![\"matthew-needham-tom-glynn-carney-jefferson-hall\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1785780852_220_0x0.jpg\")
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House of the Dragon<\/p>\n
Photograph by Theo Whiteman\/HBO<\/p>\n
Aegon Targaryen had a rough go of it this season in House of the Dragon, traipsing across the countryside in constant pain because of burns inflicted by his brothers\u2019 dragon, forced to shovel excrement and lick the boots of common thugs. But now? It\u2019s time for the Aegon redemption arc, baby. Spoilers follow for House of the Dragon episode 7.<\/a><\/p>\n Aegon, surprisingly enough, was bold enough to reveal himself and take on a Rhaenyra-loyal army with only Tyland Lannister by his side (honestly, surprisingly brave of Tyland as well). But in those final moments, we hear what is clearly a dragon lumbering through the woods behind him as the army begins to cower in fear. I thought perhaps this was the long-missing Vhagar, there to help someone of the Targaryen bloodline. A redemption arc for Vhagar as well<\/p>\n Not the case. Rather, it is Aegon\u2019s own dragon, Sunfyre, back from the dead and, despite half his face hanging off, healthy enough to roast the host in front of him, sending the rest fleeing if they weren\u2019t turned to ash. Aegon cackles wildly in what I would deem one of the best moments of the season.<\/p>\n Sunfyre, however, is not a zombie dragon. We did see that in the original Game of Thrones where one of Dany\u2019s dragons was risen by White Walkers, but that is not what happened here. Rather, Sunfyre was never quite dead. We did hear Aegon say that he couldn\u2019t \u201csense\u201d that Sunfyre was dead, which turned out not to be wishful thinking after all. It appears dragons can just look\u2026very dead, while just needing time to recover without apparently even breathing. Sure, why not?<\/p>\n House of the Dragon<\/p>\n Photograph by Theo Whiteman\/HBO<\/p>\n In an interview with EW<\/a>, episode 7 director Nina Lopez-Corrado answered questions about Sunfyre\u2019s return.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he truly did believe that Sunfyre was dead, and I think Sunfyre was very close to being dead,\u201d Lopez-Corrado says. \u201cDuring the time period in which he was laying there, he did rejuvenate so that he was able to come back. I think a part of his healing process truly had to do with the fact that when Aegon was there, he was gonna die. So I think it helped him rejuvenate enough strength to come back and save him.\u201d<\/p>\n She credits the bond between Aegon and Sunfyre as helping give him the strength to heal with a bit more time. It\u2019s cutting some things from the books, in which George RR Martin talks about the dragon roaming the woods, eating sheep and dead soldiers to get stronger. I suppose that could have in fact happened, rather than Sunfyre going straight back to Aegon, but regardless, we didn\u2019t see it.<\/p>\n Excellent sequence here, and one that is one of the series\u2019 best. Strangely, I find myself now\u2026rooting for Aegon a bit, especially since Rhaenyra has started to go off the deep end. Definitely not coming around to the extremely creepy mom-lusting Aemond, however. Shivering at the thought.<\/p>\n Follow me on Twitter<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>,<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series<\/a> and The Earthborn Trilogy<\/a>.<\/p>\n