House of the Dragon fans want to know what will happen to Daeron Targaryen in the HBO show, specifically regarding what role he plays in the Dance of the Dragons and how he eventually dies in the source material. House of the Dragon Season 3 reached its midway point with the release of Episode 4, "Tumbleton." The show is still dealing with the fallout from the Battle of the Gullet and the Fall of King's Landing, but as it has proved in past installments, the characters can't rest for long, as there are new conflicts popping up every day.
House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 4 introduced Daeron Targaryen properly for the first time. In the last episode, a white-haired character named Daeron Targaryen was shown by Ormund Hightower, but it later turned out he was a decoy, and the real Daeron was still with Ormund. Episode 4 featured Daeron by Ormund's side in the city of Tumbleton. Tumbleton has always been known as a peaceful town with little means of fighting, but its citizens are loyal to Rhaenyra and the Blacks.
After Ormund Hightower took over Tumbleton and essentially used it as a place for the Hightower army to stay safe, Daeron Targaryen finally got some major screentime so viewers could get to know him. Essentially, the most important aspects of Daeron's character are that he is the son of Viserys Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, meaning that he has an extremely strong claim to the Iron Throne and could be Rhaenyra's biggest enemy.
This rivalry between Daeron and Rhaenyra was teased at the end of Episode 4. After seeming like a mostly peaceful boy throughout the episode, Ormund convinced Daeron that he should be the true ruler and urged him to show kingly strength and justice by killing a Tumbleton citizen who accused one of the Hightowers of trying to rape a female commoner (who just so happened to be the wife of Hugh Hammer, a Dragonrider loyal to Rhaenyra).
Daeron finally gave in at the end and killed the man, implying that he was going to become a problem for the Blacks and could rise up against Rhaenyra publicly. If that were to happen, he would receive a lot of support from Green loyalists and would be the most likely path for the Hightowers to get back into power in King's Landing.
House of the Dragon is only going to last for four seasons, so one way to look at it is that if Season 4 only includes eight episodes (as it likely will, following the trend of Seasons 2 and 3), there are only 12 episodes left in the series. Essentially, this means that Daeron has been introduced late in the series, especially since he is being primed to become a major antagonist.
However, if House of the Dragon faithfully adapts George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood (which it has largely failed to do so far, as evident by Sheepstealer and Rhaena's story), the show could be faking everyone out regarding Daeron.
Daeron's Death Will Come Rather Soon Based on Fire & Blood
Although Daeron was just introduced in the most recent episode of House of the Dragon, if the show follows Martin's source material, he will not be around for more than a few episodes. In the Fire & Blood timeline, Daeron plays an important role in the First Battle of Tumbleton. This battle is what House of the Dragon Season 3 is building toward and will likely happen in either the next episode or in Episode 6.
In the book, Daeron Targaryen is killed at the Second Battle of Tumbleton. This doesn't take place too long after the First Battle of Tumbleton, but if the show is going to follow the book's timeline, a few things still have to happen between the first and second Tumbleton battles, and most of them don't involve Daeron.
The order of major events from Fire & Blood is as follows: Butcher's Ball, the First Battle of Tumbleton, the Fall of Dragonstone (which doesn't seem like it is remotely happening anytime soon), the Battle Above the Gods Eye, the Storming of the Dragonpit, and then the Second Battle of Tumbleton.
In Season 3 of House of the Dragon, fans are going to see Butcher's Ball (as it was already teased in the rest of the season trailer), the First Battle of Tumbleton, and likely the Battle Above the God's Eye. The Fall of Dragonstone could happen sometime within there as well, but it's not a major battle of conflict, so it can happen whenever.
The Battle Above the Gods Eye would be a great season finale event, as it will shake up the entirety of the series. Similarly, the Storming of the Dragonpit would be an incredible event to open the final season on. If all those happen in the order they do in the book, then the Second Battle of Tumbleton will most likely occur sometime early in Season 4, possibly around Episode 2 or 3.
If that is the case, it would mean Daeron would be around for close to a full season, which would be enough time for fans to get to know him and become emotionally attached to him, one way or another, before he is killed off. However, Daeron isn't even included in many of those major events, so he may not have much screentime between now and his death if the show follows the source material.
How Does Daeron Targaryen Die at Tumbleton?
In Fire & Blood, Daeron Targaryen dies during the Second Battle of Tumbleton. Despite the character having a strong claim to the Iron Throne and being presented as a major character and antagonist, his death is rather underwhelming. While it happens during the battle, it is not as though he goes out in a blaze of glory or on top of his dragon.
It is important to remember that Fire & Blood draws on different sources to recount the events of the Dance of the Dragons. Therefore, the sources have different versions of what happened during the Second Tumbleton, so no one knows for sure how Daeron will actually die.
For example, one claim is that Daeron stumbled out of his tent after Addam Velaryon began burning the town on Seasmoke. As soon as he came out of his tent, Daeron was struck down by Black Trombo with a morningstar. Another account states that Daeron was killed by a man-at-arms with a sword, and that the man didn't know who he was killing. Another claim, which is backed by multiple sources, says that Daeron's tent was burned by Seasmoke and fell on top of him, resulting in his death.
It is unclear which of these scenarios House of the Dragon will adapt, if any of them. It is possible, in an attempt to make Daeron's death more glorious, that HBO could have him participate in the battle on his dragon and be killed in that way.
Fans will have to wait and see exactly how Daeron dies in the show, but House of the Dragon will most likely at least remain faithful to when Daeron is killed, which is the Second Battle of Tumbleton. As mentioned, if the order of events remains the same, this battle will most likely occur early on in Season 4.
LATEST NEWS
