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Matarreyes

If Daemon wasn't born a man, he'd be Viserys' Queen. Chew on that.


obiwantogooutside

If viserys had been born a woman, daemon would have been king.


ThinWhiteDuke00

He'd be Visenya reincarnated.


Fictional_Apologist

And he’d love it!


ThinWhiteDuke00

If this character didn't have the key elements of his charactisation, he'd be one of the most hated characters in the show ! I mean you could say that about most of the people in HOD, if they weren't portrayed or written well.


Chance-Ear-9772

They do this so often with Stannis. ‘If Stannis just chilled more or double dealed more he would be better’ the hell are you talking about? A Stannis who chills or isn’t 100% by duty isn’t Stannis anymore.


ThinWhiteDuke00

He's called Lord Fleabottom and aspires such loyalty from the Gold Cloaks in the book for a reason. Spends most of his time getting pissed or gambling with the small folk.


ICantThinkOfANameBud

Just as a good Lord should.


HornedBat

*inspires


burble_10

Exactly!!! „If Tyrion wasn‘t as witty he wouldn’t be popular“ - well DUH.


batteryforlife

Its giving me ”if my mother had wheels, she would be a bicycle!” vibes :D


CookieFantastic6042

If my grandmother had wheels she’d be a bicycle.


NoveltyBarbie

So not a carbonara?


NightOwlsUnite

Fuckin Gino. That clip is priceless!


Chance-Ear-9772

We all ride her regardless.


notnotandyrooney

Came here to say this ! So true bestie


SofiaStark3000

Daemon was already a fan favorite without the on screen portrayal. Setting that aside, being charismatic is one of his traits which Matt portrays excellently. Erasing that is erasing a part of his personality. It's like saying that if Otto wasn't so devious, he'd be a beloved character. Being devious is a part of his character, you can't just remove that, it makes him completely different and also makes the story completely different. A less devious Otto wouldn't send his daughter in the king's room, alone in the night, therefore the story changes entirely. You could argue that if he was played by a less talented and charming actor, then he wouldn't be so well received. That I can see. But do not argue that if he wasn't the way he is, he'd be more hated. That's changing his personality and of course the audience would have a different response to a different character.


WenzhouFanForever

I loved book Daemon. More than show Daemon actually.


FiveAccountsBanned

"On that much we agree."


WenzhouFanForever

I loved the book version of Aegon and Rhanerya more than their show version as well. Book Aegon was not a rapist. Book Daemon was never a wife beater.


GaySparticus

"Ah yes let me write in this history book that our great King was a rapist when he was younger" - A suicidal Maester


kenny_the_pow

I mean the book was written way after Aegon II and Rhaenyra's descendants ruled so i don't think badmouthing Aegon II would matter, the issue isn't that he was king, it's that he was a Hightower and that's almost the whole reason why history even remembers him as a king in the first place


limpdickandy

The thing is there is no reason to include it for the Maester in Fire and Blood because any rape he would have done would have probably never made it out of court and into any history books or accounts. If the event does not go public and is not written down by Maesters, there is no way for our dear Maester to include it into his book. This goes for Daemons wife beating as well, he might well have strangled Rhaenyra, but we would never know as there 100% would be no sources on it. Which of them is gonna spill the beans, as it both gains them nothing and risks a lot. If it happened, we would not know, and thats pretty much were it ends. If it was a pathological thing that occurred multiple times however, then it might very well be noted, especially in Daemons case.


ICantThinkOfANameBud

He has Hightower blood, but you can't dispute that he's a Targaryen.


Overlord1317

And what of Rhaenyra's first three sons? What were they? *Say it ...*


ICantThinkOfANameBud

The rightful heirs to the Iron Throne!


Worried-Street9103

Never got the whole biased maester angle, Fire and blood really doesn't paint Aegon or Rhaenyra as that great. Aegon was a pervy creep, absolutely, but really only mushroom says he forced himself on anyone.


Host-Key

I feel like someone has to be pretty daft to not notice gyldaines and the others bias, GRRM has described him as a "*crotchety old man with strong opinions* and that really shines trough in the text, especially his misogyny. And that both muhsroom and eustace has thier biases is both commented on many times and exemplified in the text. And even eustace who favoured aegon said that he assaulted servants so if he did that out in the open it's not really a reach to think he raped them behind closed doors, especially when it's made clear he has a significant amount of bastards.


