The season finale of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms just aired, and the series is getting acclaim from audiences and critics. This is a deeper look into Ser Duncan the Tall, based on knowledge from the books.
Warning: This article will contain spoilers about the identities of Egg and Ser Duncan, along with potential future events in the series.
One of the great parts about a show like A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and Game of Thrones before that, is that there are many ways to enjoy it. Viewers can either sit down, watch the episode, and then wait until next week, or they can dive deep into the world. Outside the A Song of Ice and Fire book series that inspired Game of Thrones, there are three different books about the adventures of Dunk and Egg.
Viewers can decide for themselves whether they want to wait to see where the story goes or learn as much as possible about these characters while watching the series. The true identity of Egg has been revealed this season. However, there is much more to the lore around Dunk and Egg. This is a final spoiler warning before exploring even more about Egg and Ser Duncan’s characters.
Who is Ser Duncan the Tall?
Ser Duncan the Tall is one of the main characters in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, alongside Egg. Dunk is a hedge knight, meaning he does not work for a single house or castle. He goes wherever he is needed. At the end of Season 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Ser Duncan has the chance to pledge his sword to House Targaryen. However, he decides to head off and become his own knight, alongside his squire, Prince Aegon.
In the future, Egg becomes King Aegon. Once that happens, Dunk is appointed to his Kingsguard and eventually becomes Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Ser Duncan ends up playing a pivotal role in some major events in the Game of Thrones universe. He slew Daemon III Blackfyre in the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion. He also killed Lyonel Baratheon, a key figure in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms so far, in a trial by combat.
How is Ser Duncan Related to Game of Thrones?
There are several connections to Ser Duncan the Tall in the series Game of Thrones. While Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, he loses in a tourney to Barristan Selmy. Barristan Selmy ends up becoming Lord Commander of the Kingsguard himself for Robert Baratheon in Game of Thrones. Additionally, the deaths of Dunk and Egg play a role in the continued downfall of Targaryen rulers, no matter how good they are for a time.
Ser Duncan is also mentioned by name once in Game of Thrones. In Season 4, King Joffrey read through the White Book, which is a history of all the great knights of Westeros. He was taunting his uncle/father, Jaime Lannister, stating that Jaime barely gets mentioned in the book. He mocked him by comparing his brief mention to that of Ser Duncan the Tall, who has four pages in the White Book. “Must have been quite a man,” Joffrey said. That evidence proves the massive role that Ser Duncan the Tall has in the history of Westeros.
How Do Dunk and Egg Die?
Dunk and Egg meet a tragic death side by side at Summerhall. Prince Duncan, Egg’s firstborn son and namesake of his best friend Ser Duncan, tragically dies alongside them. The trio all perished in the Tragedy at Summerhall. The books never detail exactly what happened, but they imply that Egg was pushing the boundaries of science and magic to try to bring dragons back to Westeros. Egg was desperate to find a way to resurrect dragons from extinction and would travel far and wide throughout his life to attempt to do so.
Ser Barristan Selmy mentions that sorcery was involved in their deaths. Ser Duncan the Tall, King Aegon, and Prince Duncan all likely died because of Egg’s ambition to bring back dragons. However, there is an unsubstantiated rumor that Ser Duncan escaped Summerhall. Some Game of Thrones fans believe that Ser Duncan ended up becoming Coldhands, the mysterious figure that Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly meet beyond the wall. However, there is no official text from George R.R. Martin to support any of this. It is also unclear if we will get a firm ending to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms that confirms whether Dunk truly died at Summerhall.
FAQs
What is Dunk’s real name?
Dunk’s real name is Ser Duncan the Tall.
Is Ser Duncan the Tall in Game of Thrones?
Ser Duncan the Tall is dead long before the events of Game of Thrones. However, he does get mentioned once by Joffrey Baratheon.
Does Dunk become important in Westeros?
Dunk ends up becoming the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard to King Aegon. That is an incredibly important position to hold in this universe.
How many episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are there?
There were six episodes in Season 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
When does Season 2 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms air?
There is no announcement for when Season 2 will be coming out. However, the second season is already in production. Since there are not as many grand-scale set pieces as Game of Thrones or even House of the Dragon, fans are hoping to get Season 2 much quicker than those shows would take between seasons.
