The Tragedy at Summerhall is one of the most mysterious events in Westeros history. On the day Prince Rhaegar Targaryen is born, Aegon V Targaryen and Ser Duncan the Tall burn to death alongside Summerhall in what many believe was a blood ritual gone wrong... Or at least, that's what fans have been led to believe for years. While Egg's story seems to end at Summerhall, his A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms actor, Dexter Sol Ansell, revealed that George R.R. Martin told him what happens to Dunk at the end of the books.
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According to Dexter Sol Ansell, Dunk actually survives the Tragedy at Summerhall, a massive revelation that contradicts fandom knowledge and even in-history recordings of the event. Peter Claffey might have to give Dexter Sol Ansell a clout on the ear for accidentally spoiling Dunk's fate in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Egg Actor Dexter Sol Ansell Confirms George Told Him Dunk Survives the Tragedy at Summerhall
In a new interview conducted by DECIDER with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' lead actors Peter Claffey (Dunk) and Dexter Sol Ansell (Egg), Egg's young actor accidentally revealed a major spoiler about Dunk's future in the books. When asked if he knows about the Tragedy at Summerhall, Ansell replied,
"I do know a bit about when Egg's trying to make dragons in the Summerhall, and then there's a huge fire, but we know from George that Dunk survives, but we don't know if Egg survives."
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Dunk's actor, Peter Claffey, immediately tried to clarify that they don't know in order to stop Ansell from talking, and when his young co-star spilled the bees, Claffey made a joking gesture to cut the cameras, before stating, "We don't know exactly what's happened, but let's just get this Season 1 out of the way and we'll see."
George R.R. Martin is famously a gardener who changes his intended plot beats depending on where his story naturally takes him, so it's possible Dunk may not survive Summerhall, but everything seems to indicate Ansell is being completely truthful and accidentally confirmed a major ending detail we otherwise won't see for years.
Dunk Surviving Summerhall Changes Everything For A Song of Ice and Fire
The fact that Dunk actually survives the Tragedy at Summerhall while Egg's fate is left uncertain is a major spoil that completely changes how fans have been viewing this event. Most A Song of Ice and Fire fans accepted that the Tragedy at Summerhall would serve as a downer ending for The Tales of Dunk and Egg, where both Ser Duncan the Tall and King Aegon V Targaryen would lose their lives in a dragon awakening ritual gone horribly wrong. While Dexter Sol Ansell did let slip that the ritual theory is indeed correct, Dunk surviving was not on anyone's cards.
Most fans assumed Dunk lost his life in the flames while trying to rescue Egg. After all, there's no record of Ser Duncan the Tall doing anything notable in Westeros history after the Tragedy at Summerhall. Common knowledge in-universe would seem to dictate that Dunk dies alongside Egg, but this is no longer the case, as George R.R. Martin revealed to his A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms stars. Dunk may survive, but it has to be in a state where he cannot accomplish anything – at least not as Ser Duncan the Tall. Some fans have theorized that Dunk will go Beyond the Wall and become Coldhands (a character whose role Benjen Stark filled in Game of Thrones), mirroring Brynden Rivers becoming Bloodraven.
It's also entirely possible Dunk will leave knighthood behind and just travel the world (possibly even go east to Essos) under a new name, bringing the story almost full circle as he gives up nobility to more or less become a hedge knight again. Dunk's life will only get harder and filled with more tragedies as he gets older, fighting in rebellions, losing loves, and having to fight former friends to the death. It's possible that at the end of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' final season, Dunk will fail to save Egg and simply leave Westeros behind in his grief. Only time will tell how Dunk survives Summerhall and what he goes on to do afterward, but thanks to Dexter Sol Ansell, A Song of Ice and Fire fans now have new ammunition to craft theories around. Long live King Aegon V Targaryen!
- Release Date
- January 18, 2026
- Network
- HBO
- Showrunner
- Ira Parker
- Directors
- Owen Harris
- Writers
- George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Peter Claffey, Dexter Sol Ansell, Daniel Ings, Henry Ashton, Edward Ashley, Shaun Thomas, Sam Spruell, Finn Bennett, Bertie Carvel, Ross Anderson, Danny Collins, Daniel Monks, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Carla Harrison-Hodge, Jenna Boyd, Danny Webb, Tanzyn Crawford
- Franchise(s)
- Game of Thrones
- Creator(s)
- George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker
