Game Of Thrones: 13 Crazy Fan Theories That Could Actually Be True

Jon's a Targaryen. Tyrion's a Targaryen. Cersei, Jaime, Varys, Marwyn: all Targs. Heck, I'm probably a Targaryen (kidding, I'm a total Stark). You know who isn't a Targaryen? The one guy claiming he is.

Aegon Targaryen, first presented as Young Griff, arrives in A Dance With Dragons as a major late-in-the-day curveball.

Although fans had speculated before the reveal in ADWD that Aegon may have survived, since the baby found was unrecognisable, the one we're presented with as an older Aegon, son of Rhaegar is in some quarters rejected as a fake - hence fAegon.

One possibility is that he is a Blackfyre, a legitimised branch of House Targaryen who were thought to be wiped out when Barristan Selmy killed Maelys I Blackfyre. It states he could've had a secret wife and child, and that Aegon is his grandson.

Another given theory is that he's the son of Illyrio Mopatis. His wife is stated to have had Valyrian features, and it would explain why he is so keen to raise him to the Throne, so that he and Varys - who have been plotting together since the beginning - could pull the strings behind him, and why he helped Viserys and Daenerys, allowing them to establish their claim to make it easier to introduce Aegon once they had an army (and were possibly dead).

The final alternative is that he's just a random boy of the right age and look, trained up to be like the prince, since Varys and Illyrio would've had plenty of contacts in the Free Cities, and finding such a boy may not have been too difficult.

There are a few reasons why Aegon may not be who we're told he is. One is that it comes so late in the day that it seems like it must be untrue, given the amount of time spent setting up Daenerys' bid for the Throne (that he hasn't appeared in the show suggests he may not have any final importance as well, though a) he could somehow still turn up, and b) they're very different things now). Then there's the fact that this being Aegon would've required Varys switching the children either immediately after the Sack of King's Landing, or doing so in advance, when he'd have had no way of knowing the prince's face would become so unrecognisable. Thirdly, Daenerys is told by Quaithe to "beware the Mummer's Dragon." Or, in other words, the fake Targaryen.

This theory also ties into the idea of Varys and Illyrio scheming together all along. The Spider ostensibly wants peace in the realm, but has helped ensure chaos in order to aid the claim of Aegon (in the books) and Daenerys (in the show), and what the pair want is to not just have a Targaryen on the Throne, but clearly someone they can have some influence over, which would perhaps be easier with a fake Aegon, especially if he's Illyrio's son.