Matt Smith talks about Daemon Targaryen’s mindset as he returns in House of the Dragon Season 3. In a new interview with ScreenRant, Smith explained how Daemon’s traumatic and mystical experiences at Harrenhal, particularly his visions with Alys Rivers, have fundamentally changed the Rogue Prince.
Quick read:
- Matt Smith acknowledges Daemon’s time at Harrenhal completely changed him
- Now he is more Loyal than ever
- He says he misses his wife Rhaenyra and just wants to serve her
A changed man
According to Smith, Daemon returns from Harrenhal in a completely altered state:
“Yeah, I think basically he comes back from his time at Harrenhal with Alys discombobulated, if that makes sense. His atoms are beating at a slightly different frequency, and it’s like he’s touched the divine. It’s like he’s touched this sort of dragon, even beyond Caraxes, there’s this ethereal thing that’s born into his soul…”
This divine encounter has given Daemon something he’s rarely shown before: clarity and purpose.
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“And suddenly there’s a religious vigor in him and a clarity of thought where, suddenly, his purpose has become completely aligned.”
A still from Season 3 (Credits: HBO)
“He misses his wife”
The most touching part of Smith’s comments is how Daemon’s new sense of purpose centers on Rhaenyra:
“And I think, quite simply, he misses his wife, and he wants to be about her, and he wants to serve.”
This marks a significant evolution for Daemon. After spending much of Season 2 in a spiral of visions, grief, and rebellion at Harrenhal, he appears to return to Team Black with renewed loyalty and a deeper, almost spiritual devotion to Rhaenyra and their shared cause.
Daemyra in Season 3
Matt Smith’s description suggests Season 3 will explore a more united and intense version of the Daemyra relationship. Rather than the tension and separation seen in Season 2, their reunion could be fueled by Daemon’s newfound “religious vigor,” treating Rhaenyra not just as his wife and queen, but as someone he now sees with almost prophetic importance.
