DAEMON TARGARYEN & VISERYS I TARGARYEN
Q: George said that the biggest conflict in this show is not between people, but within somebody's own heart. What do you think it’s your character's biggest conflict in their heart?
PADDY CONSIDINE: My biggest conflict... I should never have been named king.
Q: Why?
PADDY CONSIDINE: Because really, in my heart, I wasn't built to do it.
MATT SMITH: I don't know, that's a tough one. His biggest conflict is himself, to be honest. And, uh, his brother. Something to do with his brother, probably. Don't know what.
— Rotten Tomatoes TV interview with Paddy Considine (plays Viserys) and Matt Smith (plays Daemon)
He's always kind of flipping sides, I suppose, in many ways aligning himself with his brother or he's not... I don't think it's about an ambition to [the] throne and all that. I think a lot of it is about his brother.
— Matt Smith, Entertainment Weekly
I think [Daemon] has a sense of duty to his family, weirdly. I think he’d lie on his sword for his brother or Rhaenyra.
— Matt Smith, Los Angeles Times
Q: The most prominent relationship Daemon has in the premiere is with his brother, King Viserys, and the contrast is striking. Viserys wants to be liked, while Daemon really doesn’t care what people think.
A: That’s true. But what I uncovered, which perhaps wasn’t there in black and white, is that there’s a deep fragility to Daemon, actually — particularly when it comes to his brother. He cares what his brother thinks. The rest of the empire can go stick it. He doesn’t really give a toss.
— Matt Smith, The New York Times
— House of the Dragon, 1.02 “The Rogue Prince”
[Daemon] had been among the brashest of Viserys's supporters prior to the Great Council and had even gathered a small army of sworn swords and men-at-arms when rumours claimed that Corlys Velaryon was readying a fleet to defend the rights of his son, Laenor. King Jaehaerys avoided bloodshed, but many remembered that Daemon had been ready to come to blows over the matter.
— Maester Yandel, The World of Ice & Fire
As for the king's own views, all the chronicles agree that King Viserys hated dissension. Though far from blind to his brother's flaws, he cherished his memories of the free-spirited, adventurous boy that Daemon had been. His daughter was his life's great joy, he oft said, but a brother is a brother. Time and time again he strove to make peace between Prince Daemon and Ser Otto, but the enmity between the two men roiled endlessly beneath the false smiles they wore at court. When pressed upon the matter [of succession], King Viserys would only say that he was certain his queen would soon present him with a son.
— Archmaester Gyldayn, The Rogue Prince, or, A King's Brother
RHAENYRA: You haven't come to court in an age.
DAEMON: Aye. Court is so dreadfully boring.
RHAENYRA: Then why come back at all?
DAEMON: I heard your father was hosting a tournament in my honor.
RHAENYRA: The tournament is for his heir.
DAEMON: Just as I said.
RHAENYRA: His new heir.
DAEMON: Until your mother brings forth a son you are all cursed with me.
— House of the Dragon, 1.01 “The Heirs of the Dragon”
— House of the Dragon, 1.01 “The Heirs of the Dragon”
I think they are normal brothers. And there's a huge amount of love there, and I think it's complicated. You know, there's a sort of deep, dark history that surrounds them.
— Matt Smith, S1 EP1: Inside the Episode
[Daemon struggles to finish while having sex with Mysaria and gets frustrated]
MYSARIA: What troubles you, my Prince?
[Daemon covers himself]
MYSARIA: I could bring in another. Perhaps a maiden. I have several.
[Mysaria uncovers his head to look at him]
MYSARIA: I could even arrange one with silver hair.
[Daemon stays quiet, sullen]
MYSARIA: You are Daemon Targaryen. Rider of Caraxes. Wielder of Dark Sister. The King cannot replace you.
— House of the Dragon, 1.01 “The Heirs of the Dragon”
Ostensibly, most people are afraid of Daemon. And it's interesting for someone to say that Viserys is weak. As soon as Viserys goes "Oi, Daemon, wind your neck in", Daemon does. It's like your word is rule. And Daemon shuts up eats his porridge when he's told to. But only from him.
