Fans wish to learn who Maelor Targaryen is in Fire & Blood and are curious about why he was missing from House of the Dragon. The show’s co-creator George R.R. Martin recently expressed his thoughts on Maelor’s absence in the show in his now-deleted blog post. In it, he also addressed what changes were made in House of the Dragon Season 2 from the book and how it might impact future seasons.
So, who is Maelor Targaryen and why did he not appear in House of the Dragon? Will Maelor ever appear in the show in the future? Find out here.
Who is Maelor Targaryen in Fire & Blood?
Maelor Targaryen is the youngest son and third child of Aegon II Targaryen and Helaena Targaryen.
In the Fire & Blood book, Maelor Targaryen played a key role in a tragic event involving two assassins Blood and Cheese. Maelor’s mother Helaena had taken him, his brother Jaehaerys, and sister Jaehaera at dusk to visit their grandmother Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower in accordance with custom. Unbeknownst to them, Blood and Cheese had snuck into Alicent’s chambers. After the four entered the chambers, Blood barred the door and killed Helaena’s guardsman. Cheese then grabbed Maelor and threatened Helaena, claiming they were two “debt collectors.”
Cheese then asked Helaena to choose which of her sons would be killed by them – Maelor or Jaehaerys. Helaena attempted to offer herself instead only to be refused as it only had to be either of her sons. Helaena eventually gave in and chose Maelor to be executed. Unfortunately, Blood and Cheese killed Jaehaerys instead by beheading him and ran away with his head, leaving a screaming Helaena and her surviving children.
Helaena’s guilt over trying to get Maelor killed made her unable to be around him. Due to this, Maelor was put by his father Aegon II in the care of his grandmother Alicent to be raised by her as if he was her own. Following Jaehaerys’ death, Maelor became Aegon II’s heir and the de facto Prince of Dragonstone.
Why didn’t Maelor appear in House of the Dragon?
Maelor’s absence in House of the Dragon was due to a creative compromise made by co-creator Ryan Condal.
In a recent episode of HBO’s official Game of Thrones podcast, Condal explained Maelor’s absence, mentioning how the children of their show were “very young.” He added that they compressed the timeline from the books in the show, because of which people could only have children of a particular age and be “believable.”
Condal acknowledged the ripple effect of the decision to exclude Maelor. However, he stressed leaning into that decision and trying to turn it into a strength instead of a weakness.
Will Maelor appear in House of the Dragon in the future?
According to Martin, Maelor will not appear in House of the Dragon in the future.
George R.R. Martin revealed in his now-deleted blog post that Condal initially told him Maelor’s birth would be pushed to a later season.
However, the Game of Thrones creator eventually learned that Maelor’s birth would not only not be pushed to Season 3, but he would “never be born at all,” as per his blog post. (via The Guardian)