‘House of the Dragon’: New Leaked Images Tease the Fate of Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen in the ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- ‘House of tthe Dragon’ is a ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel
- The HBO show focuses on the Targaryen civil war
- ‘House of the Dragon’ set photos tease Daemon Targaryen’s possible death
House of the Dragon is coming in 2022 to HBO. And production on the Game of Thrones prequel is in full swing. Recently, pictures emerged from the set that show Matt Smith is hard at work as Daemon Targaryen, the younger brother of King Viserys I (Paddy Considine).
One of the leaked images seemingly teases the fate of Smith’s character, but could it be an optical illusion?
‘House of the Dragon’ focuses on the Targaryen civil war
The highly-anticipated Game of Thrones prequel is based on George R. R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood. The book chronicles the rule of House Targaryen, and the story begins a little more than a century after Aegon I’s conquest of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
House of the Dragon takes place approximately two centuries before the events in Game of Thrones. The focus of the story is the Dance of the Dragons, a brutal Targaryen civil war that occured at the height of their power.
Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen is a fearsome warrior
The Dance of the Dragons is a bloody power struggle that begins when Daemon’s brother King Viserys I dies. His widow, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), has her son Aegon crowned the new king. However, Rhaenyra Targaryen –Viserys’ daughter from another marriage — was supposed to be the heir. She vows revenge against her half-brother, which sparks the civil war.
Daemon is described as a fearsome warrior and dragon rider who is a powerful presence in King’s Landing. He also happens to marry his niece Rhaenyra in a power grab, which is the catalyst of the civil war.
Did ‘House of the Dragon’ set photos tease Daemon Targaryen’s possible death?
In the photos leaked from the set, the Doctor Who alum is almost unrecognizable with his platinum blonde wig. The images show the character walking on the beach, with his hair blowing in the wind. In one image, his hand sits on his belt buckle while he carries his sword behind him.
Another behind-the-scenes photo from the set in Cornwall, England, shows a seemingly sorrowful Daemon, who is kneeling in the sea with his head bowed and his shoulders hunched over. Next to him, his sword stands upright in the sand. Another snap shows Smith walking next to the water and holding his sword in the air before he sticks it in the ground.
The final photo, however, appears to capture the character’s death. Smith is laying on the sand and a sword appears to be sticking out of his stomach. However, due to the perspective of the pic, it’s possible that he’s lying next to his weapon. It’s difficult to know for sure. But since Daemon is an important character in House of the Dragon, it’s unlikely they would kill him off so early in the series.
His sword is known as ‘Dark Sister’
The sword that Smith’s character is carrying is undoubtedly Dark Sister, a Valyrian steel blade that Visenya Targaryen originally used during Aegon’s conquest of Westeros. The weapon is passed down through the family until it’s wielded by Daemon. And, according to Winter Is Coming, it’s one of many Valyrian steel blades that fans will see in House of the Dragon.
The internet chatter among fans is that Smith’s beach scenes with Dark Sister are part of the aftermath of a battle that takes place during the War for the Stepstones. This takes place after the hot-headed Daemon — who doesn’t get along with his older brother — gets tired of court life.
Daemon teams up with Lord Corlys Velaryon for the War of the Stepstones in ‘House of the Dragon’
Daemon’s desire for his own kingdom results in him teaming up with Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussasint) and they go off to conquer the Stepstones, a string of islands between Dorne and Essos that is controlled by the Triarchy.
Daemon rides his dragon Caraxes, while Corlys provides the navy for the battle. They end up defeating the alliance of the Free Cities of Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh. But along the way, the Rogue Prince makes plenty of enemies.
By the time this series is over, Cersei may not be the most hated character in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. Daemon just might take over the title of biggest villain in the history of the Targaryen house.
House of the Dragon is expected to premiere on HBO in early 2022.