— Matt Smith, HOTD: Official Podcast - Everything we know about House of the Dragon
MATT: Oddly, he says to his brother "You're weak", but I think that's all about him going, "I don't feel recognized". Everything Daemon does is the response of going, "I want you to recognize me." You know what I mean? "Please. I love you. I love you. I love you." So he's just a really annoying... he's his annoying little brother. You know what I mean?
PADDY: Yeah.
MATT: And I think that's what we landed on, isn't it?
PADDY: Yeah.
MATT: Without ever really talking about it.
PADDY: And it's weird in families, you know. There's things within my own family. There's estrangements. There's a strange psychology of cutting people out and punishing them with silence and things like that. And it's just, you know, why can't we just call each other up and say, "I love you"? It's hard. And I felt, even when we were making it, that Daemon just wanted Viserys to say, "I love you."
MATT: Yeah.
PADDY: And Viserys sort of knew that, but begrudgingly, it's like, "I'm not gonna say that to you." He doesn't hate Daemon. Doesn't hate him at all. He's just not going to give Daemon what he wants.
MATT: Which is odd, though, isn't it? For someone who's so bright and sensible, and such a, you know, in many ways, quite an astute man, he's still not capable emotionally of doing something really simple. Like, he's quite complicated emotionally, Viserys, isn't he?
PADDY: I think so too, yeah. There's a lot going on.
— HOTD: Official Podcast - Everything we know about House of the Dragon
VISERYS: My family has just been destroyed. But instead of being by my side, or Rhaenyra's, you chose to celebrate your own rise! Laughing with your whores and your lickspittles! You have no allies at court but me! I have only ever defended you! Yet everything I've given you, you've thrown back in my face.
DAEMON: You've only ever tried to send me away! To the Vale, to the City Watch, anywhere but by your side! Ten years you've been king, and yet not once have you asked me to be your Hand!
VISERYS: Why would I do that?
DAEMON: Because I'm your brother. And the blood of the dragon runs thick.
VISERYS: Then why do you cut me so deeply?
DAEMON: I've only ever spoken the truth. I see Otto Hightower for what he is.
VISERYS: An unwavering and loyal Hand?
DAEMON: A cunt. A second son who stands to inherit nothing he doesn't seize for himself.
VISERYS: Otto Hightower is a more honorable man than you could ever be.
DAEMON: He doesn't protect you. I would.
VISERYS: From what?
DAEMON: Yourself. You're weak, Viserys. And that council of leeches knows it. They all prey on you for their own ends.
VISERYS: ...I have decided to name a new heir.
DAEMON: I'm your heir.
VISERYS: Not anymore. You are to return to Runestone and your lady wife at once, and you are to do so without quarrel by order of your King.
[Daemon steps forward toward him, but the Kingsguard stands in his way]
DAEMON: Your Grace.
—House of the Dragon, 1.01 "The Heirs of the Dragon"
PADDY: I think he's somebody who's trying to be a king that pleases everybody and ultimately that has a very detrimental effect on him later on.
Q: And Daemon is the opposite?
MATT: Yes, in many ways. But they're weirdly similar and weirdly opposite, like all siblings. But yeah, in many ways he's very opposite. He's reactionary, he's impetuous, violent, he's attention-seeking, there's a madness to him.
PADDY: Yeah, he is attention-seeking.
MATT: Yeah, totally.
PADDY: And there's nothing worse if you're an attention-seeker and you're being ignored.
MATT: And you're going 'notice me! notice me!'
Viserys has a very complicated relationship with his brother. He deeply loves him, but he loves the idea that Daemon will change and be somebody else, and Daemon is not a person who changes. And Daemon also desperately loves his brother. I mean, they have this really kind of beautiful, conflicted, complicated relationship, and Daemon just wants his brother to let him in and to be at his side. Everybody thinks that Daemon, you know, wants the throne, and wants to take it from Viserys. He wants to be at Viserys' side. He wants, really wants to be Viserys' Hand. But Viserys doesn't trust him because of the way we see him act.
