A popular Night King theory that House of the Dragon created has already been debunked by Game of Thrones

Warning: Contains spoilers for Fire and Blood, the book on which House of the Dragon is based.

One wild theory spinning out of House of the Dragon Claims Daemon Targaryen is the Night King, however Game of Thrones already canceled it. The theory that Daemon is the Night King has been around for a couple of yearsGoing back to similarities in their costumes and uncertainty surrounding what happens to Daemon in George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood. However, it really gained traction with House of the Dragon Season 2’s finale.

In the finale, Daemon had a vision of a White Walker with blonde, Targaryen-like hair, which was read as teasing his future. In the book, Daemon dies fighting his nephew, Aemond Targaryen, but his body is never found, leading to speculation that he actually survived. This is combined with theories about the Night King being a Targaryen, mostly thanks to him surviving Dragonfire in Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 3, “The Long Night.” It’s certainly fun as a tinfoil theory, but, well, it’s not true.

Game of Thrones Season 6 confirms that Daemon Targaryen is not the Night King

Bran Stark’s vision rules out the theory

Game of Thrones Didn’t do a super deep dive into the origins of the Night King, but it did show how he was created. In season 6, episode 5, “The Door,” Bran has a vision showing a man tied to a weirwood tree, who is then transformed into a White Walker by the Children of the ForestA drug glass dagger stuck in his heart with blood. This came between the Children’s War with the First Men, and was the creation of the Night King and, thus, the White Walkers.

perfectly clear, The man who was turned into the Night King was not Daemon Targaryen. It’s not just because it was years ago House of the Dragon It was and Matt Smith has already cast, but he clearly does not look like a Targaryen, and with very good reason. The mystery man was one of the first people, the first people to live in Westeros. It’s not just that he doesn’t look like a Targaryen, but he can’t be one: it predates the rise of Valyria by around 2,000 years, and would be almost 10,000 years before the Targaryens come to Westeros.

Technically, it is possible for Daemon to be the Night King if time travel is involved. That itself is not 100% ruled out (maybe 99% though!), as the same episode that showed the beginning of the Night King also showed Bran effectively operating in a closed time loop with Hodor’s fate, after interacting with the Past a vision of it. Still, Daemon going back and becoming the Night King would be a whole other level of time travel messiness that there is zero evidence for.

The “Demon is the Night King” theory shows a problem with Game of Thrones

It didn’t reveal enough about the Night King

The theory that Daemon is the Night King is almost certainly not true, but that it is gaining traction shows Game of Thrones He treated his great villain. Yes, wild, wacky theories will often gain popularity if for nothing else than their inherent silliness and the fun of talking about them, but The demon theory in particular exists because there is such a vacuum of knowledge about the White Walkers. And it is one that really needs to be filled.

We know almost nothing about the man who became the Night King. Could he be a Stark, since he was presumably a Northerner? He was an early green, and that’s why he was chosen? Did the Children of the Forest make other White Walkers themselves? How many White Walkers did he create, and what were they doing for thousands of years after the Long Night?

There are a lot of compelling, unanswered questions that Game of Thrones could have answeredAnd completely avoided. Because of this, and because it didn’t fully explain Bran’s vision when it happened back in season 6 – plus the general passage of time making people forget – you get theories like Daemon is the Night King, or similar out-there ones (e.g. the Bran is the Night King theory that was popular for a while).

As a force of nature that wants to wipe out humanity, the White Walkers being unknowable makes sense. But that s Not All of them are in Game of ThronesBecause the show gave them a human face with the first person turning into a White Walker. This demands more of an explanation, especially when they are the overarching villain of the entire series and the greatest threat the world has to face, but it’s nothing, and that’s part of why Daemon the Night King becomes so popular. . It is probably not true, but what actually could be the truth is, unfortunately, ignored.

• Based on George RR Martin’s novels, the fantasy series follows the power struggles between noble families as they fight for control of the Iron Throne in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The series is known for its complex characters, political intrigue and unexpected plot twists.

• Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon Tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before being replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen, also star in the series.