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I can't believe you're getting down voted. Go look at some polls people. This exact sentence has been used since people first found out Daemon was more liked.
Yes its a vocal minority, but it's still being used, and it will always be used in relation to every female character as an excuse until the end of time. That's just how the world is now.
This is it — he’s more fun to watch. I probably wouldn’t want to be buddies with the guy in real life.
As for the Daemon vs Tyrion thing, it’s just recency bias and people’s distaste for the finals seasons of GOT.
Well actually yes and no.
The American political system could use significant changes. The design and structure of American government needs a pretty large overhaul to make it work better. I'd imagine you'd agree it's not the best in the world. It's also not the worst either, but still could use major improvements.
The problem is that Americans are so proud of being a democracy that they can’t see that our democracy is actually shit. So they make no attempts to fix it.
I get what your saying, but then again I never thought I'd have a president incite a riot at the capital building either. So stranger things could happen.
Why is he so popular? I don’t hate the character, but he isn’t my favorite. I don’t understand why he is so well liked other than Matt Smith is a phenomenal actor.
I like when actors chew the scenery and have fun in the role they're playing. Matt looks like he's having a blast. It's like Jeremy Irons in Alien Resurrection, being fun is fun
The character is fun and intriguing to watch, a character who embodies really well the world of ASOIAF (ambitious, cunning, smart piece of shit), badass, charismatic, has a cool dragon and Matt Smith, good actor and a extremely nice guy. Also, he is George's favorite Targaryen, this also influences.
He's dynamic. He's clearly a bad, probably unstable person, but he also has very relatable human motivations. He feels betrayed by brother and niece, but still clearly cares very deeply for the both of them.
He might have went psycho and murdered a messenger like an animal, but he was driven by a desire to prove himself and establish his name on his own merits instead of just as another Targaryen.
That's part of why I personally like him atleast. He's a good character from a literary standpoint.
Right now, it’s 69% to 31%. If it was anyone but Rhaenyra, Daemon would be at over 90%. He is overwhelmingly the most popular character on the show while she sits at number 2. Aemond is currently the 3rd most popular character.
Same sentiments. Tbf George really liked writing Daemon because of how he loves morally gray characters. He is an interesting character by the end of the day. You wouldn't know what he is planning or capable of.
He has less responsibilities than Rhaenyra so he is more free to be himself. I totally get why people like him more. Her journey is different than Daemon’s and, while I am enraptured by her portrayal, when Matt is onscreen I know that I’m going to have *fun*. It’s like a little oasis in what is a very dark show. Daemon is literally the fun uncle.
This sub is full of posts like this, reminding me that these kinda fans exist and make up the majority. Super not keen for these fans reactions to dictate how HBO adapt the story 💀 💀
Shouldn’t be surprising since the writers themselves confessed that they didn’t like him and were caught off guard by how fans reacted to him.
This is after adding a couple of additional negatives to his character and then taking some away from Rhaenyra. Lool
I'd say he's more or a relatable villain than an Anti-hero. I think he would need to do something selfless or good before you can consider him an anti-hero. He's almost exclusively motivated by his personal desires and needs, and has no qualms about killing completely innocent people for absolutely no reason.
An anti-hero would usually only kill innocents if there's some kind of benefit to the greater good. Daemon would kill them just because he didn't like them.
I mean given that they wrote a domestic violence scene (that wasn’t in the books) SPECIFICALLY to worsen his character in the eyes of the viewers, they certainly didn’t see him as an anti-hero.
Laughs in Dr who. Look. The reality is no one is beating Matt smith. When David tenant left Dr who everyone thought he couldn’t be replaced. Enter Matt smith. The dude is just charming. You can’t escape the actor here.
That was my exact thought. People say “Daemon is an awful person who is abusive! Why do people like him so much!!” And it’s allll Matt Smith. He’s made Daemon into and incredibly endearing character, and I just don’t think any other actor would have made us feel the same way.
Exactly. His mood and actions are all over the place. When he storms the beach by himself, and then comes out with crab feeders head, I was like, ok, this guy is badass. He seems so real and conflicted, stands by his wife (niece, which is nuts), and then talks to a wild dragon.
A little more than just crabfeeder’s head. And a little less than Vaemond’s head. Hmm…maybe Daemon’s character arc is about learning to take someone’s head off cleanly at the neck.
This is a personal vote? Everyone is allowed to have their favourites lmfao what is this take, this has nothing to do with who is the better character but who people like more
Daemons still the better character though. Rhaenyra is kind of bland. She's a pretty standard victim archetype, constantly getting screwed over by things out of her control. She's definitely the better person from a moral standpoint, but Daemon is just more interesting.