So it's this argument of "Why don't you trust me?", and it's like, "Well, because of the things you do." And he's like, "Well, I do the things that I do because you don't trust me." So it's this really, again, it's a deeply conflicted, complicated relationship between the two brothers, but I think Viserys is aware the whole time.
— Ryan Condal, HOTD: Official Podcast Ep. 1 "The Heirs of the Dragon"
Absolutely not, no. He can't fix his brother. And I don't think he thinks he can. What he does is occupy his brother. Keeps him occupied. If we keep Daemon over there and put him in charge of that and keep him busy, you know, well, no one's talking about him and then everything's fine. [...] Every job he's had, he's messed up. I can't fix him, I can't fix my own daughter. I can't fix anybody. It was never about trying to fix him. It was just that dysfunction that brothers have with their own egos.
— Paddy Considine, HOTD: Official Podcast - Everything we know about House of the Dragon
— House of the Dragon, 1.01 “The Heirs of the Dragon”
DAEMON: You've matured yourself these last four years, Princess.
[Rhaenyra looks down]
DAEMON: You'll get used to the attention.
RHAENYRA: The attention I can endure. It's the rest I could do without. My father seems content to sell me off to whichever lord has the biggest castle.
[Daemon looks down smiling]
DAEMON: There are worse things to be sold for.
— House of the Dragon, 1.04 “King of the Narrow Sea”
There’s a deep and quite profound love between [Daemon and Viserys], and I hope that’s something that comes alive throughout all 10 episodes.
The thing with Daemon is he just keeps pushing — pushing the envelope, pushing the boundaries, pushing the rules that were in place around him. But it’s weird. The more time I spent with palace intrigue … He’s got a strange moral compass of his own. What looks like he’s just being erratic and mad, he thinks he’s doing the right thing.
— Matt Smith, The New York Times
Daemon has a great affiliation, and love, and admiration for his brother, the King. But Daemon's all swords and knives, really. I do think on some level, he wants to cause chaos. I think he's interested in chaos, I think he survives in chaos quite well. He's got a very quite clear moral compass. And you're either in it or you're out of it.
— Matt Smith, Height of an Empire
— House of the Dragon, 1.04 "King of the Narrow Sea"
VISERYS [TO RHAENYRA, IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE BROTHEL SITUATION]: The responsibility I have handed to you, the burden of [the knowledge of the prophecy]... It is larger than the throne, the King. It is larger than you and your... desires.
— House of the Dragon, 1.04 “King of the Narrow Sea”
PADDY: Viserys does love Daemon. Massively. They just can't articulate it between each other. Daemon in Viserys' eyes is a fuck up, he's always bringing trouble to his door. But a part of Viserys envies Daemon because part of him wishes he could go off and do what Daemon does.
MATT: And also what Daemon wants is, he says to him, he's like "Come with me." You know what I mean, "Be my big brother, let's go. We could have it all" and, you know, "Why are you fucking doing all this, ruling the kingdom with a sane mind?"
— HOTD: Official Podcast - Everything we know about House of the Dragon
— House of the Dragon, 1.01 “The Heirs of the Dragon”
DAEMON: It was never my brother's strongest trait.
CORLYS: What?
DAEMON: Being King.
— House of the Dragon, 1.02 “The Rogue Prince”
If it was difficult when you were just you and your kid, now suddenly it's about the impact of those choices that you made, how you fuck your kids up, turns them into terrible leaders. Or amazing ones. And they impact every single other member of that society. And I think that's fascinating, and different characters carry the weight of that knowledge in different ways. Daemon could care less. He doesn't care, he just wants to be close to his brother. He doesn't give a shit about the throne. [As for] Viserys, it's all he can think about. "Will I be remembered as a good king? Will I be remembered as just this guy who just kept things going in peace time?"
— Miguel Sapochnik, HOTD: Official Podcast Ep. 6 "The Princess and the Queen"
I think he's saying it with a degree of sincerity, 'The Heir for a Day', yeah, amen. That was the point as he said it. And then he goes back- I think he's just really frustrated at his brother. He wants to shake him and go 'Wake up. I love you more than everyone else. I love you more than everyone else.' It's just, you know, misplaced love, I think. It's what it's all about.
