House of the Dragon Creator George R.R. Martin Explains Why a Major Character Is Missing From Season 1

Over the past couple of episodes of House of the Dragon, fans have watched the sons of Alicent Hightower and Viserys Targaryen grow up to be monsters. Aegon and Aemond are both cruel in their own terrible ways, and they figure to be some of the most important characters on the show going forward. What some may not know, however, is that they actually have one more brother, who has been entirely absent from the show to this point. 

Daeron Targaryen, Alicent’s youngest son, hasn’t been mentioned on House of the Dragon yet, despite being around the same age as Jacaerys. Many Game of Thrones fans thought that perhaps the show was opting not to include him, keeping the focus solely on his two brothers, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. According to Game of Thrones author and franchise creator George R.R. Martin, Daeron is very much in the plans for House of the Dragon, he just isn’t being worked into the story until next season.

In his latest blog post, Martin addressed the absence of Daeron in House of the Dragon Season 1. The author and producer said that Daeron has been in Oldtown through the events of this first installment because the creative team “did not have the time to work him in this season.” That follows the story laid out in Martin’s Fire & Blood, which says that Daeron is sent to Oldtown at a young age to squire for Alicent’s cousin, Lord Ormund Hightower.

Who Is Daeron Targaryen?

If you look up Daeron Targaryen, this particular character won’t actually be the one you come across first. Rhaenyra has a grandson named Daeron who eventually becomes King and sits on the Iron Throne. This Daeron is not that one, but he is still an important part of the Targaryen story.

This Daeron Targaryen is the most mild-mannered of his brothers, though he becomes known as Daeron the Daring during the Dance of the Dragons war. When Viserys dies and the war begins, Daeron joins the army marching from Oldtown in order to reunite with his mother and siblings. Daeron rides a dragon, Tessarion, and uses her to win several battles for Aegon II. 

At this point, Martin’s blog post confirms that there are plans for Daeron to be on House of the Dragon, we just don’t know exactly when. Given that Viserys has now passed, it’s safe to assume the Dance of the Dragons is about to officially begin, which means Daeron should be joining the story very soon. A Season 2 debut seems likely.