First published on 07.22.2024 and updated on 07.06.2026

Update with spoilers from the third season of House of the Dragon: when this text was originally published, in July 2024, Daeron Targaryen was still one of the show’s biggest absences. Viserys and Alicent’s fourth child had simply been ignored in the first season and only briefly mentioned afterward, which led many fans to wonder whether the adaptation had eliminated the character altogether. Now, with the war moving toward Oldtown, Honeywine, and Tumbleton, Daeron is no longer the “forgotten son” and becomes one of the most important pieces on the Greens’ side.

The real question was never only where Daeron was. It was why House of the Dragon took so long to introduce a character who, in the books, plays a decisive role in the Targaryen civil war. Raised far from King’s Landing and close to the Hightowers, Daeron enters the story as an alternative to his more damaged brothers: Aegon, marked by political failure, and Aemond, increasingly associated with terror.

In the first season, we were all shocked because they simply ignored the existence of the fourth son of Viserys (Paddy Considine) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke), Daeron Targaryen. Although he was raised in Oldtown rather than King’s Landing, even naming him gave the impression that he had been excluded. They changed their minds, and that’s great because Daeron was prominent in the Civil War. Even actress Olivia Cooke laughed about it…

Well, and… what do we know about Daeron? In the series, they say that he is handsome, good, intelligent, and the target of girls’ attention. Thank you, Uncle Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox), for the information!

The mystery: who will Daeron be and who will play him?

The news that newcomer Sacha Vodegel Matzen would be chosen to be Viserys and Alicent’s youngest seems strange to me, even more so with Gwayne’s report. Sacha seems too young to me to already have a teenager salivating over him. If the series hadn’t changed Alicent’s age, Daeron would be close in age to Jacaerys (Harry Collet), but since he’s now closer to Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), Daeron will be younger. This becomes clearer now that we know Sacha plays the “fake” Daeron, used by Ormund to deceive Rhaenyra and Daemon.

Described as a brave and skilled young man, Daeron is also known for being an accomplished knight and rides Tessarion, also known as the “Blue Dragon”. His participation in the war for the Greens, unfortunately, puts the only Hightower described as “good” on the path to tragedy.

What’s different is that, in the book, Daeron had a close relationship with his mother and brothers, even though he was sent to Oldtown. As it wasn’t even mentioned, it would be curious to see him intimate with people who apparently had already forgotten him.

The fact is that, even away from the Court, Daeron will have been influenced by the animosity between his mother’s family (Hightower) and that of his half-sister and his uncle (Targaryen). Originally, he would only have been sent to the land of the Greens, to be squire and cupbearer for his mother’s cousin, Alicent, Lord Ormund Hightower, when he was already older.

Upon his return, he will be nicknamed Daeron the Bold for his great warrior skill and will be a considerable threat to Rhaenyra and the blacks. So, from forgotten to titular, we will have to prepare ourselves that the fourth son of Viserys and Alicent will be prominent in the civil war.

As one of the main commanders in battles where his combat skill, as well as his connection with Tessarion, will make a difference, Daeron will be decisive in the Battles of Honeywine and Tumbleton. In the last one, in fact, we will finally say goodbye to Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), and Daeron will cause great destruction with his dragon, but for the last time.

That’s why I’m skeptical about Sacha’s choice for the role, but let’s watch!

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