MATT: I don't think Daemon said it-- from his point of view, he's not saying it in a bad way when he's in the pub, or in the brothel, whatever, when he's talking - the reason he's in trouble. I think with Daemon, again, there's just the sort of very deep, deep love for his brother. And I think there's a strange sort of fragility to him. It's all about acceptance, and he's cross, he's annoyed at his older brother for ruling like this and not accepting him. So I think they're all genuine concerns. I don't think it's particularly histrionic from him.
PADDY: I think Viserys is torn between being a brother and being King. I think if it was anyone else who uttered those words, they'd be dead.
MATT: Heads would roll.
PADDY: And I think for Viserys, again, it's the guilt he feels for making the choices he makes in the first episode. And I think sometimes Viserys perceives Daemon as somebody that abuses his position quite a bit, abuses his privilege a little bit at times, whereas Viserys doesn't have that sort of gene in him, really. He doesn't abuse his position as king in any way, and I think sometimes Viserys feels that Daemon gets away with things because he is the prince.
MATT: And ironically, Daemon's like, ‘why can't you just get away with things with me?’
Q, PADDY: Yeah.
MATT: Because there was a time when they used to go out together. They were more equal, weren't they?
PADDY: Yeah.
MATT: Not equal, but [hand gestures].
— House of the Dragon, 1.01 “The Heirs of the Dragon”
It is Viserys waiting for that heir to come along and putting poor Queen Aemma through these multiple stillbirths and miscarriages and pregnancies to try to get to that, to protect the realm. Because once he has a son, then he doesn't have to have the conversation with Daemon. He can just say, "I'm sorry, bro. You know how it works. It's my firstborn." But until he has that, it's Daemon in the eyes of most of the realm.
— Ryan Condal, HOTD: Official Podcast Ep. 1 “The Heirs of the Dragon”
— House of the Dragon, 1.02 “The Rogue Prince”
Matters became more complicated when, with Ser Otto Hightower's encouragement, King Viserys announced his intention to wed the Lady Alicent, Ser Otto's daughter and the Old King's former nursemaid. For the most part, the realm celebrated this union. [...] Not all was so joyous in the Vale, however, where Prince Daemon was said to have whipped the servant who brought him tidings of the marriage [...]
— Maester Yandel, The World of Ice & Fire
Laughter and love ruled the Red Keep [the night of the wedding between Viserys and Alicent]... whilst across Blackwater Bay, Lord Corlys the Sea Snake welcomed the king's brother Prince Daemon to a war council. The prince had suffered all he could stand of the Vale of Arryn, Runestone, and his lady wife. "Dark Sister was made for nobler tasks than slaughtering sheep," he is reported to have told the Lord of the Tides. "She has a thirst for blood." But it was not rebellion that the rogue prince had in mind; he saw another path to power. [...] The Sea Snake was determined to put an end to the Triarchy's rule over the Stepstones, and in Daemon Targaryen he found a willing partner, eager for the gold and glory that victory in war would bring him. Shunning the king's wedding, they laid their plans in High Tide on the isle Driftmark.
— Archmaester Gyldayn, The Rogue Prince, or, A King's Brother
— House of the Dragon, 1.02 “The Rogue Prince” & 1.03 "Second of His Name"
Daemon goes to war for his own motives, essentially, because I think... He wants to. And irregardless of the consequences, because it gets his brother's attention.
— Matt Smith, S1 EP3: Inside the Episode
Prince Daemon had at last returned to court [for the great tourney in honor of the fifth anniversary of the king's marriage to Queen Alicent]. Wearing a crown and styling himself King of the Narrow Sea, he appeared unannounced in the skies above King's Landing on his dragon, circling thrice above the tourney grounds... but when at last he came to earth, he knelt before his brother and offered up his crown as a token of his love and fealty. Viserys returned the crown and kissed Daemon on both cheeks, welcoming him home, and the lords and commons sent up a thunderous cheer as the sons of Prince Baelon Targaryen were reconciled.
