‘House of the Dragon’ Introduces ANOTHER Targaryen: Who the Heck is Alicent’s Son Daeron?

If you were watching House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 2 closely, you might have been taken aback by Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) revealing he has a fourth Targaryen grandchild on the HBO show. At long last, House of the Dragon has confirmed that, just like in the books, Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Viserys (Paddy Considine) had a fourth kid named Daeron. It’s a huge moment for hardcore George R.R. Martin fans, but it must feel like the weirdest retcon ever pulled on Game of Thrones fans.

So who the heck is Daeron Targaryen??? And why are we just hearing about him now???

**Spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 2, now streaming on Max**

Maybe you missed it, but towards the end of House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 2, Otto Hightower visits his daughter in private. He’s been ignobly fired from his position of Hand to the King by grandson Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and replaced by Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). While complaining about the situation, Otto reveals he can’t stick around Kings Landing. He also reveals Alicent has another son whom we’ve never met or even heard about before:

“I’ll return to Oldtown. The Hightowers still have strength and you have a son there who will take more kindly to instruction,” Ser Otto Hightower says. “Daeron may yet help us in weeks to come.” 

Alicent poo-poos this plan and instead advised her father to go to Highgarden, where the Tyrells are getting heat from bannermen committed to Rhaenyra’s cause. And that’s that! Or is it?

Who is Daeron? And why is it a huge deal that House of the Dragon is finally teasing his arrival? Here’s everything you need to know about Daeron Targaryen, known as “Daeron the Daring,” his dragon Tessarion, and what role he might play on House of the Dragon…

Who is Daeron? All About Alicent’s Mystery Son on House of the Dragon:

So you’ve finally figured out the difference between Aegon and Aemond, and now House of the Dragon drops a Daeron on you??? Who the heck is Daeron?!?

In the books, Daeron Targaryen is the youngest child of Viserys Targaryen and Alicent Hightower. In Fire & Blood, we’re told that Daeron was born around the same time as his nephew, Jacaerys, aka Jace (Harry Collett). While Viserys insisted the boys be reared together and share a wet nurse, it did nothing to solve the acrimony already brewing between the Greens and the Blacks. We’re also told in Fire & Blood that Daeron has traditional Targaryen coloring and a “lovely blue she-dragon named Tessarion.”

So why wasn’t Daeron in House of the Dragon Season 1? The textual reason is that as a youth, Daeron wasn’t in Kings Landing. He was sent to Oldtown to be Lord Ormund Hightower’s ward and squire. The practical reason? Well, HBO was already juggling a lot of characters in Season 1.

In a 2022 post on his “Not a Blog,” George R.R. Martin insisted that the show hadn’t forgotten Daeron or cut him completely. He wrote, “YES, Alicent gave Viserys four children, three sons and a daughter, their youngest son Daeron is down in Oldtown, we just did not have the time to work him in this season.”

The one inkling the HBO show gave fans that Daeron hadn’t been totally cut in Season 1 came in the bloodline-themed opening credits, where you could see a fourth line emerging from Viserys and Alicent, represented by an icon of Oldtown.

So Ser Otto’s commentary in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 2 proves that Martin was correct. Alicent did have four children and they simply didn’t have time to address Daeron in the first season of the show.

Why is this important? Well, because Daeron has a key role to play for the Greens in the war. He is known as “Ser Daeron the Daring” because of his willingness to use his dragon to come to the Greens’ aid in key strategic moments. He also has a rather more heroic reputation than his brothers. He demurs whenever he’s praised for his work in battles, at one point saying it was all Tessarion. Ser Otto’s suggestion that Daeron “will take more kindly to instruction” fits this character profile.

So who will play Daeron? As of yet, HBO has not announced casting for the role. Given the trajectory of the first four episodes of House of the Dragon Season 2 that Decider screened for review, there may not be time to introduce the character this season. If Daeron shows up at all in House of the Dragon Season 2, it will be towards the end of the season. It’s more likely, though, that Daeron will show up in House of the Dragon Season 3.