Summary
Brought to life in an endlessly enigmatic turn by Matt Smith, Daemon Targaryen is arguablyHouse of the Dragon’s most layered character. A mercurial blend ofambition and ruthlessnesshoused within a legendary warrior and dragon rider, Rhaenyra’s husband and the one-time heir to the Iron Throne is as unpredictable as he is deadly.
Unsurprisingly, for an individual as charismatic as Smith’s charge, much of Daemon’s aura is derived from his penchant for instantly quotable soundbites. Highlighting the morally ambiguous nature of his character in sharp relief, the Rogue Prince’s litany of memorable one-liners serve as a constant reminder of Daemon’s unforgiving nature and complex motivations.
10"Know That You Will Die…Screaming."
Loyalty Or Death
When it comes to loyalty, there is no middle ground for Daemon Targaryen. With a bloody civil war looming on the horizon, anybody that the Prince encounters has two options - fealty to Rhaenyra’s cause or death.
This merciless status quo is superbly summed up when Daemon reaffirms the loyalty of Kingsguard knights Lorent Marbrand and Steffon Darklyn in the aftermath of theGreens usurping Rhaenyra’s throne. With the presence of his terrifying dragon Caraxes underlining the gravity of the pair’s situation, Daemon forces the knights to swear renewed vows of loyalty to the Black Queen, ominously warning them that “if you choose treachery…know that you will die…screaming.”
9"A Second Son Who Stands To Inherit Nothing He Does Not Seize For Himself."
Daemon’s Cutting Take On Otto
Prefixing his withering judgment of Otto Hightower’s character with an unprintable expletive, Daemon perfectly summarizes his hatred for the Hand with a cutting analysis of his power-hungry nature. Chiding his brother for putting his trust in such an individual, Lord Flea Bottom labels Alicent’s father as “a second son who stands to inherit nothing he does not seize for himself.”
Perhaps the most ironic aspect of Daemon’s derisory take on Otto is the manner in which the Hand’s circumstances mirror his own. With Viserys entrenched as the King and Rhaenyra chosen as the new heir to the throne, Daemon becomes the very thing he purported to loathe Otto for.
8"He Can Keep His Tongue."
A Generous Executioner
Coupling one ofHouse of the Dragon’smost brutal deathswith one of the show’s most memorable soundbites, Daemon’s ice-cool one-liner immediately after graphically decapitating Vaemond Velaryon is a notable highlight of Season 1.
After Vaemond furiously denounces Rhaenyra’s children as illegitimate during a dispute over Driftmark’s inheritance, an incandescent Viserys informs the outspoken Velaryon that he will take his tongue for the insult; unfortunately for the King, his brother beats him to it. Daemon bisects Vaemond’s head at the jawline from behindwith Dark Sister, nonchalantly remarking that “he can keep his tongue.”
7"No Matter How Fat The Leech Grows, It Always Wants For Another Meal."
An Accurate Take On The Hand
Of all the characters inHouse of the Dragon,Daemon reserves a unique brand ofcontempt for Otto Hightower. Daemon loathes Alicent’s father with a burning passion, a fact that has been evident since the former King of the Narrow Sea insulted Otto’s deceased wife in their first scene together.
Even when Otto offers his condolences for the death of Daemon’s wife, Laena Velaryon, the Prince’s hatred for the Hand of the King shines through. Refusing to even acknowledge Otto’s sympathies, Daemon witheringly dismisses Rhys Ifans' simpering charge as a parasite feeding off his brother; “No matter how fat the leech grows, it always wants for another meal.”
6"I Would Rather Feed My Sons To The Dragons Than Have Them Carry Cups And Shields For Your Drunken, Usurper C*** Of A King."
Rejecting Peace Terms Diplomatically
Any hopes of a diplomatic conclusion to the peace proceedings on Dragonstone took a severe hit with Daemon’s response to the Greens' proposal thatRhaenyra’s sons serve as higher ranking membersof Aegon’s court. Daemon contemptuously rejects the suggestion, informing Otto and his contingent that he “would rather feed his sons to the dragons than have them carry cups and shields for your drunken, usurper c*** of a King.”