— Archmaester Gyldayn, The Rogue Prince, or, A King's Brother
— House of the Dragon, 1.04 "King of the Narrow Sea"
He loves his brother very much, but he knows if his brother turns up at a wedding there’s going to be trouble. Being king has estranged him from Daemon. Daemon has a head for adventure and can behave irresponsibly at times. He’s always pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable, and Viserys is always making excuses for him.
— Paddy Considine, The Hollywood Reporter
RHEA ROYCE: Husband. What brings you to the Vale? Or have you, at last, come to consummate our marriage? The Vale's sheep might be willing, even if I'm not. Our sheep are prettier, after all. Or perhaps your brother has at last had his fill of your company? Cast you aside in favor of a little girl... What will you do now? Will you strike the child down?
— House of the Dragon, 1.05 “We Light the Way”
— House of the Dragon, 1.04 "King of the Narrow Sea"
When he comes back, he's not looking for his brother anymore. He's somehow looking to get back at his brother. And Rhaenyra becomes the apple of his eye.
— Miguel Sapochnik (Showrunner / Executive Producer / Director), S1 EP4: Inside the Episode
RHAENYRA: You seemed so content on Dragonstone. Why did you come back?
[Daemon stays silent]
RHAENYRA: There is surely more to your return than simply taunting my father.
[He smiles and touches her necklace]
RHAENYRA: So... What do you want?
DAEMON: Only the comforts of home.
— House of the Dragon, 1.04 “King of the Narrow Sea”
Q: What is it about [Rhaenyra] that resonates with [Daemon]?
A: There’s that family bond that he is so invested in. It really, really matters to him. And probably he feels a certain kinship with her that he’s maybe lost with his brother.
— Matt Smith, The New York Times
It's a very complicated situation, isn't it. But, I think a lot of it is about trying to get a reaction from his brother in the early instances, and it's about trying to wind his brother up and annoy his brother. As you see, when the series goes on, it's not as black and white, as Paddy says, having an interest in your young niece. It's much more complex than that, really, as the Targaryens are, you know. It's a strange, strange, complex family.
— House of the Dragon, 1.04 "King of the Narrow Sea"
It's the idea that Daemon is using Rhaenyra as a way to get to her father. Ultimately, his impotence in [the brothel] scene is a reflection of the fact that he knows deep down what he's doing isn't right.
— Miguel Sapochnik, S1 EP4: Inside the Episode
ALICENT: It is not in Rhaenyra's nature to be deceitful. I cannot say the same for your brother.
VISERYS: You believe he lied?
ALICENT: How often does he speak the pure truth?
VISERYS: How does confessing to such things serve him?
ALICENT: By reducing you.
— House of the Dragon, 1.04 “King of the Narrow Sea”
Q: Do you think Daemon loves Rhaenyra? Because he's a tricky one, too, you know? I mean, he's brutal.
A: I think Daemon idolises Viserys, and because Rhaenyra is an extension of Viserys and represents pure Targaryen fire, I think Daemon is in love with that. But I think, also, Daemon gets bored easily.
— Olivia Cooke (plays Alicent), HOTD: Official Podcast Ep. 7 "Driftmark"
When it's put to Viserys that Daemon may have had sex with Rhaenyra; I think that's where the dragon comes out in Viserys.
He once again banishes his brother, but what he feels more than anything is manipulated.
S1 EP4: Inside the Episode
— House of the Dragon, 1.01 "The Heirs of the Dragon" & 1.04 "King of the Narrow Sea"
In a pure creative writer's sense, it's thrilling because it's so freeing, and it allows you to be, at once, devotedly faithful to the source material and also incredibly free and creative to make different decisions and to turn an expectation on its head. To take the event, that little line in the book about Lady Rhea having her skull crushed in a fall from her horse, and turning that into a whole scene and a motivation for Daemon to strike back at the king who's always held this loveless marriage that's basically a prison for Daemon, to keep him controlled and keep him from doing the things he wanted to do. So Daemon goes and destroys it.