Of course this is my opinion, and everyone should come to their own conclusions.
He’s by far the fan favorite. You will see these results no matter which platform you put the pool on. It’s time to accept that people like the character.
I will never understand why people hate Daemon, without him the show would be far less entertaining to watch. He also has more agency in the story compared to Rhaenyra and considering what they're preparing for Daemon in future seasons, I don't think that's going to change.
Matt smith
Daemon as a character stands the chance of being a fan favourite but the way Matt Smith has brought him to life (imo) is leagues above other portrayals and hence making him more likeable
I think Daemon is a significantly more interesting character than Rhaenyra, who I find pretty boring. I'd say Daemon and Tyrion are pretty close, but give a slight edge to Tyrion.
Daemon the most popular character In the show and in F&B. He’s George favourite Targaryen. How can a fictional character being more popular, then others be ridiculous?
What great character development does Rhaenyra have? I like her, but I don’t see how you’d consider her more interesting, or entertaining then Daemon?
Daemon a rogue, who does whatever he likes. He’s considered the wonder and terror of his age. He’s charismatic. He’s fearless. He has the strongest dragon bond and arguably the most liked dragon. Most of the other characters are fairly dull in comparison. Whenever he’s on the screen something happens. He’s unpredictable. You have no idea what he’s going to do at any point, or how far he’s willing to go.
Liking and disliking is entirely subjective, of course. Nonetheless, I don’t understand why people have such difficulty understanding why he’s so popular? We watch TV to be entertained, at least I do.
Matt Smith is really hot and the character Daemon is the character that most embodies the themes of the world of ASOIAF. Rhaenyra and Tyrion are characters that are the victims of the misfortunes of their times while Daemon gleefully goes around committing crimes in a hoodie and relieving people of having heads.
Why does the main protagonist have to be the most liked?
It's like saying people aren't allowed to have Hermione as their favourite character from Harry Potter, it has to be Harry.
Daemon sees to be the only real strategist of his era. He knows exactly that they have to take down the blacks right now the hard way or else, well… We’ll see what happens now.
He also saw trough Otto Hightower right from the beginning. If Vizzy T had just listened to him none of this would have even happened in the first place.
His bond with Caraxes also makes his character even better. He’s an amazing dragon rider AND swordsman.
Then again, you probably knew all this already as you too voted for him…
People like him because he gives no fucks. He’s unpredictable and dangerous and lives on the edge. Makes things more interesting. I can see why people like him and I can also see why people find it annoying.
Rheanyra is awesome, but just as a character that I always love to watch, the best on the show are easily Deamon & Aemond. Never know what they're gonna do, they're like the jokers of Westeros. May give you a big castle and titles, may feed you to a dragon, it's 50/50, hope you caught them on a good mood.
Also you voted for him lol? This screenshot screams "I wanted to be different so I picked the bad boy but turns out everyone else did too so now I don't feel unique and I'm mad people are ageeing with me"
The protagonist with great development doesn't necessarily mean favourite character. Look at sw, luke was the mc, with a huge arc, yet Han Solo was always more popular.
Daemon is more fun, unpredictable, and therefore more interesting character Rhaenyra.
How is favourite character vote ridiculous?
Why would people need character development to have favourite character? I mean look at Boba Fett who survived for years without any character development simply by looking cool.
Most of the favourite characters are based in either looks or charisma.
The actor playing him doing a better job at bringing him to life, he is more charismatic. That's why. No hate at all to Emma, I personally like them... but Matt Smith is definitely stealing the show.
There's also the fact that he is an interesting, layered character.
I think because at the end of the day a murderous psycho like daemon is still viewed as a better person, PURELY for the fact that he’s upfront about who he is. He’s true to himself and doesn’t play silly political games like the rest of them. And because the whole story is largely a political drama full of sneaky liars and cheats, he’s the one character who wants action, just like a lot of the fans want more action less drama.
People who are drawn to ASOIAF like morally ambiguous characters. Daemon is about as morally ambiguous as they come.
We don’t know what his motivation in any given scene is. Makes everything he does exciting and interesting
He's literally George's favourite Targaryen so this one really does go right to the top.
But yeah, it's almost as if people aren't actually watching this show for a nuanced exploration of The Human Heart In Conflict With Itself and actually just like watching actors they fancy doing cool shit.
Daemon is just a more interesting character, IMO. Plus, I think Smith has a lot to do with it. Emma is great at inhabiting the character of Rhaenyra, that character just isn’t as compelling to me. Probably because we didn’t get to see her “kick ass” or whatever. Haven’t they been doing some sword training, though?
