Authentic Sport Of Thrones Villain’s Cameo Return In New Spinoff Teased By Creator

Warning! Contains SPOILERS for The Thriller Knight, George R.R. Martin’s novella on which A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ future story relies!

Forward of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ debut on HBO, collection creator Ira Parker has revealed how he intends to introduce one in every of Sport of Thrones‘ most hated villains into the upcoming prequel. When A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 premieres on HBO on January 18, 2026, the forged will primarily consist of latest faces and figures, however George R.R. Martin’s Dunk & Egg books have arrange extra acquainted characters to seem because the story continues.

Parker beforehand confirmed that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will function some returning Sport of Thrones characters, accounting for many who are already alive in the course of the prequel set about 90 years earlier than the unique collection. Whereas Maester Aemon Targaryen is likely one of the main anticipated returning characters, there are just a few different younger Sport of Thrones figures who play small roles within the Dunk & Egg novellas.

That features Walder Frey, who later turns into one of many franchise’s most infamous villains after his half within the infamously gory Purple Marriage ceremony. Whereas he famous to Polygon that the character’s introduction will not occur till a lot later within the collection if HBO renews it, Parker already has a “favourite” thought concerning how he desires Walder Frey’s future cameo in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to go:

“My favourite is, and look, it isn’t till the third guide, however there is a child Walder Frey. I’ve this, hopefully, actually humorous concept that individuals are most likely gonna kill me for. However this concept that one thing’s occurring, like there is a runaway horse cart, and this child’s about to be killed, and Dunk intervenes and saves child Walder Frey.“

Contemplating the longer term Lord of the Crossing seems to be one of the vital abhorrent characters in Sport of Thrones, up till Arya feeds Walder Frey a pie fabricated from his sons’ stays and slits his throat, it will be a darkly ironic second to see the Dunk save his life. In fact, the newborn Walder continues to be an harmless at that time, however it will definitely be a divisive twist to have A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ hero save the one that will trigger a number of the worst destruction to Home Stark in Sport of Thrones historical past.

Although A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 and past have but to be renewed by HBO, Walder Frey doubtless would not seem till the tip of season 2 or early in season 3. The future Lord Frey seems within the third Dunk & Egg novella, The Thriller Knight, which sees Dunk and Egg journey to a marriage between a Frey and a Butterwell, an occasion which four-year-old Walder additionally attends along with his father.

Whereas Walder is not particularly named within the novella, solely being known as “a chinless boy of 4 whose nostril was dripping snot,” creator George R.R. Martin later confirmed it to be a youthful model of David Bradley’s Sport of Thrones character. The reference to Walder in The Thriller Knight is essentially only a throwaway Easter egg, which presents extra freedom for Parker to creatively embrace the longer term villain within the HBO collection.

With Parker already having plans for a toddler-aged Walder Frey to seem later in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ timeline, the hope is that just a few different acquainted Sport of Thrones characters will cameo earlier than that time. Amongst those that are anticipated to or may pop up throughout A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ period are Maester Aemon, Previous Nan, and Bloodraven, all of whom, like Walder, finally play necessary roles related to the Stark household.