— Ryan Condal, HOTD: Official Podcast Ep. 10 "The Black Queen"
— House of the Dragon, 1.05 "We Light the Way"
Prince Daemon knew that his brother would not be pleased when he heard of his new marriage. Prudently, the prince and his new bride took themselves far from Westeros soon after the wedding, crossing the Narrow Sea on their dragons.
— Archmaester Gyldayn, The Rogue Prince, or, A King's Brother
Daemon's tried to remove himself from Westerosi politics, and go live across the sea in a place where it can't affect him and twist him the way that it always did when he was at home.
— Ryan Condal, S1 EP6: Inside the Episode
ALICENT, REFERRING TO VALYRIA’S MODEL: It is truly wondrous what you've built.
VISERYS: Oh, no. I only pore over the histories and provide the plans. The stonemasons built the structures.
— House of the Dragon, 1.02 “The Rogue Prince”
LAENA: I miss my brother, Daemon. As I think do you.
DAEMON: I miss Westerosi strongwine. It could be depended on for a few hours of peaceful oblivion. This amber shit that they drink here...
LAENA: Do you never long for home?
DAEMON: No.
LAENA: I don't believe you.
DAEMON: Believe what you please.
LAENA: You laud the virtues of Pentos, but you have no interest in it. If you did, you would venture into the city, but instead, you spend your time here, in the library, reading accounts of the same dead dragonlords whose legacy you claim has no hold on you.
— House of the Dragon, 1.06 “The Princess and the Queen”
In 116 AC, in the Free City of Pentos, Lady Laena gave birth to twin daughters, Daemon Targaryen's first trueborn children. [...] From High Tide, he sent a raven to his brother in King's Landing, informing His Grace of the birth of his nieces and begging leave to present the girls at court to receive his royal blessing. Though his Hand and small council argued heatedly against it, Viserys consented, for the king still loved the brother who had been the companion of his youth. "Daemon is a father now," he told Grand Maester Mellos. "He will have changed." Thus were the sons of Baelon Targaryen reconciled for the second time.
— Archmaester Gyldayn, Fire & Blood: Being a History of the Targaryen Kings of Westeros, Volume 1
— House of the Dragon, 1.07 "Driftmark"
They haven't seen each other since he banished him again for robbing his daughter's innocence, and saying horrible things to him [sic]. But Viserys has gone through some stuff, and his health is failing, and I think he's feeling more like he wants family around him now than he probably was when he sent Daemon away.
— Ryan Condal, S1 EP7: Inside the Episode
VISERYS: Daemon. I know we've had our differences, but let them pass with the years. There's a place for you in my court. If there's something you should need.
DAEMON: I need… nothing.
— House of the Dragon, 1.07 "Driftmark"
The governance of the realm was a daunting task; the king needed a strong, capable Hand to shoulder some of his burdens. Briefly he considered sending for Princess Rhaenyra. [...] He considered his brother as well, until he recalled Prince Daemon's previous stints on the small council. [...] His grace chose familiarity, and recalled to court Ser Otto Hightower, the queen's father, who had filled the office before for both Viserys and the Old King.
Yet hardly had Ser Otto arrived at the Red Keep to take up the Handship than word reached court that Princess Rhaenyra had remarried, taking to husband her uncle, Daemon Targaryen. The princess was twenty-three, Prince Daemon thirty-nine.
King, court, and commons were all outraged by the news. Neither Daemon's wife nor Rhaenyra's husband had been dead even half a year, to wed again so soon was an insult to their memory, His Grace declared angrily. The marriage had been performed on Dragonstone, suddenly and secretly. Septon Eustace claims that Rhaenyra knew that her father would never approve of the match, so she wed in haste to make certain he could not prevent the marriage.
— Archmaester Gyldayn, The Rogue Prince, or, A King's Brother
— House of the Dragon, 1.08 "The Lord of the Tides"
— House of the Dragon, 1.08 "The Lord of the Tides"
Even at the end, there aren’t words in that relationship. Daemon helps him up there, and he puts the crown on his head, and that said everything that he’s never said, without uttering a word.
