Daenerys may not be the Prince That Was Promised? – House of the Dragon showrunner clarifies

Amid the brutal Targaryen civil war, the dragons’ fate and Westeros’ future hang in the balance. As the battle for the Iron Throne intensifies, the prophecy of the Prince That Was Promised casts a shadow over the warring factions. But what this ancient prediction means, and who will fulfill it is yet to be known. Showrunner Ryan Condal sheds light on the mystery, revealing that the answer lies not with Daenerys Targaryen, but in the complex and treacherous world created by George R.R. Martin.

Daemon’s vision of the Prince That Was Promised

Daemon’s vision is a cryptic hint at the prophecy of the Prince That Was Promised, a legendary figure destined to save Westeros. Unbeknownst to Daemon, the image he sees is a glimpse of his future descendant via Rhaenyra, who will go on to have three dragons of her own. The image he sees is eerily familiar, yet its significance and connection to the future remain unclear. The vision was meant to be a hint at the prophecy, but not a definitive confirmation of Daenerys’ role. Ryan Condal in an interview with Collider stated that,

“The connectiveness between this family and the family to come, and Daemon seeing something that — we know who that is watching that image — Daemon has no idea. That could be his future daughter with Rhaenyra who has three dragons born. He doesn’t know, but he is sensing that this was something that was shown to me for a specific reason.

And I think you know Daemon, in his own way, we know Rhaenyra is already kind of running with this idea of the prince that was promised. If Daemon also believes that that is Rhaenyra, as we’ve seen him say to her in High Valyrian in Episode 8, there’s a very interesting thing that can be done with his interpretation of that reality as we move forward.

Credit: HBO

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Daemon’s Vision Change his feelings towards Rhaenyra

Showrunner Ryan Condal dives deep into Daemon Targaryen’s transformative journey in Season 1, highlighting his character development. Daemon’s decision to bend the knee and swear loyalty to Rhaenyra was a culmination of various factors, marking a significant shift in his persona. Condal explains how the show aimed to humble Daemon, making him more evolved and formidable, with a singular focus on putting Rhaenyra on the throne.

“I think it’s the kind of real thing that Daemon needed to be able to hang his hat on. And I think, you know, Daemon’s decision to bend the knee, swear again to Rhaenyra, reaffirm his loyalty to her, one event doesn’t lead to that. It’s a confluence of factors.

It’s a whole complicated equation that he experienced over the course of the season that led him to that point, and we were really interested in humbling Daemon, for lack of a better word, over the course of the season, to bring him to a place where he’s more evolved, and in many ways, at least to his enemies, more dangerous. Because now we have a very focused Daemon with a singular goal, which is put Rhaenyra on that throne.”

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