George R.R. Martin was unable to finish the Game of Thrones books before the TV series ended, leaving the uncertain fate of the show's characters to David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. HBO's spinoff House of the Dragon won't encounter the same problems as Benioff and Weiss due to the show's titular Dance of the Dragons being fully mapped out in Martin's book Fire and Blood.
The same speculation that fueled online message boards prior to Game of Thrones' final season won't be as speculative with House of the Dragon, as spoilers related to the fate of the show's characters and story will be only a click away. The show will likely try to subvert expectations and make changes to the book, but it's safe to assume the plights of the show's lead characters and the story's direction will generally remain true to the source material.
Matt Smith's Daemon Targaryen is one of the leads in House of the Dragon. When it comes to the Dance of the Dragons, it's impossible to tell the story of the dance without Daemon, "Rogue Prince," brother of King Viserys I (Paddy Considine), and wife of Viserys heir, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy). Daemon will certainly be one of the most divisive and intriguing characters for audiences, capable of great heroics and great horrors. Daemon is a character suited to the unpredictability of the Game of Thrones.
In House of the Dragon, audiences will see how Daemon's relationship with his niece, Rhaenyra, would help spark the Dance of the Dragons or the First Targaryen Civil War.
Who is Daemon Targaryen?
Daemon Targaryen was the second-born son of Baelon Targaryen and had been the fourth-born child of King Jaehaerys Targaryen I. Jaehaerys I was the longest ruling Targaryen monarch, ruling for over 55 years. Near the end of his reign, Jaehaerys I had already gone through five other heirs before Baelon was named his heir, the Prince of Dragonstone and Hand of the King. When Baelon died, Jaehaerys and a council of the lords of Westeros would name Baelon's son, Viserys Targaryen, his heir.
Daemon supported his brother's claim and, as a reward for his loyalty, would be given a seat on the small council as the Master of Coin alongside Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), who succeeded Baelon as Hand of the King, serving both Jaehaerys I and Viserys I. Otto Hightower and Daemon often clashed, as Otto disdained Daemon's cavalier attitude and promiscuous activities. Otto wanted to get Daemon as far away from the throne as possible and urged Viserys I to expel him from the small council.
Daemon would be stripped of his council role but take over the City Watch. To Otto's dismay, Daemon excelled as the commander of the City Watch. Daemon crafted the iconic "gold cloaks" and would build up the City Watch's forces to over 2,000 men, taking a firm stance against crime and becoming known as the "Prince of the City" and "Lord of Flea Bottom," as he frequented brothels and taverns during his time as commander.
Otto Hightower continued his crusade against Daemon by attempting to get Rhaenyra named heir over Daemon. Viserys refused to name an heir and trusted his wife, Aemma Arryn, would eventually give him a son. Aemma died in childbirth, and the child, Baelon, would die within a day of his birth. Rumors got to Viserys that Daemon was joking about Baelon's death, calling him the "heir for a day." Whether these were true comments or simply Otto taking advantage of a grief-torn Viserys, in the end, Viserys would name Rhaenyra Targaryen his heir and Princess of Dragonstone to get back at Daemon.
In anger, Daemon left his position as Commander of the City Watch, stole a dragon egg, and fled the city with his pregnant mistress, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), on the back of his dragon, Caraxes. Daemon despised his lawful wife, Rhea Royce, and her homeland, The Vale, but Viserys refused to acknowledge Daemon's displeasure with his marriage, demanding Daemon bring the egg back and do right by his wife and go home to The Vale. To protect Mysaria, Daemon sent her over the narrow sea, but their child would die during the voyage.
After losing his unborn child, Daemon decided to claim his own kingdom, sailing to the Stepstones to capture the islands alongside the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint). Daemon succeeded initially, becoming King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea, but after the islands were taken back from him, he returned to Kings Landing.
Daemon and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
Daemon made a triumphant return to the Capitol, landing atop Caraxes in the midst of a great tourney. In an act of peace toward his brother, Daemon offered his Stepstone crown to Viserys, and in return, Viserys celebrated his brother's return, placing him back on the small council. After Daemon's return, he grew closer with his niece, Rhaenyra, showering her with gifts and tales of his epic adventures over the narrow sea.
Eventually, their relationship turned more intimate in nature, with Daemon teaching Rhaenyra how to please a man, specifically Kingsguard Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). Viserys was furious that Daemon may have stolen his daughter's maidenhood and had him exiled from court, leading Daemon to take up his lost battle over the Stepstones once more. Daemon would soon marry Corlys Velaryon's daughter, Laena (Savannah Steyn), after Rhea died falling off a horse. Laena and Daemon would have two kids, Baela and Rhaena, after which Daemon would attempt to persuade Viserys to bless their marriage and allow him to return from exile.
