Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Fire & Blood, the book on which House of the Dragon is based.A popular theory that House of the Dragon‘s Daemon Targaryen is the Night King from Game of Thrones shows a future problem for the prequel, unless it makes a change to Fire & Blood. The theory that Daemon is the Night King has been around for a couple of years, stemming from early similarities in costuming and a belief that the Night King being fireproof meant he was a Targaryen (falsely predicated on the idea that all Targaryens are fireproof, not just Daenerys), but really gained traction with House of the Dragon season 2.
Daemon’s visions of a White Walker with blonde, Targaryen-esque hair in the season 2 finale, combined with visions of the Three-Eyed Raven and Daenerys Targaryen, added fuel to the idea of him being the Night King. It’s a wild, tinfoil theory, without a huge amount of evidence to back it up, but it does highlight a looming story decision when it comes to Daemon and, specifically, his death, whether that comes in House of the Dragon season 3 or 4.
Daemon Being The Night King Theory Means House Of The Dragon Should Change His Death
Daemon’s Death Isn’t Definitive In Fire & Blood
Daemon dies at the same time as his nephew, Aemond Targaryen, in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. The pair meet above the lake at Harrenhal in what’s dubbed The Battle Above the God’s Eye. It sees Daemon and Caraxes fight Aemond and Vhagar, with Daemon leaping from his dragon onto Vhagar, and stabbing his Valyrian steel sword, Dark Sister, through Aemond’s empty eye socket. Both dragons and both men go crashing into the lake, with no survivors. Or at least, that’s what it seems like.
In contrast to the others, Daemon’s body is never recovered from the lake. This prompts stories and theories – both in-universe (singers sing of it) and outside of it – that he actually survived, perhaps going to live a peaceful life with Nettles (a dragonseed that House of the Dragon may have cut). However, the Game of Thrones theory adds a different twist to that, meaning Daemon not only lived, but then went on to become the Night King.
Daemon is a great character with a fascinating arc, but that just goes to show exactly why he needs a definitive ending.
Another theory instead posits he either becomes or serves the Three-Eyed Raven (whom he also sees in his vision). Daemon saw one of the Green Men at Harrenhal, who are deeply connected to the weirwood trees, and it’s been speculated they could be the ones to pull him from the lake. These are all wild theories, but show the problem with Daemon’s ending: there’s no closure when it’s possible to speculate he survived, and from there you get all kinds of different, often very out-there theories.
Daemon is a great character with a fascinating arc, but that just goes to show exactly why he needs a definitive ending. His death coming alongside Aemond and their dragons is an epic, fitting, and poetic conclusion to his story, and while ambiguous endings can be great, that’s not the kind of arc that warrants one. There’s really no reason to keep Daemon alive – it’s not like he’s deserving of a happy ending – and the theories would only grow if the show hints he might have survived (or goes even further and confirms it).
Daemon obviously isn’t the Night King, given we see the man who was transformed by the Children of the Forest (and it pre-dates House Targaryen’s origin, never mind Daemon’s existence), but that doesn’t stop the theory and others like it. Daemon’s slightly ambiguous ending works in a history book that draws on multiple sources, but the show should, well, properly show what happens to him. It’s already had a fakeout death with Laenor Velaryon, there’d be lots of questions about why Daemon doesn’t get involved after the God’s Eye, and it’d be a lot better to cut all of that and the theories off.
Will House Of The Dragon Give Daemon A More Definitive Ending?
It’s Possible It Could Play Into The Theories
Although I think House of the Dragon should make Daemon’s death definitive, it’s certainly possible that it will keep it more ambiguous like Fire & Blood. After all, once Daemon goes into the lake, it may have no reason – nor room – to show his body being pulled from it, and depending on how heavy the impact is and how much damage he takes, then it might allow some room for “Daemon is still alive” theories. It’s a well-worn rule in TV that if there’s no body, then there’s no confirmed death, and it could do that.
House of the Dragon
season 3 has been confirmed, but does not yet have a release date, though it’s expected in 2026.
It could even go further and completely change his ending by showing one of the Green Men saving him. Through his time at Harrenhal with Alys Rivers, Daemon was connected to the weirwood trees. It’s a stretch, but if the show does want to continue that part of Daemon’s story and have that factor into his future, then it could have him saved from death to do so. Still, that’s a major risk if it’s a future we aren’t going to get to see, and may not exactly be popular given how divisive things with the White Walkers and Three-Eyed Raven were.
It is plausible for the prequel to leave Daemon alive, but it isn’t quite as easy as a history book. We need to see the full battle, and exactly how badly wounded Daemon is (something there’s no record of in the book). As mentioned, it has to avoid repeating a fakeout death, and have a good reason for keeping him alive. Given it’s seemingly cut Nettles, who represents the strongest reason in the book, then that doesn’t really exist. Daemon may well be alive, but hopefully House of the Dragon doesn’t go that route.
