House Of The Dragon Turns Daemon Targaryen Into Its Jon Snow Replacement

Includes SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2’s finale and MASSIVE SPOILERS for Fire & Blood, the show’s source material.

Summary

Character parallels betweenHouse of the DragonandGame of Thronesand theseason 2 finale just created a notable similarity between Daemon Targaryen and Jon Snow. Played by Matt Smith in theHouse of the Dragoncast, Daemon isn’t one that naturally draws many personality comparisons to Jon Snow, but his arc going forward mirrors the iconicGame of Throneshero in an interesting way. Much of this ties to Daemon’s visions in Harrenhal, where he saw Aegon’s Dream of the Song of Ice & Fire or the events ofGame of Thronesseason 8.

Jon Snow had a tendency to be mopey in the earlier seasons, but he was always well-meaning and cared about doing the right thing. He has a strong moral code imbued upon him by Ned Stark. Daemon, on the other hand, is known for his anger and volatility and has killed several innocent people throughout the show. With that in mind, the world ofGeorge R.R. Martin’sA Song of Ice & Fireseriesoften blends the lines of morality in its character archetypes, with Daemon now fitting into a Jon Snow-type role for the final seasons.

Jon holding Daenerys' body after he killed her in Game of Thrones season 8.

Daemon Targaryen Is Now Fulfilling A Similar Role To Jon Snow

Both Daemon & Jon Swear To A Targaryen Queen Because Of The White Walker Threat

The culmination ofDaemon’s season 2 visionsishim viewing Aegon’s Dream and understanding the threat of the White Walkers and the Long Night. Daemon seems to still have his own interests in mind, but he understands the value of what’s at stake and is intent on fighting for Rhaenyra going forward. This fulfills a similar role to Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen in seasons 7 & 8 ofGame of Thrones. Jon is intent on defeating the White Walker threat and swears himself to Daenerys in return for her assistance.

A Targaryen male bends the knee to a Targaryen queen, convinced of the Long Night.

Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen with their backs turned in the House of the Dragon season 1 finale

The pieces are jumbled around, but all the core elements exist in both shows. A Targaryen male bends the knee to a Targaryen queen, convinced of the Long Night. Daemon even uses the Stark words “Winter is coming,” creating more of a parallel to Jon’s Stark heritage. Jon is naturally a more loyal character than Daemon, butboth surrendered the opportunity to be kings of their own, in some capacity, as part of this greater purpose.

Daemon Won’t Repeat Jon Snow’s Daenerys Crime With Rhaenyra

Daemon Dies Fighting For Rhaenyra

A vital aspect of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen’s relationship is that it ends in tragedy, with the former being forced to kill the latter to protect the realm. While Daenerys wasn’t right to end up on the Iron Throne based on her choices in season 8, it’s still a challenging moment given the yearsGame of Thronesspent building her character. Importantly,Daemon doesn’t kill Rhaenyra, and Rhaenyra never loses control in the same capacity that Daenerys doesin “The Bells.” At least not in the book, that is.

While season 2 seems to indicate the potential for Daemon’s treachery, he won’t end up betraying Rhaenyra. In fact, his final act is one of arguable heroism, as he dies in a duel with Aemond Targaryen, eliminating the greatest potential threat to Rhaenyra’s reign. With the added context ofAegon’s Dream,Daemon’s loyalty and willingness to die in battle for Rhaenyra is enforced even more by the potential of a supernatural threat years down the line. Oddly, the decision to have Daemon motivated by defending the realm from the Long Night brings him closer to being an antihero.

Daemon Is Jon Snow’s Ancestor

Theoutcome of the Dance of the DragonsseesRhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen’s son, Aegon III, end up as king, continuing the Targaryen lineage for a time. So, while neither Rhaenyra nor Daemon ends up as official monarchs of Westeros, they essentially win the war because their bloodline wins the war. However, all of Aegon III’s sons die rather quickly, and decades later, Rhaenyra and Daemon’s son, Viserys II, rules the Iron Throne for a year before his death, re-establishing the bloodline.

The line passes through kings Viserys II, Aegon IV, Daeron II, Maekar I, Aegon V, Jaehaerys II, Aerys II, and Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. Jon Snow is adescendant of House Targaryen through Prince Rhaegar and Lyanna Stark, making him Daemon’s great-great-great-great-great-great grandson. This whole bloodline occurs during the roughly 170 years betweenHouse of the Dragon’sDance of the Dragons andGame of Thrones.They’re a strange pairing of characters to be related, and even stranger to be fulfilling a similar narrative pattern, given their many differences.