Warning: This article contains potential spoilers for House of the Dragon
It’s no secret that changes are necessary whenever something gets adapted for the big screen. The same can obviously be said for House of the Dragon, as George R.R. Martin has addressed the absence of a key Targaryen family member. It turns out, not everyone from the books was included in the show.
In a recent entry on his blog, Martin spoke about the multiple time skips that occurred in the show. While the author praised how they were executed, he did wish season one could explore the relationships of various characters that were only briefly mentioned in the show.
But one massive change Martin addressed in his blog is the absence of Daeron Targaryen. In the books, he is the youngest son of King Viserys and Alicent Hightower. Martin admitted that season one didn’t have enough room to work on this character, hence why he is yet to appear.
“Very briefly, however, I think Ryan has handled the “jumps” very well, and I love love love both the younger Alicent and Rhaenyra and the adult versions, and the actresses who play them. (Truth be told, we have an incredible cast, and I love all of them).
“Do I wish we’d had more time to explore the relationship between Rhaenyra and Ser Harwin, the marriage of Daemon and Laena and their time in Pentos, the birth of various and sundry children (and 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), and everything else we had to skip? Sure.”
However, all hope isn’t lost as it was hinted that Daeron might appear in season two of House of the Dragon. Martin shared some details about the ‘Dance of the Dragon’ timeline would be treated for the screen. Knowing the books, season two might be the time Daeron makes an appearance, as, according to Martin, he was in Oldtown during Prince Aegon’s coronation. After all, he was the biggest threat when Princess Rhaenyra ascended to the Iron Throne.
Only time will tell if this character would play a role in King’s Landing’s future.
House of the Dragon is available to stream on HBO Max.