Do you think Aegon and Martells will be responsible for Lannisters downfall like Tywin killed Elia and her child?
I do, although by the time Aegon and the Martells get to King’s Landing it might end up more like them gently blowing on a house of cards than toppling them dramatically. Tywin’s legacy is doing a pretty good job of unravelling itself.
The Lannisters already seem to be on their way out by the end of ADWD - Jaime has vanished in the Riverlands and is possibly about to be used for a second Red Wedding, Cersei has been publicly shamed and is about to be put on trial, and Varys has just murdered Tommen’s regent, the de facto head of the house. There’s no clear adult male heir left to even take charge except for Lancel, and he’s just joined the Faith. Even if Cersei gets past her trial there’s already a lot of discord, which she will probably make worse by continuing to target the Tyrells. There’s a lot of imagery surrounding her and wildfire, burning down the Tower of the Hand in AFFC doesn’t feel like the culmination of all that, so maybe she will end up burning the Sept of Baelor. That’ll be her downfall though, not what allows her to become Queen Regnant - it’s unlikely she’d be able to get the entire court there and the lords outside of KL aren’t just going to ignore her surpassing Aerys in body count.
Once the Martells join Aegon, that will likely signify to other houses that Aegon is legitimate, or at the very least that he’s a more attractive option than a sinking ship steered by Cersei Lannister. The Reach might oppose him purely because of the Dornish, but Euron has them pretty occupied currently, and if Cersei acts against the Tyrells in KL that might push Willas to join him for revenge. He’ll probably gain a lot of political support quickly and have overthrown Cersei by the end of TWOW, or at the very least by the time Dany lands in Westeros. It just makes the narrative richer and provide more emotional conflict if she’s faced with the popular rightful heir, who’s already taken the throne and already has a queen, than an unpopular queen who usurped the crown from her children.
Thanks for the ask!
