Are Daemon Targaryen and Daemon Blackfyre the Same Person?

With the debut of the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, a question has been raised in many viewers' minds surrounding one of the lead characters, Daemon Targaryen. Is he the same character as Daemon Blackfyre from Game of Thrones? The short answer is, no, he isn't. Despite sharing the same given name (in fact, one was named after the other), the characters are mostly linked by both being members of House Targaryen.

House of the Dragon, as many fans know, is set nearly 200 years before Game of Thrones begins. And while Daemon Blackfyre was indeed a key player in a later upheaval, the prequel is about a different war within the House.

Daemon Blackfyre was born the illegitimate son of King Aegon IV Targaryen, with his mother also being of royal blood, one Daena Targaryen, the King's cousin. Having royal blood on both sides, Daemon was raised in the Red Keep, and as he grew older, he became an exceptional warrior. On his deathbed, King Aegon legitimized all his illegitimate sons, including Blackfyre. Meanwhile, questions and rumors surrounded the parentage of Aegon's firstborn legitimate heir, Daeron II Targaryen. It was rumored that Aegon was not his true father, instead, Aegon's sister-wife, Naerys, had sired him by their brother, Aemon. Though the rumors had been brushed aside, they did place just enough seeds of doubt to allow Blackfyre to begin to realize he may, in fact, be the head heir to Aegon's throne. This prompted him to lead a rebellion, known as the Blackfyre Rebellion, against his half-brother Daeron. However, the coup was unsuccessful on Blackfyre's end, as he was killed during the Battle of the Redgrass Field.

Meanwhile, in House of the Dragon, Daemon Targaryen is the heir to the throne of Targaryen, a position he relishes fiercely enough to try to undermine any rights of the king's children. This has caused a major divide between him and his brother, the King, throughout this season, leading to him being banished from court.

While the characters are decades apart, the similarities in being jilted heirs lead to an interesting question. Will Daemon Targaryen follow a similar path to Blackfyre and lead a rebellion in order to regain his right to the throne? We here will be eagerly waiting to see what path this Daemon takes as the show progresses.