House of the Dragon showrunner says Daemon is “heroic” at times, but is also the “basest of villains”

Daemon Targaryen is arguably the most morally dubious character in all of Fire & Blood, a book that George R. R. Martin loved to write about because of its nuance and complexity. There’s a reason why he is Martin’s favorite Targaryen. House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal understands that quite well, as evident from what he said about the character.

House of the Dragon Season 1 was like setting chess pieces on a board

In an interview with IndieWire, showrunner Ryan Condal explained, “It definitely felt like that was the right place to begin the series and then take our time over 10 episodes and set up all of these characters as the chess pieces on the board.”

“The expectation going into the show is that it is going to deliver big escapist fantasy. George’s books take you along in this engrossing romantic tale, but it turns all of the Arthurian or ‘Lord of the Rings’ tropes on their head. The general rule is if we’re going to throw these people into the war and start killing them, we better care about them before.”

Daemon is a heroic… villain?

Condal also went on to describe Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen, “It’s a tragic romance between two people who really love each other and then cannot help but hurt each other. Daemon is heroic at moments. He is the basest of villains and he loves his family. He also tries to destroy them at times. He’s a devoted husband, except when he’s not.”

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