The Game of Thrones season 6 premiere date draws nigh, and in hearth and hall across the country, talk turns to spoilers and speculation about the new season. It’s going to be a big one: The first that passes the books, among other things. Possibly the one that makes the biggest changes to the books yet. And book-readers have their eye out for one critical question: Why isn’t the show including Aegon Targaryen? Spoilers for all five A Song of Ice and Fire books follow.

Game Of Thrones Season 6 Spoilers: What We Talk About When We Talk About Aegon

The biggest surprise in A Dance With Dragons, by far, was the sudden appearance on the scene of a fellow named Young Griff. The kid, it turned out, was actually Aegon Targaryen, Rhaegar’s son by Elia of Dorne, believed killed (by Gregor Clegane, very deliberately) in the sack of King’s Landing. That, at least, is what the kid had been led to believe. There are many questions and theories about Young Griff, both in the books and in the fandom. Is he the mummer’s dragon, a false Targaryen set up (and himself deceived) by Varys and friends? Is he really a Blackfyre, an illegitimate scion of the Targaryen house, come to take his revenge and birthright? Or is he who he says he is—a true Targaryen, with a stronger claim than Daenerys, and the third head of the dragon?

These are wildly important questions that will have a major influence on Winds of Winter and Dream of Spring— after all, Aegon has already invaded Westeros in the books, taking castles in the stormlands with the Golden Company at his back, and Storm’s End as his prize. But the character wasn’t introduced in Game of Thrones season 5, when Tyrion was journeying to Volantis. The entire storyline was cut. Aegon could potentially show up in Game of Thrones season 6—the show certainly changes timelines around pretty willy-nilly—but the casting list doesn’t include anyone who is obviously him. The show has cut other major characters like Arianne Martell before too, to much outrage.

While Aegon remains absent in the show, he seems to have a truly critical role to play in the books… a role on the level of Jon Snow or Daenerys. It’s hard not to surmise from that decision that Aegon is, in fact, a fake . A ploy set up by Varys for reasons unknown. It’s the easiest explanation. But look at what the show has become—it is worlds away from the books now, and doesn’t make a serious show of adhering to the written canon anymore. It could cut Aegon just because he’s too complicated.

That’s not a good reason. And it looks like we will need to wait until Winds of Winter comes out to learn the truth about Aegon. Because Game of Thrones season 6 doesn’t look like it will be much help.