The Game of Thrones franchise has expanded considerably since the main show ended in 2019, but one thing has remained the same: the presence of House Targaryen. The family has, thanks to Daenerys Targaryen, been among the most popular with fans, but also among the most important in the entire saga. Because the Targaryen dynasty ruled the Seven (or Nine) Kingdoms of Westeros for almost 300 years, it means they defined so much of HBO’s spinoff plans, which have included House of the Dragon and most recently, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
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As much as the three Game of Thrones TV shows so far have their differences, particularly A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the presence of the Targaryens has been strong in each. Indeed, while the latest prequel focused on the lowborn Dunk of Flea Bottom as its POV character, even his joint main character, Egg, was revealed to be a Targaryen. There are, of course, decades between these shows: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is almost 80 years after House of the Dragon, and almost 90 years before Thrones. That means there’s little room for characters to appear in all three, but one can do it: Brynden Rivers, aka Bloodraven.
How & When Bloodraven Will Appear In A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms
Brynden Rivers, aka Bloodraven, appeared in Game of Thrones, even though his real name was never revealed. For years, fans had theorized that the Three-Eyed Raven before Bran Stark was Brynden, with various clues in the books (where he’s the Three-Eyed Crow rather than Raven) pointing towards it.
The show never really gets into his identity much, but Daemon Targaryen’s visions in House of the Dragon‘s Season 2 finale cemented it. They included a Targaryen-looking man at a weirwood tree, with a red birthmark on his cheek, and a raven flying from him, all of which fit with the idea of this being Brynden.
The character is already very important to the historical context in which A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place. The series is set around 13 years after a civil war known as the Blackfyre Rebellion, in which Daemon Blackfyre, one of the Great Bastards of King Aegon IV Targaryen, launched a claim for the Iron Throne against his half-brother, King Daeron II Targaryen.
Brynden was another of Aegon IV’s bastards, but, unlike Daemon, remained loyal to House Targaryen. Indeed, as a skilled archer and battle commander, he played a key role in their victory, commanding a group of longbowmen known as the Raven’s Teeth, who killed Daemon and ended the conflict.
In terms of the Tales of Dunk and Egg, the novellas written by George R.R. Martin that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is adapting, Bloodraven comes into things in the third book, The Mystery Knight (which will form the basis of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 3). Set at the castle Whitewalls in the riverlands, and taking place around three years after the tourney at Ashford, the story finds Dunk and Egg uncovering what turns out to be a secret plot for a second Blackfyre Rebellion. Brynden arrives later in the story, with an important role in the culmination of things.
At that point, he’s serving as Hand of the King, a role he’ll hold for several years, including in the reign of King Maekar I Targaryen. Eventually, after his situation changes considerably, he’s sent to Castle Black, where he becomes Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, and goes missing on a ranging beyond the Wall. What happens to him, and how he becomes the Three-Eyed Raven, is a story that Martin has yet to tell.
There is at least one other Targaryen character who could appear in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: Maester Aemon. The brother of Egg, he’s at the Citadel in Oldtown during the events of the show. The second book, The Sworn Sword, mentions that Dunk and Egg had been to visit him, and it’s easy to imagine that being fleshed out on screen.
Harder to envisage is Daenerys herself, who, also thanks to Daemon’s HOTD vision, has appeared in two shows like Brynden. It’s not impossible that she has a similar cameo as part of a prophetic sequence, but given that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is much more self-contained and focused on Dunk and Egg, it seems very unlikely to happen. That’s not a bad thing because, as great as Dany is, the show is better off doing its own thing. An appearance from her isn’t necessary, but one from Bloodraven is rather essential.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 2 will release on HBO and HBO Max in 2027. All six episodes of Season 1 are now streaming on HBO Max, as are Game of Thrones Seasons 1-8, and House of the Dragon Seasons 1-2 (with Season 3 beginning in June 2026).
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