‘House of the Dragon’: Matt Smith Says Daemon Targaryen May Not Be Interested in the Iron Throne
House of the Dragon has reintroduced us to Westeros. The series isn’t quite Game of Thrones, but it’s very similar. Some familiar houses are present, and several dragons are flying through the air. Also, there is a major fight over the Iron Throne.
Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) had to name his only living child, Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock as a teen, Emma D’Arcy as an adult), as heir. He makes a choice after determining that his younger brother, Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), is unfit for the role. However, Smith says, Daemon is interested in things beyond the throne.
‘House of the Dragon’ takes place 172 years before the death of the Mad King
House of the Dragon had a thunderous introduction on HBO. The series acts as a prequel to Game of Thrones and takes place 172 years before the Mad King’s death and Daenerys Targaryen’s birth.
As fans know, the Targaryens rules Westeros for 300 years. This story takes place about 100 years into their reign. It is very much the beginning of the end.
Matt Smith says Daemon Targaryen may not care about the Iron Throne
As the House of the Dragon pilot came to a close, Viserys chose to name Rhaenyra his heir over Daemon. “He absolutely understands that Daemon cannot be king and that’s it,” Considine told The Hollywood Reporter. “He does not have the temperament. Daemon would burn everything. He’s way too volatile.”
We watched Daemon leave the Red Keep on dragon back. But we highly doubt that’s the last we’ve seen of him. Even still, Smith says that the Iron Throne might not be Daemon’s only motivation for his actions.
“As the season goes on, you’ll see Daemon is interested in many things,” Smith told Shadow and Act. “I’m not sure it’s always the throne, to be honest. His energy is such that it’s quite hard to pin down, even as a person who’s played him. It’s not like you fully understand or know him because his ambitions are quite obtuse.”
‘House of the Dragon’ will chronicle the Targaryen Civil war
Daemon’s sole interest might not be the Iron Throne, but he is certainly someone who is very motivated by power and status. Those who have read Martin’s Fire & Blood know that a Targaryen civil war or the Dance of the Dragons is coming due to King Viserys’ choice to name Princess Rhaenyra his heir over Daemon.
We won’t get into spoilers here, but fans should know that this is the beginning of the Targaryen’s downfall.
“Here’s the story you’ve always heard about,” creator/co-showrunner Ryan Condal told Shadow and Act. “The Targaryens, at the height of their power with 17 dragons and great wealth and power and influence. They’re unchallengeable. This is that time. So I think it’s a fascinating place to drop in because they’ve just started to turn and decline, but they don’t realize that until it’s too late.”
