He’s the guy with the eye patch and the chip on his shoulder the size of a mountain. Honestly, if you’ve been watching House of the Dragon, it’s hard to look away from Aemond Targaryen. He isn’t just some one-dimensional bad guy twirling a mustache. He’s a walking, fire-breathing disaster of a human being, and yet, you kind of get why he’s like that.
Growing up as the "spare" to the "spare" is rough. But being the only kid in a dragon-riding family who doesn’t actually have a dragon? That’s a specific kind of trauma that George R.R. Martin loves to play with.
Aemond’s journey from the bullied boy in the pits of King’s Landing to the rider of Vhagar—the largest living nuke in Westeros—is the backbone of the Green faction's power. It's also the reason everything falls apart. People love to argue about whether he’s a misunderstood genius or a sociopath. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, buried under a lot of Targaryen pride and a very expensive wig.
The Vhagar Factor: How Aemond Targaryen Changed the Game
Let’s talk about that moment at Driftmark. It’s the turning point for the whole series. Aemond loses an eye but gains a god.
Claiming Vhagar wasn't just a "cool" moment. It was a massive shift in the balance of power. Before that, the Blacks (Rhaenyra’s side) had more dragons. They had the advantage. Then this kid, fueled by pure spite and bravery, walks up to a mountain of ancient scales and says, "Mine."
It’s a trade he’d make every single time.
"I lost an eye, but I gained a dragon."
That line defines him. He’s transactional. He’s willing to suffer to win. But there’s a massive downside to riding a dragon that has lived through a hundred years of war. Vhagar isn't a puppy. She’s an old, grumpy war machine who sometimes forgets she’s not in the Century of Blood anymore. When Aemond takes her out to "scare" Lucerys Velaryon at Storm's End, he learns the hard way that a dragon is not a slave.
It’s a mistake. A massive, world-ending mistake.
Aemond didn't mean to kill Luke. If you watch his face in that scene, he’s terrified. He realizes the moment the chomp happens that he just started a war he can't stop. That nuance is what makes the show version of Aemond so much more interesting than the "Aemond One-Eye" from the Fire & Blood history book. In the book, he’s a bit more of a standard psychopath. In the show, he’s a kid who took a prank too far and accidentally burned the world down.
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Why the "Second Son" Syndrome Hits Different
Aegon is the King, but Aemond is the soldier. Aegon is a mess—drunk, lazy, and completely uninterested in ruling. Aemond, meanwhile, has studied the blade, read the history books, and learned how to actually speak High Valyrian properly.
He’s better than his brother in every way that matters for a ruler, yet he’s stuck in the shadow.
You see this resentment bubbling over constantly. He looks at the crown and thinks, I should be wearing that. It’s a classic trope, but Ewan Mitchell plays it with this weird, eerie stillness that makes you feel the tension. He doesn't need to scream. He just stares. Usually with that one sapphire eye that he keeps hidden.
It’s interesting to compare him to Daemon Targaryen. They are two sides of the same coin. Both are second sons. Both are the "enforcers" for their family. Both have a flair for the dramatic. But while Daemon is chaotic and unpredictable, Aemond is disciplined and rigid. Well, until he loses his temper.
The Dynamics of the Green Council
The Greens are a mess of a family. Alicent is trying to be pious but is actually just terrified. Otto is playing 4D chess. Aegon is... Aegon. Aemond is the glue that actually holds their military threat together.
Without Aemond Targaryen, the Greens have no real defense against Caraxes or Meleys. He knows this. He uses it as leverage. There’s a scene where he basically calls Aegon out for being a pathetic excuse for a king, and you can see the power dynamic shift in real-time. He isn't just a loyal soldier anymore; he’s a power player.
But his loyalty is also his cage. He’s doing all of this for a family that didn't really protect him when he was a kid. Alicent loves him, sure, but she also uses him as a weapon. It’s a toxic cycle that leads him straight into the Dance of the Dragons.
Breaking Down the Battle at Rook's Rest
If you want to see Aemond at his most calculated (and most cold-blooded), look at Rook’s Rest.