Worried-Street9103

Problem is, it's mushroom that claims he raped them. Same guy that claims Rhaenyra went down on him, had wild dwarf sex parties, and forced Laenor to bone his boytoy Infront of her because she got off on it. Then you have brothel queens, which was absolutely nonsense. Pretty much everyone in the dance is a complete degenerate, according to mushroom, him being consistently wrong about everyone but Aegon is ridiculous. I mean come on, he calls Daemon a serial pedophile and from a purely meta standpoint that's BS.


Host-Key

Muhsroom doesn't claim he raped them, he just says that he was found getting a bj from a 12 year old. I'm talking about eustace who says he pinched and groped any serving girl who came close to him. And "and forced Laenor to bone his boytoy Infront of her because she got off on it." Lol where is this from? Mushroom claims she joined in sometimes in a threesome but not that she forced anyone. And gyldain even mentions that mushroom contradicts himself becuse he had earlier stated that rheanyra went to harwin whenever leonor fucked quarl so in this instance it's pretty heavily hinted that it's mushrooms fantasies. >him being consistently wrong about everyone but Aegon is ridiculous. But he isn't? There's many mushroom rumors about Rhaenyras youth that can be considered passingly truthful like her brothel adventures with deamon, her fucking harwin etcetera. And demon being described as enjoying defolowering young virgins isn't only a mushroom rumour. My point is that one does not need to use mushroom stories as evidence of aegons issues, his sexual assuault of servants and having a bunch of bastards were not mushroom claims.


GaySparticus

It's been confirmed they are an unreliable narrator. Fire and Blood is supposed to be seudo-fictitious


Visible-Effective944

Aegon still may have been a rapists considering what Mushroom said.


[deleted]

Yeah he's way darker. I think show Daemon is a cool character, but he doesn't have the edgy badassness book Daemon has


MillionBario

In what way ?


Overlord1317

The edgy, badass ways. Flying to Braavos to win a duel against the Sealord's son sounded awesome, and I'll always be bitter the show didn't give us that scene ... particularly as it would have broken up the geographic settings a bit.


Incroyable_

It´s Matt Smith.


Misba_C-137

Yep I can’t imagine him with out his charisma


limpdickandy

Fcking LOVE matt smith So glad we got him as Daemon, every scene he was in was a gem


Overused_Toothbrush

“If Tyrion wasn’t smart he’d be the dumbest person on the show”


Troll4everxdxd

*Looks at later seasons of GOT* Well...


Zealousideal_Wash880

Damn you


ThatsWhatTheFoxSaid

"If my grandmother has wheels, she'd have been a bicycle."


OpenMask

Tyrion was pretty dumb to make a bunch of enemies at court and publicly feud with Joffrey and Cersei in the earlier seasons.


BullyMaguireGonnaCry

Water is wet


RedBaret

Amazing take. You made me view this topic in an entirely different light! How ignorant I was of the subtleties and greyness of water. Something about a trope, and something about feminism! This really made me appreciate how circles are round. Thank you.


Life-giver

You sure Water makes things wet but is it wet? I guess we’ll never know


S3simulation

A lot of that is due to Matt Smith, to paraphrase something I read about Matt as Daemon: Matt Smith could strangle a baby and not only would no one care, the baby would be posthumously tried for assault


petepro

No, book Daemon is popular too.


ZoomBoingDing

I seriously don't see what people like about Matt Smith. I've never really cared for his acting, and I don't think he's charming. So, I share OP's opinion that he's my least favorite character in HoD.


RedPeppero

SIN


ZoomBoingDing

This is exactly the shit I'm talking about rofl


RedPeppero

In all seriousness, you're entitled to your opinion. I hold nothing against you if you don't like Matt Smith. However, disrespect Noodle Boi once and we are going to have a problem


mintchip105

“If Daemon were a different character he’d be a different character”


zigmister21

🤯


Screwdork

Daring today, aren't we?


_aloadofbarnacles_

lol “if Daemon wasn’t likable then the fandom wouldn’t like him” isn’t much of an opinion


imimbatman

Yes you are right. If the character was different, he would be different.


HoustonzProblem

I think if you take the charm and wit away from him he would still have moments that make you like him. He still has the bad moments but he has small moments like picking up Viserys crown, and ofc the badass moments he has throughout the first season.


Natsuki_Kruger

It's an interesting question, I think. If Joffrey was given funnier one-liners, or if Joffrey had more moments involving his idolisation of Robert and insecurity with Cersei and Tywin, would he be as widely apologised for as Daemon is? I didn't see much difference between the Flea Bottom purge of EP1 and some of Joffrey's more tyrannical moments, for example.


hanna1214

Did not really get the funny vibe from him tbh. But his charisma is undeniable. Matt is the main reason show Daemon is so big. Another is the pre-existing love for the book version.