It’s not even the most ruthless suggestion that Rhaenyra’s husband comes up with during the summit. The Rogue Prince also crudely suggests that Alicent’s terms be returned to her in her father’s mouth, along with his severed genitals.
5"Your Grace."
The Rogue Prince’s Ambitions Laid Bare
Daemon has never made his desire for the Iron Throne a secret, a fact that is blatantly apparent in a notable line from “The Burning Mill.” Afterhe and Caraxesseize Harrenhal following zero resistance from the castle’s occupants, the castellan Ser Simon Strong makes the mistake of referring to Matt Smith’s character as “my prince.”
Daemon icily corrects Strong, insisting that Simon Russell Beale’s charge refer to him as “Your Grace.” Despite Strong’s entirely sound reasoning that Daemon’s status as Rhaenyra’s consort does not warrant this lofty title, the foreboding look in the Prince’s eyes swiftly quells any argument long before he coldly reminds his host of the “perilousness of assumption.”
4"King’s Landing Will Learn To Fear The Color Gold."
Criminals Beware
Audiences were treated to a first-hand demonstration of Daemon’s ruthless nature early inHouse of the Dragon’s first episode. Citing King’s Landing’s lawlessness as justification for barbaric countermeasures, the Commander of the City Watch organizes and enacts a brutal purge of the city’s common criminality.
Ominously roaring that “King’s Landing will learn to fear the color gold,” Daemon rouses his gold-cloaked soldiers before all hell is let loose, a murderous bedlam of dismemberment and slaughter that the platinum-haired Targaryen personally participates in. The most terrifying aspect of this sequence is the sensation that Daemon precipitated the bloody events out of little more than boredom.
3"Ah Yes. Terrible Thing. I’m Positively Bereft."
Mourning His Late Lady Wife
Daemon never made his disdain for Rhea Royce a secret, insultingly referring to his first wife as his “bronze b****.” The full extent of this contempt was revealed in due course when Matt Smith’s charge returned home to Runestone; Daemon ruthlesslymurders his wifeand frames her death as a riding accident in order to claim her inheritance.
When the Prince is eventually confronted by Rhea’s cousin Gerold over the suspicious circumstances surrounding her death, Daemon doesn’t even bother to hide his complete lack of remorse. Faced with the incandescent Lord Royce, Daemon has no more commiserations to offer than the icily sarcastic riposte of “Terrible thing. I’m positively bereft.”
2"He Was A Fool Who Sought Greatness But Shrank From Spilling Blood To Achieve It, And I See You Will Suffer The Same Fate."
The Queen’s Loyal Consort
Daemon’s resentment at being passed over for the Iron Throne has bubbled under the surface of his personality throughout his run onHouse of the Dragon.This bitter indignation does not take long to rear its head in Season 2, with Daemon venomously deeming Rhaenyra’s tentative approach to the looming civil war as insufficient.
Dismissing his wife’s status as the heir to the throne as nothing more than an attempt by his brother Viserys to slight him, Daemon callously informs Rhaenyra: “He was a fool who sought greatness but shrank from spilling blood to achieve it, and I see you will suffer the same fate.”
1"Dreams Didn’t Make Us Kings. Dragons Did."
The Targaryen Manifesto
While he would likely rather fall on his own sword than admit it, Viserys choosing Rhaenyra to replace him as heir stung Daemon to his core. The further revelation of an ancient Targaryen secret passed down through generations that his brother did not deign to trust him with was simplytoo much for Caraxes' rider to stomach.
Refusing to acknowledge Viserys' warnings of the evil to the North as anything more than superstitious hokey, Daemon attempts to return Rhaenyra to his perception of reality, harshly chiding his wife that “Dreams didn’t make us kings. Dragons did.” It’s an iconic one-liner, an indictment of the Prince’s tempestuous personality that simultaneously sums up the storied nature of House Targaryen.