— Paddy Considine, The New York Times
— House of the Dragon, 1.08 "The Lord of the Tides"
It's like all this corruption and all this fighting, this is what it does. This is what being a king does. This is the effect of all of this on me. Why can't we just love each other? It sounds really naff, but it's like, "Why can't we just love each other? Why can't we just make this work?"
[…]
I don't think he ever wanted to be king; it's a burden. He's just doing a duty. He was too human to be king. […] When he takes his last breath he maybe feels like he's done all he can, and he's put his house right. He did his best. He kept this secret belief in the prophecy, and kept that with him until the day he died. And that's all he could do.
— Paddy Considine, S1 EP8: Inside the Episode
— House of the Dragon, 1.10 "The Black Queen"
— House of the Dragon, 1.10 "The Black Queen"
I think in this scene, [Rhaenyra] gets a message from beyond the grave the moment that she understands that Daemon wasn't chosen. ‘Wow, it was never you.’ Simultaneously, Daemon gets shafted from beyond the grave by his brother, who he loves more than any other character in the show. On the one hand, he can say that he doesn't believe in prophecies. But he was never trusted to anyway.
— Emma D'Arcy (plays Rhaenyra), GQ
[Aegon’s prophecy] certainly is a burden. We know that [Rhaenyra] knows it, we know that Daemon does not. And whatever little bit he heard, he was very dismissive of.
— Ryan Condal, HOTD: Official Podcast Ep. 10 "The Black Queen"
Q: Shouldn’t he at least have told Daemon or others about the prophecy?
A: No way, not at that time. That’s something that we struggled with. There was a scene that was deleted after Aemma (Sian Brooke) died, where Viserys meets with Daemon and he tries to hint at this idea of prophecies and what the gods mean to him. He was trying to get some idea where Daemon’s at with his beliefs, but the tone of the scene was never quite right. There’s no way that Daemon would even connect to that — he’d laugh Viserys out of the room. He’s not into dreamers or things like that.
— Paddy Considine, The New York Times
Look, I think Daemon has a lot of good aspects to him, but there is this darkness in him that he really struggles with. And his core injury is the fact that Viserys rejected him.
Everybody thinks that Daemon wanted the crown, and maybe he did. Maybe he toyed with the idea a bit. But really, really deep down what he wanted was to be Viserys' Hand. He wanted to be his brother's guy. He wanted to help him and protect him; it's the thing he tells him in the first episode. So, when Daemon learns after this hell of a day he had where he learns that his brother is dead, he maybe thinks that his enemies, the Hightowers, helped him along. He learns that the throne, his wife's birthright has been seized and stolen. It's been an emotional day for Daemon. And then on top of all that, when Rhaenyra tells him, casually, that 'oh, that big secret that we passed from King to heir through the whole bloodline...', the fact that Viserys never told him. He never named him Prince of Dragonstone. Daemon was never Viserys' heir, ever, in his mind. And I think it just shatters him. And I think it's not a... It is an act of violence against Rhaenyra, but it is a lashing out of a wounded man, and it's the only way that he knows how to express it.
And the way we always wrote Daemon and his, uh, complicated, let's say, relationship with Rhaenyra was that he really does see Rhaenyra as an extension of his brother. And I think there is a part of Daemon that is in love with his brother. In maybe not a sexual sense, but in a 'I need to have it be a part of me'. And because he couldn't have that, that's a large reason why he pursues Rhaenyra. So, in that moment, I think it's all those things coming together in confluence. Perhaps in that moment where he just lashes out, he sees Rhaenyra as a further extension of Viserys. Because he can't put his hands on Viserys, that's the next best thing.
— Ryan Condal (Showrunner / Executive Producer / Writer), Official Game of Thrones Convention, Dec 9th 2022
— House of the Dragon, 1.10 "The Black Queen"
His brother’s death is going to have a bigger effect on him than he probably even realizes.
— Matt Smith, Los Angeles Times
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