Matt Smith thinks Daemon and Criston had "a homoerotic tryst" on House of the Dragon

Cast members from House of the Dragon showed up this week past weekend at New York Comic Con, with Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen), Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon Targaryen) and Fabien Frankel (Criston Cole) all participating in a panel discussion about HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series. We'll get the obvious question out of the way: they didn't reveal anything specific about the upcoming third season. "I've not heard hide nor hare," Smith said, confirming that he hasn't scripts for the third season yet.

Fabien Frankel, on the other hand, said that he'd "heard some things," but didn't elaborate on what they are. All we know is that showrunner Ryan Condal has said that filming on season 3 will likely start in "earlyish 2025." Whether the writing team will address any of Fire & Blood author George R.R. Martin's concerns about the direction of the show remains to be seen; obviously, that topic didn't come up on the panel.

In the absence of scripts, the actors have taken to dreaming up their own ideas. “I’ve been convinced Daemon and Criston have had a homoerotic tryst,” Smith told the crowd. “We’re both in our armors, we’ve got swords, he likes one queen, and I like the other queen...They hate each other but they love each other."

Daemon and Criston haven't many scenes together on the show, but what they've had is always tense. They fought in a tournamnet in the series premiere, "The Heirs of the Dragon," where Criston scored an unexpected victory over the more seasoned Daemon. Then they participated in a standoff in the second episode, "The Rogue Prince," but didn't come to blows that time. And it's true they have some romantic interests in common. Rhaenyra Targaryen, who is now Daemon's wife, once had a torrid affair with Criston Cole when she was young, and he, at least, never got over it. Maybe there is some romantic tension there, but we likely won't find out until 2026, when House of the Dragon is due to return on HBO and Max for its third season.

Matt Smith praises House of the Dragon castmate Emma D'Arcy: "I love them"

At another point, Matt Smith talked a bit about his relationship with his costar Emma D'Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen. The chemistry between the two is a highlight of the series, so it was a shame to have less of it in the second season, which Daemon spent much of it a bit of a bore of a plotline in the ruined castle of Harrenhal.

But spending time apart hasn't dimmed Smith's admiration for his castmate. "We've actually become really close offscreen. I love them," Smith said. "I'm full of the deepest admiration for them as an actor and as a person...We're so blessed with this amazing young cast of actors who are going to leave us all behind and do amazing things."

It looks like we'll see more of these two together in season 3.

Tom Glynn-Carney on the bond between Aegon and his dragon Sunfyre

Tom Glynn-Carney is among that young cast of actors Smith is talking about. He did a great job bringing King Aegon II Targaryewn to life in House of the Dragon season 2, to the point where I'm looking forward to what he does next the most of anyone in the cast, especially since we left him in such an uncertain position: at the end of season 2, Aegon was fleeing King's Landing, his body was burnt and his dragon Sunfyre was dead.

But is his dragon really dead? Sunfyre very much does not die at this point in the story in Fire & Blood, but it's hard to be sure what the writers are planning given how much they've changed from the source material.

Glynn-Carney didn't divulge any details, but he did talk a bit about the human-dragon bond on the show, saying that dragons are "an extension of yourself," comparing them to the dæmon familiars in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. "It makes it all the more painful when something bad happens to them."

We're hoping Sunfyre pulls through, but again, we won't know for a long while yet.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.