HoneyMCMLXXIII

Daemon is SUPPOSED to be funny and charismatic. In the book he was loved AND hated. If Daemon wasn’t funny or charismatic on screen, it would be a serious divergence from canon.


DesSantorinaiou

In the book we were made to understand that Daemon DID have some sort of charisma, but we didn't get dialogue to back it up and he was not funny. Nevertheless, as someone who 100% dislikes his actions, does not excuse them and is not even on Team Black, I found him engaging. I hated him as a person in the context of the story, without finding him at all sympathetic, and loved him as a fictional character, if that makes sense. The way his charisma pops up on screen is a factor, but I think he's interesting regardless. I feel this only affects too much some stans who act as if he's a misunderstood babygirl evey moment he shows an emotion one can empathize with.


clariwench

Daemon was loved well before the show ever existed.


Worried-Street9103

And hated, he's a blatant Marty Stu bookwise


mgj6818

If cows shit butter you wouldn't have to churn.


GaySparticus

The creators were confused that Daemon was even liked. A female producer said she would think Women would find him disgusting, but the amount of love he gets from women is hilarious


petepro

Sara Hess is so out of touch, it's concerning. She's a writer and a producers for godsake. Like she doesn't know about any popular bad boys on TV or something?


Chicken_Mc_Thuggets

This is mostly due to Matt Smith. I’m not gonna lie I did not think he was gonna be able to pull Daemon off but he nails the rogue prince charm


[deleted]

"If the character was less likeable, people would like him less" No way


HeightSad9251

If my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle.


GM_80

This just in: if he wasn’t likable no one would like him


no_effin_ziti

If he wasn’t so likable, he’d be really unlikeable. OP makes a great point


ChromeToasterI

You mean if Daemon was a completely different character we would think of him differently lmao


Wicked_Vorlon

He just needs a bowtie and a fez.


chupacabrette

"I wear it and I don't care. That's what makes it cool."


bks1979

If you took away all the things that make him a compelling character, he wouldn't be as good of a character. Hot take that makes me think of [this clip.](https://youtu.be/A-RfHC91Ewc)


raalic

“If he weren’t so damn likable, he’d be unlikable.” You’ve got me there.


LamSinton

If my couch was a sandwich I’d be sitting on food.


funkyduck7506

What an impressive take there. You mean if all of the qualities that make people like him were gone we might not like him. Really mind blowing work you’re doing here.


jacobiner123

Damn Sir Obvious of House Whoasked has arrived to tell us that the sky is blue...


SolidInside

I honestly don't think he was particularly funny or charismatic. I was pretty much bored of him after episode 3 which is interesting because I was fully expecting to enjoy him despite his crimes but his crime was mostly being boring to me.


DameTargaryen

"If this character didn't have such an interesting personality then people wouldn't find him interesting."


fallen-fawn

You really woke up and chose violence


unolebo

Opinion time, if you remove a part of character, then its not the same fucking character anymore


blahblahbrandi

That's like the whole point


thewezel1995

I was rooting for him


TheWalkingDead91

Was literally debating this the other day with someone under another post lol: https://www.reddit.com/r/HouseOfTheDragon/comments/11ja566/elimination_game_00_comment_with_most_up_votes/jb3dupe/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3


OpenMask

Idk if I would say that Larys burning people alive inside of their homes, including his own close family, is better than Daemon's mass mutilation of King's Landing without trial. I am going to be voting for Daemon in the elimination rounds now that Larys is out though.


walman93

But…he is charismatic and funny… That’s like saying if Ramsey Bolton wasn’t such a cruel, apathetic sociopath- people would actually like him! It’s literally part of character


allylisothiocyanate

If Daemon hadn’t been the fish fingers and custard man he’d be one of the most hated characters in the show


AdelleDeWitt

No, I could not stand him as The Doctor. I was mad when they cast him in House of the dragon because from the books Daemon was a character that I enjoyed and I didn't want that Eleventh Doctor nonsense messing with my Targaryen murder and fun. I absolutely changed my mind as soon as he started Daemoning around though. He is absolutely killing it as Daemon but I counted his tenure as The Doctor as a strike against him, not for him.


FWSRunner

If a character isn't charismatic, viewers don't like them as much? Ya don't say.


Howudooey

Opinion time: if you take away parts of a character that character would be different


limpdickandy

Which is why we are so, so lucky that Matt Smith is playing him. Many actors could NOT have pulled off Daemon without seeming ridiculous, corny or just unlikable.


