I'm Team Black & Daemon Targaryen Is Just as Pathetic as Criston Cole, Fight Me

Why do most House of the Dragon fans support the Blacks? Because this party is made up of straightforward and expressive characters who prefer actions to words, and who value loyalty and justice. But this is not the way to describe all members of the Black Party. More specifically, one particular one – Daemon Targaryen.

Daemon Would Lose to Any GoT Villain

Both in George Martin 's original book Fire & Blood and in the series, Daemon is presented as a trickster, a man who can be loved and hated at the same time, a man in whom there is both darkness and light. But what if I told you that when you analyze everything Daemon has done a little deeper, he turns out to be not-the-most-brilliant villain who does not deserve all the admiration?

Remember Littlefinger from Game of Thrones – he was far from a positive character, weaving his own web of intrigue, and although he always looked out for his own benefit, he earned respect for his sharp mind and ability to think through his next moves.

And what about Daemon? His methods are extremely straightforward – he is chopping off heads and other body parts of those he doesn't like left and right, regardless of the consequences, which was especially demonstrated in the episode Blood and Cheese.

Daemon Isn’t Willing to Answer for His Actions

For a person who has been in the highest echelons of politics for so long, it was strange not to foresee how the Greens would use the murder of Helaena's son. And when Rhaenyra confronted the Rogue Prince directly, he did not defend his position – but said that cutting off a baby's head... was a mistake.

Wait, so the most "formidable" character in the show just backs down and mumbles something about not being responsible for a mistake? By the way, Aemond’s mishandling of Vhagar and killing Lucerys and his dragon was just as much a mistake, then…

And that's what makes Daemon similar to HotD's most hated character, Criston Cole. Fans hate him so much that they bombard actor Fabien Frankel's social media (don't do that), forcing him to shut down the comments.

Cole also acts without thinking of the consequences – mostly driven by a blind hatred for Rhaenyra, who refused to trade the Iron Throne for, well, selling oranges. (And we'll never forgive him for the death of the Cargyll twins.)

And let's not forget that Daemon simply stoned his first wife, Rhea Royce, to death instead of killing her in a more humane manner. So Daemon 1) married a woman he couldn't stand for political/dynastic reasons (the main reason for marriages in Westeros), 2) hated her for being a "bronze b*tch" and killed her on a whim, losing the benefits of a marriage of convenience in the process. Very smart for a potential contender for the throne.

Daemon is Neither the Ultimate Good Guy Nor the Epic Villain

What did Daemon do in response to his brother's change of succession? Nothing. He took offense and left the capital, leaving behind the only position that gave him any power. That doesn't sound like the behavior of a good guy (nor his behavior before that), nor does it sound like the behavior of an epic villain.

An epic villain would have used the moment to stage a coup; there was even a formal basis for it, since Viserys broke the law passed by his grandfather with the support of the majority of the lords. And Viserys didn't even have his own dragon at the time, while Daemon had the mighty dragon Caraxes.

So don't be fooled by the charisma of Matt Smith, who undoubtedly did a brilliant job. Early in the first season, the members of the Small Council refer to Daemon as nothing more than a demon who brings chaos and destruction, and so far that remains the most accurate description of him.