Seeing Daemon's newfound fatherhood as a mark of change, Viserys allowed Daemon to return to court once again. Rhaenyra was married to Laena's brother, Laenor (John Macmillan), and the two had three children together. Laena and Rhaenyra had become close friends, and eventually, Rhaenyra's firstborn children, Lucerys and Jacaerys, were promised to Baela and Rhaena. Rhaenyra and Laena were so close that there were even hints that they took part in threesomes with Daemon.
It seemed as though Rhaenyra and Daemon were destined to be together, and it came to fruition when Laena died in childbirth and Daemon arranged for the killing of Laenor. It was rumored that Rhaenyra's children were the bastards of Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr), who later died in a fire at Harrenhal rumored to be orchestrated by Daemon to cover up the illegitimacy of Rhaenyra's children. Daemon would go as far as to have Corlys' nephew, Vaemond Velaryon (Wil Johnson), executed by beheading before having his body fed to Caraxes as punishment for questioning whether Rhaenyra's children were true Velaryon. Rhaenyra and Daemon would marry and have two children, Aegon and Viserys, the latter of which would one day become King.
The activities of Daemon and Rhaenyra leading to their marriage would come back to haunt them when Viserys I died. News of Viserys death was kept from Rhaenyra and Daemon, who were at Dragonstone at the time, leading to Otto Hightower and Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Criston Cole, to crown Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) as King. Aegon was Rhaenyra's half-brother by Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), the second wife of Viserys I and Otto's daughter. Cole thought Daemon and Rhaenyra would turn the Red Keep into a brothel, likely taking vengeance for Daemon stripping Rhaenyra of her maidenhood when she attempted to court Cole.
On Dragonstone, Daemon would crown Rhaenyra as Queen of the Realm, using the crown of his Grandfather, Jaehaerys I, thus beginning the Dance of the Dragons.
Daemon Targaryen in HBO's House of the Dragon
In the trailers for House of the Dragon, it seems as though it'll be Daemon Targaryen who challenges Rhaenyra for the Iron Throne, but this is simply a trick on the part of the marketing. The show seems to lead off with the question of Viserys' succession being raised by Otto Hightower, meaning the show will start with Daemon slighting Viserys and thus Rhaenyra being named heir, as shown in the teaser trailer.
Daemon attempts to leave Kings Landing with Mysaria, and a dragon egg in hand, being stopped by Otto Hightower and his armed guard. This suggests the show may depict Daemon's failed conquest of the Stepstones after the death of his unborn child at sea. In the trailer, a tournament is depicted, likely the one where Daemon returns to gift his Stepstone crown to Viserys, rekindling his relationship with Rhaenyra.
Just as in the books, Daemon may attempt to teach Rhaenyra how to court Criston Cole. As a result of the revelation of Daemon's "lessons" with his niece, Daemon would be exiled, and Cole would be turned against Rhaenyra completely. Laenor Velaryon is featured in the trailers with Rhaenyra, so it is likely that the show's first season will show Daemon and Rhaenyra's marriages to Laena and Laenor Velaryon, as well as the subsequent love triangles that form as a result.
Noticeably offscreen in the trailers is Aegon II Targaryen, who would be around twenty-two years of age at the time of the show's events. Had he been included in the trailers alongside Alicent Hightower, it would have likely spoiled too much in regard to the first season's central conflict. If the show is to end its first season as Game of Thrones did with the war for the throne beginning, then it'll end with Daemon crowning his wife, Rhaenyra, and Criston Cole crowning Aegon, starting the Civil War. So how does Daemon fit into the show's first season? His unpredictability, lust, and yearning for power are, in a way, what sparks The Dance of the Dragons.
Otto and Criston's desire to see Daemon nowhere near a seat of power is, in part, what leads to them choosing Aegon over Rhaenyra, even when it was Otto who wanted Rhaenyra on the throne originally. Daemon's marriage to Rhaenyra solidifies the Civil War that'll take place after the death of Viserys, with Otto fighting to retain power and Alicent attempting to get her own child on the throne. Cole, Otto, and Alicent may have different goals, but their enemy remains the same, Daemon Targaryen. Rhaenyra may have been denied the Iron Throne as a result of her being a woman, but her marriage and connection with the capitol's most controversial and contentious figure in Daemon would be what made her opposition certain and Civil War imminent.