Henry Cavill Fans Think He Should Play This Classic Game of Thrones Character
Fans are pushing for Henry Cavill to join House of the Dragon as a legendary character. Here's why the actor would be a great choice.
This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon.
With news of Henry Cavill returning as Superman circling the internet, fans of the actor have taken to Twitter to share another mythical figure they would love to see the actor play – Aegon the Conqueror. Fans of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon will recognize Aegon the Conqueror as the legendary first king of Westeros. He is the man who united six out of the seven kingdoms and brought order to the land. Even though Aegon the Conqueror may not carry as much pop-culture mythos as Superman does in the real world, he is still a legendary figure who has been built up for years in these series as a hero of Westeros.
According to King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) in House of the Dragon, Aegon I didn’t seek out to conquer Westeros because of power or ambition, but rather because he had a dream that a Targaryen must rule and unite all of Westeros if the realm is to be prepared for the return of the White Walkers. The Targaryen Dynasty as we know it was formed because of Aegon I and his dream.
Because Aegon I’s reign occurs so early in Westerosi history, any inclusion of the character in House of the Dragon would have to be through flashbacks. Since House of the Dragon has already utilized time jumps to propel its story forward, it isn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility for the series to then use flashbacks in season 2 or later seasons. Aegon I’s dream and prophecy are a large part of why Rhaenrya Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) hesitates to launch the realm into war after her place on the Iron Throne is taken by her younger brother Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) in the ninth and tenth episodes of season 1. She is the only one alive who truly knows what is at stake, so it would make sense for the series to further emphasize the importance of the dream by taking us back to Aegon the Conqueror.
Thanks to his time as Superman in whatever the DCEU is now and as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s The Witcher, Henry Cavill has already proven that he can handle the weight of portraying a character that carries a lot of baggage from fan expectations. In The Witcher, Cavill has also proven himself as the lead of a large-scale fantasy series and that he is skilled at sword-based stunt work (check out the breakdown he does of an epic season 1 fight scene below). Plus, fans of The Witcher, like myself, already know that Cavill looks great with long icy-blond hair and could totally pull off the Targaryen look.
Personally, I would love to see Henry Cavill as Aegon the Conqueror, whether it’s only for an episode or if he eventually gets an entire spinoff – although with Cavill’s packed schedule, the latter doesn’t seem as likely. He has an infectious charm that is perfect for a character like Aegon and yet he also carries himself with a strength worthy of the conqueror. Henry Cavill as Aegon the Conqueror may push horny House of the Dragon stans to the edge, the thirst for Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) is already at critical levels, but in my opinion it would absolutely be worth it.
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Brynna Arens (she/her) is a freelance writer who studies movies, TV, and pop culture through an intersectional feminist lens. She'll watch almost anything tbh, but it's…