It all comes to an end tonight in Westeros, with the House of the Dragon season 3 finale now streaming. The Game of Thrones prequel series has been an absolute thrill in its third installment, featuring epic moments from the source material, George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, as well as new scenes written just for the show.
The eight-episode season concludes with the highly-anticipated First Battle of Tumbleton, which sees the Blacks versus the Greens in a major showdown in the market town. After Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) learns the news that Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) has resurfaced—with his dragon Sunfyre, too—she sends Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) off to kill the Hightowers.
Daemon gets in on the action in the season 3 finale
Of course, major bloodshed is ahead for all involved, and Daemon gets in on the action on the streets of Tumbleton, leading viewers to question if he survives. As the episode airs right now, Daemon is fighting against Ser Jon Roxton (Joplin Sibtain), and it looks like anything could happen for our Rogue Prince. But we can confirm that Daemon does not die in the season 3 finale. It might be a close call tonight, but we know what happens to Daemon from the source material.
WARNING: Major spoilers for Fire & Blood are below.
Daemon Targaryen’s book death explained
In Fire & Blood, Daemon isn’t even at the First Battle of Tumbleton, but of course, the show has taken many creative liberties with the source material. That said, we don’t expect his death to be changed (that majorly) from the book. It’s too iconic of an event in the Dance of the Dragons that even if the setup is different, the manner of Daemon’s death should remain the same.
Both Daemon and his nephew Aemond Targaryen (played by Ewan Mitchell in House of the Dragon) are killed in an event called the Battle Above the Gods Eye. It’s a fan-favorite moment from Fire & Blood as it finally pits these two bloodthirsty characters against each other. With Daemon on Caraxes and Aemond on Vhagar, it’s an epic duel in the skies above a lake called the Gods Eye, which is next to Harrenhal.
The Battle Above the Gods Eye, by by Fadly Romdhani (Via Reddit: https://t.co/U92yMLvoSb) pic.twitter.com/Bd4nmWaKgZ
— Winter Is Coming (@WiCnet) August 23, 2021
Not only do Aemond and Daemon die during the battle, but their dragons meet their fate as well. Seeing this moment play out onscreen is going to be positively epic, but knowing how the third season ends, we’re very curious to see how the characters get there. Yes, Aemond is still at Harrenhal, but his brother Aegon wants him to leave with him. Plus, Vhagar is still MIA.
As for Daemon, his future storyline is even more unclear, especially with the show’s removal of the character Nettles.
At this point, we can only speculate how House of the Dragon will handle the setup for the Battle Above the Gods Eye—though we’ll have plenty of time to come up with strong theories. We’re expecting another two-ish-year wait for the next installment of the HBO show, but at least we know that season 4 is definitely happening. HBO has confirmed the show will return in 2028.
Stream all three seasons of House of the Dragon on HBO Max.
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