A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS Star Confirms Prince Maekar Targaryen Won’t Return for Season 2
If you were expecting Prince Maekar Targaryen to storm back into the story and drag his runaway son home in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 2, it sounds like you might want to adjust those expectations.
According to Sam Spruell, who plays Maekar in the Game of Thrones prequel series, the Targaryen patriarch won’t be making a return when the show comes back.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Spruell made it clear: “I’m not going to be in season two.”
That’s a pretty surprising reveal considering how Season 1 wrapped up. The finale saw Maekar’s youngest son, Aegon Targaryen, better known as Egg, defy his father and ride off with Duncan the Tall as his squire.
Dunk had asked to take the boy on the road, and Maekar refused unless the knight relocated to Summerhall. Dunk declined. Egg made his choice anyway.
With that kind of ending, it felt inevitable that Maekar would come hunting for his son in the next chapter. When asked whether fans might see Maekar searching for Egg, Spruell responded, “We’ll see. Never say never, but I’m pretty sure that there will be other stories to tell.”
That doesn’t exactly scream “vengeful Targaryen pursuit.” It sounds more like Maekar may be stepping back and letting events unfold without him, at least for now.
Maekar’s track record with his older sons hasn’t exactly been stellar. Daeron is a drunk. Aerion is, well, Aerion. Egg represents something different.
Spruell spoke openly about what the character sees in his youngest child, saying, “Aegon is his last chance to succeed as a dad. That’s why he makes Dunk an offer and rejects Dunk’s offer. He wants to control it… There’s enormous vulnerability there. He is pretty much a failure as a father.”
For all of Maekar’s harshness and pride, there’s a layer of insecurity driving his decisions. He half-blames Dunk for his brother Baelor’s death, yet he still offered the knight a place at Summerhall just to keep Egg close. Control is his comfort zone. Losing Egg means losing that last shot at redemption.
HBO has already confirmed that Season 2 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set to premiere in 2027, though official casting announcements haven’t been released. What we do know, thanks to showrunner Ira Parker, is that the next season will follow Dunk and Egg on their journey to Dorne.
Spruell also teased what’s ahead tonally, saying, “The stripped bareness of season one will certainly maintain in season two. If anything, I think it will be stripped more bare,” and confirmed that Season 2 is filming “right now.”
That minimalist, character-driven style was one of the most refreshing aspects of the first season. If Season 2 leans even further into that raw storytelling, it could end up being something really special.
Still, Maekar’s absence will be felt. The tension between father and son added weight to Egg’s decision to leave. Whether Maekar resurfaces down the road is anyone’s guess, but for now, it seems Dunk and Egg are on their own.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 is streaming in its entirety on HBO Max. If you haven’t jumped into this corner of Westeros yet, now’s a great time to saddle up.