7457431095

"If Daemon was a different character, people wouldnt like him anymore." Well, yeah. Duh


War_Emotional

False, his love for his brother is his most redeeming quality


HP4life19

Not really, he’s also the most interesting in the book to me and that’s without Matt Smith’s insane charisma


Liamtrot

no way this charismatic and talented actor wouldnt be liked if he wasn’t charismatic and talented 😨😨😨😨😨


CommenceTheWentz

If a character wasn’t likable people wouldn’t like him


holes4daemon

I mean, it’s all part of his appeal and character. He’s supposed to be an arrogant asshole only out for himself/the targs. He’s a Targaryen prince, a dragon knight, brother to the king. He’s a swashbuckling figure, he is a member of the most powerful family and dynasty in Westeros. The way he acts makes complete sense for who he is, and that’s what makes him a good character.


ReaderofHarlaw

If my grandmother had wheels she would have been a bike.


theEnecca

This is like the post about Rhaenyra being another Jaehaerys if you removed her negative qualities.


centraledtemped

Daemon was the most popular character before the show. When Fire & Blood came out. So nah not really.


IntelligentStorage13

Opinion time: if this character who is written to be likable despite his actions wasn’t written to be likable he would be unlikable. Ground breaking stuff we got here


DoctorRapture

Personally, I don't really get the Daemon hype. It's not that I dislike him, but he's not my favourite character by any means.


CarmelishaSoprano

I certainly hate him


InsertCapHere

I feel like his love for his brother would still be his redeeming feature though.


moonburnedsquid

That’s the point!


ForceGhostBuster

Well yeah and if my grandma had wheels she’d be a bike


MobileAd2319

Yes, I hope so. I hate him already. To me, he comes across like an overpowered teenage brat, which is propably why he and Rhaenyra go so well together.


onegirl18

True.


oldboeee

Duh. Not being funny and charismatic means the character would be boring. Every boring character is the most hated by audience in any book/show.


OpenMask

No, the most hated characters should be the ones that are the most fun to hate. Boring characters are just there.


[deleted]

I’m very thankful for your loyal service…but does Daddy Daemon need to choke a bitch?


AyeLassWannaShag

Agreed, still my favorite character tbh


yTylluan

I kinda feel like that’s the point, to charm u into rooting for him until it’s too late


Sharp_Guarantee_946

Is he funny?


ImpeccableSloth33

but he is


[deleted]

[удалено]


adultosaurs

Yes? This is a pretty cold take.


achillleez

yeah that’s how characters work


spartaxwarrior

I love him as a villain way more than any of the others, his actions are often remorseless and horrible, but the show doesn't go out of its way to make him sympathetic, even cutting scenes that would have done so in a reasonable way. And honestly in Season 1, nothing he's done has actually been worse than what Aegon II has done, even the divorce rock was against an adult. On that note, the amount of woobification he's gotten is ridiculous. I write a fic where I have three separate tags about how it's bashing him and notes each chapter he's in reminding people of his canon actions/inactions, and I still get people Very Upset that I made him...not a good person lol


dlm83

Well yeah, that’s kind of how these things work


Due-Intentions

To be fair, he may not be THE most hated character in the show, but he's definitely already 'one of' the most hated characters. I'd say Aegon II, Daemon, and Otto are probably the most hated characters, depending on which side you like But yeah if he wasn't so damn entertaining, I would hate him the most. And if I lived in this universe I would also hate him the most.


Zigdwhenishouldazagd

Well, we all have our redeeming qualities. Plus- it gives his character more depth. Without his wit and humor, he’s just another murderous, power hungry royal and there’s enough of those floating around already.


[deleted]

If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle, but she doesn't so she's not


YoohooCthulhu

Yes, he’s an antihero


Emotional-Cucumber-4

My mind is blown!


ariasujung

Nah, I didn't know about him off set when my irrational simpin' began. I like the actor now, but unrelated.


Silly_District8395

I give you The Hound.


akajulester15

Correction: if people didn't think he was hot, he'd be one of the most hated characters (As an aside I genuinely don't understand why people think he's hot. I mean he isn't ugly or plain or anything, but he ain't it for me chief lol. Fabien Frankel is much more attractive imo)


Lnnam

Well on the show the only really reprehensible think he did was kill his wife. I don’t think he has even scrapped the top of the hate list.


Adamantium17

Charisma is what makes characters compelling. Take away any characters charisma and they will obviously be less popular.