Is Sunfyre actually dead? Game of Thrones already gave us the horrific answer

*Warning: Spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon and Fire & Blood*

House of the Dragon season three episode four, ‘Tumbleton’, hints that Aegon’s (Tom Glynn-Carney) dragon Sunfyre isn’t actually dead. Not only can we find the answer to this question in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, but also Game of Thrones. 

Right now, Aegon is on the road with Larys (Matthew Needham), having fled King’s Landing in season two to avoid his brother, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), from finishing the job. Prior to this, Aemond attacked Aegon during the Battle of Rook’s Rest.

He deliberately ordered his dragon Vhagar to attack Aegon in the hopes of killing the then-king. Aegon was left with severe injuries, while his dragon Sunfyre was killed… or was he?

The latest season three episode four sees Aegon, still in disguise, reunited with Sunfyre’s remains (which are now being used as a local attraction). Larys pays and Aegon holds his boy, before announcing, “He’s alive.”

Larys assumes he’s struggling to let go and is mistaken in his grief, but Aegon knows his dragon better than anyone ever could…

Is Sunfyre dead in House of the Dragon?

Unless House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal completely changes the events of Fire & Blood, Sunfyre is still alive in the show and is merely injured. 

You see, according to the book, Sunfyre survives the Battle at Rook’s Rest despite suffering catastrophic injuries. His wing is torn nearly in half and his body is left covered in wounds.

Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) leaves the dragon where he fell and stations men to guard  and feed him while he recovers. 

Later, when Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) forces take back Rook’s Rest, Lord Walys Mooton (Richard Riddell) and his men go to slay Sunfyre, but the dragon rouses and kills them before disappearing. 

Eventually, Aegon and Sunfyre are reunited in Dragonstone, and the bond between rider and beast remains strong. It’s here on the island where one of the Dance of the Dragons’ most infamous moments unfolds. 

After Rhaenyra is betrayed, she is brought before her half-brother in chains. Aegon orders Sunfyre to execute her, and despite his weakened condition, the dragon obeys.

In front of Rhaenyra and Daemon’s (Matt Smith) son, Aegon the Younger, Sunfyre burns the former queen with dragonfire before tearing into her and devouring her body in six bites. 

Game of Thrones contains a huge spoiler

And if that weren’t confirmation enough, Game of Thrones dropped a huge spoiler long before House of the Dragon had been confirmed. 

In season three episode four of the HBO show, Joffrey takes Lady Margaery on a tour of the Great Sept of Baelor, including the Targaryen tombs.

He points at one and excitedly says, “Rhaenyra Targaryen was murdered by her brother, or rather his dragon. It ate her while her son watched. What’s left of her is buried in the crypts right down there.”

So, why would House of the Dragon have us believe Sunfyre is dead? Well, some fans have a theory that it’s being used as a plot twist in place of the Aegon surprise.

As one Redditor put it, “Fire & Blood is written in a way that makes the reader think Aegon is actually dead for a significant period of time, and his reappearance is a ‘plot twist,’ or as close as you can get to a plot twist in an encyclopedia.

“The show doesn’t want to can a major actor for a season (and understands that Aegon-in-the-wild sounds like an interesting plot), so they seem to be shifting the plot twist from ‘Aegon was actually alive!’ to ‘Sunfyre was actually alive!’”

Another said, “They want the audience to believe he [Sunfyre] is dead until he shows up again, they keep bringing it up on purpose.”

A third shared a photo of Aegon crying over Sunfyre’s body in the latest episode, writing, “They will rise together again…”

And one shared further evidence that Sunfyre is still alive. “Hasn’t it been months at this point? If he was dead he’d be rotting,” they said. “Melys’s headless corpse was shown rotting later in the episode so I think we’re supposed to believe Sunfyre is alive.”

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Featured image credit: HBO