Daemon Targaryen is "softer, lazier, fatter, slower" in House of the Dragon season 2

The first season of HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon introduced us to a lot of characters, but the breakout star was probably Prince Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith. We watched him develop over 20 years of his life, going from the hot-headed potential heir to the Iron Throne to the hot-headed husband of Rhaenyra Targaryen, who is now battling her half-brother Aegon Targaryen for that very seat. The Iron Throne may not be in Daemon's future, but he wants to be as close to power as possible, and he's willing to do just about anything to make sure that happens. In season 1, he fought a war in the Stepstones, killed his wife with a rock, seduced his own niece, and beheaded a guy in open court. He's a dangerous guy, and was always exciting to watch.

In season 2, war between Rhaenyra and Aegon will heat up. Daemon will play a big part in that, which you'd think would be his comfort zone. That's why it's curious to hear Matt Smith describe Daemon's journey like this during a visit to CBS Mornings: "I think he sort of tumbles into anonymity in a way. He gets sort of softer, lazier, fatter, slower. And he's sort of haunted by his demons, by ghosts, by apparitions...The weight of all the bad deeds that he's done really come home to roost, so to speak. And I think he becomes more exposed."

This is really interesting to hear, because in the source material for this show — the book Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin — Daemon goes pretty hard during the war. "Softer, lazier, fatter, slower" are not the words I would use to describe this part of his life.

So what does Smith mean? Well, we know that Daemon will spend a lot of time at the cursed castle of Harrenhal in season 2, setting up a military center of operations on Rhaenyra's behalf. It sounds like he'll have some spooky experiences there, possibly working through the fallout of a particularly nasty murder he'll have a hand in planning early in the season.

I also can't help but wonder if the writers on House of the Dragon aren't trying to soften Daemon's edges a bit after the audience had an unexpected reaction to him in season 1. In the first season, Daemon worked his way down a laundry list of dirty deeds but ended up being a fan favorite, with many people openly thirsting after him. “He’s become Internet Boyfriend in a way that baffles me,” producer Sara Hess said at the time. “Not that Matt isn’t incredibly charismatic and wonderful, and he’s incredible in the role. But Daemon himself is … I don’t want him to be my boyfriend! I’m a little baffled how they’re all, ‘Oh, daddy!’ And I’m just like: ‘Really?’ How — in what way — was he a good partner, father or brother — to anybody? You got me."

Showrunner Ryan Condal told The New York Times in 2022: "I’m having trouble understanding it," he said of Daemon's fandom. "We established right out of the gate, in the pilot, that Daemon is a fascinating guy, but he’s not Ned Stark. So I didn’t see it coming… I did not think they would oddly apply this sort of super-fandom to him and try to justify every single thing he’s done as being intrinsically heroic. It simply isn’t. It’s not the case. Nor will it be in the future."

So maybe they're trying to change him a bit to get the reaction they want? Or maybe this all comes together onscreen. Matt Smith, at any rate, is still out here talking about Daemon like he's a full complex human character. "I think he's got his own warped, perverted sense of justice and loyalty," he said on CBS Mornings. "In his head, he's doing the right thing often. He was, in a way, a very loving brother. In a way, he's a very loving husband. It's just, there's a lot of damage there."

As for the season itself, Smith is eager for people to tune in. "It's violent and sexy and strange and there's some really wonderful characters. We've got some fabulous new actors who've come in this year." Smith also singals out Tom Glynn-Carney, who's King Aegon Targayren, for praise.

The second season of House of the Dragon premieres on Sunday, June 16 on HBO and Max.

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