This wasn't just a battle against the Blacks; it was a power move within his own family. When he waits in the woods while Aegon gets scorched, he’s making a choice. He could have flown in sooner. He didn't. He let his brother burn so he could step up.
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That’s the moment Aemond stops being the "bullied kid" and becomes a monster. He chooses the throne over his blood. Or, at least, he chooses the power of the throne. Watching him walk through the wreckage and pick up the catspaw dagger? Chills.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Eye Patch
People think the eye patch is just a fashion choice or a way to look edgy. It’s a shield.
Behind that patch is a sapphire—a literal cold, hard gem. It represents how he’s replaced his humanity with something hard and valuable. He doesn't want people to see the wound; he wants them to see the wealth and the power that came from his sacrifice.
It’s also a constant reminder to the Velaryons and the Blacks of what they took from him. He carries his trauma on his face like a badge of honor. It’s incredibly metal, honestly. But it’s also incredibly sad. He can’t let go of a childhood fight, and because of that, thousands of people have to die.
The Inevitable Clash: Aemond vs. Daemon
Everyone is waiting for it. The "Battle Above the Gods Eye."
It’s the most famous duel in the history of Westeros for a reason. You have the two most dangerous men in the world, on the two most dangerous dragons, fighting to the death. It’s the ultimate validation for Aemond. In his head, beating Daemon means he’s finally the "main character."
But Daemon doesn't care about being the main character. Daemon just wants to win—or at least, he wants to go out in a way that people will talk about for a thousand years.
Aemond’s obsession with being "the best" is his ultimate downfall. He’s so focused on the glory and the tactical wins that he misses the bigger picture. He’s a dragon-rider who forgot that even dragons can fall.
Aemond's Relationship with Alicent
It's complicated. Kinda weird, actually.
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Alicent Hightower spent Aemond's entire life telling him that he was special and that the "others" were the enemy. She weaponized his grief over his eye to fuel the fire of the civil war. But as Aemond gets more powerful and more violent, you see Alicent start to fear the monster she created.
There’s a shift in Season 2 where she realizes she can’t control him anymore. He’s no longer her little boy who needs protecting; he’s the Prince Regent who is making decisions that she finds horrifying. It’s a classic "Frankenstein's Monster" situation.
Aemond, for his part, seems to still want her approval, but he also resents her for her weakness. He sees her desire for peace as a betrayal of everything they’ve sacrificed. In his mind, you can’t half-ass a war. You either burn it all down or you get burned.
How to Understand Aemond's Arc
If you're trying to wrap your head around why this character works so well, look at the specific way the show handles his "villainy."
- Trauma-Informed Rage: Everything he does stems from the bullying he faced as a child.
- The Burden of Vhagar: He has the most power in the world, but he can't fully control it.
- Intellectual Superiority: He feels he is the "rightful" choice because he worked for his skills, unlike Aegon.
- Moral Ambiguity: He isn't "evil" for the sake of being evil; he's pragmatic to a fault.
Aemond is a warning about what happens when you give a deeply hurt person a nuclear weapon. He’s what happens when "justice" turns into "vengeance."
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Lore Buffs
If you're following the Greens' storyline and want to understand where Aemond is heading, keep these points in mind:
- Watch the eyes: Whenever Aemond is in a scene, look at which direction he’s facing. His blind side is his literal and metaphorical weakness.
- Look for the High Valyrian: Aemond uses the language of the Old Empire as a tool of superiority. When he speaks it, he’s asserting his "purity" as a Targaryen.
- Pay attention to Vhagar’s sounds: The sound design for the dragon often mirrors Aemond’s emotional state. When she’s restless, he’s losing control.
- Re-read the Storm’s End chapter: If you really want to see the difference between the show and the source material, go back to Fire & Blood. The divergence in Aemond’s intent at Storm’s End is the most important change the showrunners made.
Aemond Targaryen is a disaster. He's a kinslayer, a warmonger, and a bit of a creep. But in the world of Westeros, where everyone is some shade of grey, he’s the most vibrant shade of dark blue you’ll ever see. He’s the reason the Dance of the Dragons is a tragedy rather than just a history lesson. He’s the guy who tried to fly too high and took everyone else down with him.
Keep an eye on him—if you can find one.