House of the Dragon Finally Addresses That Shocking Night King Theory in S2 Finale
In the breathtaking season 2 finale of House of the Dragon, fans get a cool callback to Game of Thrones through Daemon Targaryen‘s visions. All loose ends are tied up, but he’s looking ahead to the future of the Targaryens because the real threat is coming soon.
Daemon placed his hand on the Weirwood tree—the same that he saw in the first vision he had in the Riverlands. He sees rapid-fire visions of Nightwalkers, whose threat is imminent in Westeros. The creatures appear in his vision and wreak havoc, but he sees a glimpse of his family’s future. Daenerys Targaryen appears in his vision with three of her dragons, Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion. He also sees Rhaenyra sitting on the Iron Throne and a bloody battlefield with a dead dragon that looks like Caraxes. He also sees a young, blond Three-Eyed Raven.
Related: Who Each Dragon’s Rider Is in House of the Dragon & Whether the Show Differs From the Books
Many fans have theorized one of the Targaryens is the Night King (Take for example, Aemond Targaryen because of his eyes). One fan posted on X, “i’m a huge fan of the theory of daemon being the night king and this vision made me feel i’m not so delulu after all.” However, this episode definitely answered the question once and for all.
Is Daemon the Night King?
Daemon is not the Night King. In the vision, Daemon is terrified about what is about to happen next and is fearful for the future of Westeros. He does see a nightwalker that sports the signature platinum hair, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a Targaryen. He pledges his allegiance to Rhaenyra since he sees that a Targaryen was responsible for protecting Westeros. He says to her before kneeling, “Winter is coming with darkness and gloom.”
As to how the Night King was created, Bran’s vision in Game of Thrones gives the complete rundown about how the enemy flourished beyond the wall. The Children of the Forest drive a dragon glass into a human’s chest while he is tied up to a tree. “Somebody made him the Night King,” The Night King actor Vladimir Furdik told Entertainment Weekly. “Nobody knows who he was before—a soldier or part of [nobility]. He never wanted to be the Night King.” Also safe to say, that the Night King was created more than 1000 years before the events of Game of Thrones, while House of the Dragon only takes place about 100 years before the main show’s events.
In the book, Daemon dies after a battle with Aemond. One where the former drove his sword to Aemond’s eyeball so hard that it came out of his throat. Their dragons fall into the sea and it’s presumed that Aemond is dead when his body is recovered while Daemon’s is never found. Because of that too, there’s no way that Daemon could be the Night King because he appears a hundred years after those events took place.
