It’s time to give up that “Daemon is the Night King” theory once and for all, House of the Dragon fans

Throughout Game of Thrones, fan theories ran rampant each season as viewers tried to guess what might happen next. While some of these theories actually came true, others were just a little too ridiculous to take seriously. And the theorizing hasn't stopped with the prequel series, House of the Dragon, which just wrapped up its sophomore season on August 4.

As an adaption of George R.R. Martin's Targaryen history book Fire & Blood, there are many events book readers expect to happen, though the writers have made a long list of changes to the point that you really never know. Despite us having questions to mull over while we wait for the third season, there is one fan theory we need to debunk once and for all. One popular idea widely shared in the fan community since the first season is that Daemon Targaryen could actually be the Night King. Yes, the leader of the White Walkers from Game of Thrones. I know it's silly, but some are seemingly convinced!

No, Daemon is not the Night King

Appearing in forums like Reddit threads since season 1, The Tab recently brought back this Daemon theory in July. The article says that fans on TikTok have pointed out how similar Daemon and the Night King look, which I wholeheartedly disagree with, along with the claim that the Night King is immune to fire, so he must be a Targaryen. Well, that's just factually inaccurate. "No, not all Targaryens are fireproof — this is just a "common misconception," according to Martin himself. And despite the Night King once being a human, there were no Targaryens at the time of the war of the First Men and the Children of the Forest. Do we really think Daemon was alive tens of thousands of years before Aegon's Conquest? Make it make sense.

The article also references Daemon's fate, which I won't spoil here for non-book readers, but really, it's a major stretch anyway.

Daemon sees the Song of Ice and Fire

In addition to all of these things just not adding up, the House of the Dragon season 2 finale should be proof enough that Daemon is not the Night King. Daemon's (hopefully) final vision at Harrenhal shows him the Song of Ice and Fire playing out, featuring quick shots of the Three-Eyed Raven, White Walkers, dead dragons and humans, and Daenerys Targaryen. He then sees Rhaenyra sitting on the Iron Throne, which officially convinces him that his wife is the one true queen. Helaena also makes an appearance in his vision, telling him that this is all a story and that he has but one role to play in it.

Pretty clearly, Daemon's place in this story is not being the Night King, but preparing for him. Daemon needs to try and help Rhaenyra unite the realm to ensure a Targaryen still sits on the Iron Throne when the great darkness comes.

While some might find a theory claiming any of the characters we know could become the Night King amusing, it doesn't make sense for Daemon or any Targaryen. And thank god. To put it bluntly, that would be really, really dumb.

There are bound to be some shocking moments on the way, though. House of the Dragon has been renewed for a third season, and showrunner Ryan Condal has just confirmed that the show will run for four seasons total. While many viewers were not pleased with the pacing of the second season, Condal promises the third will be "total war," so we'll see. Whatever happens, we're crossing our fingers that there won't be a ridiculous plot twist like this Daemon theory for any of the characters.

The first two seasons of House of the Dragon are streaming on Max.

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