he was the dreaded warrior he is today, Aemond was the lonely prince who was ridiculed for not having a dragon. The sense of inferiority never went away; it was just pushed down by power and pride. His dominance is being threatened, and those feelings are bubbling up again. “He’s also prepared to go to places that maybe the audience haven’t seen him go to yet.”
How The Internal Conflict Could Push Him Into Darker Territory
Season 3 is particularly fascinating because Aemond may dig into new emotional ground. Mitchell teased that the character will make decisions that audiences have never seen him make before due to desperation.
In case you missed it: ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 3 Ditches The Slow Burn For Instant Chaos
That’s a terrifying thought, given that Aemond has already been a major part of some of the show’s most horrific scenes. The trailers have also suggested that Aemond travelled to Harrenhal, a place well known for affecting the people that enter it.
Harrenhal could be as pivotal as it was for Daemon in season 2, as he was completely changed by his own journey there. The Dance of the Dragons continues to rage on, and Aemond finds himself in a situation that he has hoped to avoid.
And for a man obsessed with proving his superiority, that may be the most dangerous challenge of all.
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