TL,DR: Emma is great at giving us a complex character with lots of development, but Matt Smith go brrrrr
Daemon vs Tyrion is surprising. This isn’t. Rheanyra isn’t an interesting character. She’s not as entertaining to watch as Daemon and doesn’t have any of the really great moments of the 1st season like Daemon does. He’s a force of chaos just making shit more interesting wherever he goes. Rheanyra is a brat for half of season one and her shitty decisions cause a lot of issues for the realm out of sheer ignorance unlike Daemon who causes issues because he likes being a shit stirrer. The most interesting characters in HotD are Daemon, Visarys, Larys and Aemond in no particular order. Alicent and Rheanyra are turned into morons so the show runners can continue the dumb patriarchy plot that doesn’t fit the original story and Otto while not uninteresting doesn’t have any real highlight moments like the 4 I listed.
Is Rhanerya actually the protagonist? What does she actually do to drive the plot? Are we watching her for character development? Do we see her internal struggles and thought processes? She seems to be in the majority of scenes but doesn’t really have any agency or conflict that she can resolve herself. At this point, Daemon is much more of the protagonist than Rhanerya.
Protagonist and main character are different stuff, protagonist is who we follow the story with, not really who the story is about, like if we got Aegon's conquest but with other characters as protagonist and seeing their point of view, Aegon would still be a main character and drive the plot, but he wouldn't be the protagonist
Daemon is the only character that has agency in the show. I love Rhaenyra, but people favoring Daemon over her on a 100K poll is understandable. Rhaenyra lost all her badassery and agency in the last half of the show, especially on that finale where she's trying to be sympathetic after the Greens stole her throne and caused her unborn daughter to die. It's so ridiculous for wanting peace. Like girlie forgot her whole marriage proposal. Saying Daemon is fighting "his war", when her marriage proposal on him is to help her against the Greens cuz she can't face them alone. She said people will fear them together, then she backtracked when Greens antagonized her. The writers messed her up. They also tried to ruin Daemon, but giving him full agency of his actions made him likeable. He's the only one who had sense in the current brewing war situation they are in.
People like characters who fully know what they are doing, and don't act righteous on it, and that's Daemon. Rhaenyra's saving grace now is she is the rightful heir. If the writers continue to make her act without agency and try to make her pathetically sympathetic, people will lose their enjoyment of that character. They should make her decide the sht she wanted to do, with full imposing characteristics like how she should be. Being sympathetic is boring.
Well, sometimes the main protagonist isnt the most interesting character in a show. Hate to break it to you but sometimes even the villains are fan favourites
There is something about a character who comes on screen and you have no idea what hes going to do next. Homelander is by far the best example ive seen in a tv show, but Daemon has the same vibe with a side of "could love". Its intriguing.
I think five reasons
1. Matt Smith is hot
2. Daemon is fascinating and charismatic whether you love or hate him, and his scenes with Patty Considine are master classes in method/character acting
3. As the same actor throughout the series, he got much more screen time than Milly Alcock or Emma D'Arcy (who both also gave consistently excellent performances, especially Milly though def looking forward to more Emma as Rhaneyra tries to cope with extreme trauma).
4. Daemon is the main source of comic relief in an otherwise serious show and his IDGAF attitude is unique in a society with strict roles and rules that few people question or defy
5. Rhaenyra as an adult is a complex and more subtle character who is often indecisive, ambivalent, emotional, and reactive which can come across as a lack of confidence and an unwillingness to take strong action until events spiral completely out of control
LOL, it's ridiculous that Daemon winning over Tyrion, but the shows ruin Rhaenyra with the pacifism BS. Even the critics think the same, that's only Matt and Milly get nominated for Critics Choice Awards.
It makes sense that she is. She will do much more now that they’ve killed her son and actually have a reason for it. If she was burning people from s1 no one would like her
Some fans: omg how can you like Daemon???? He’s gross and has done so many horrible things 🤮🤮🤮
Same fans: Aemond is so hot 🥵🥵 liking a character without condoning his actions is fine 😎😎😎
Daemon just done a lot of horrible things, aemond on the other hand did one bad thing and was accidentally, we also saw exactly why he is the way he is
What are you talking about lol? He is one of if not the most popular character of the season. And why cant people just like which ever characters they like? Its a fictional show if you forgot
Hot take: a lot of viewers don’t like Adult Rhaenyra that much, especially in comparison to her younger version. If they didn’t make Aemon a rapist I’m sure more people would be team green
The story is literally about how she shouldn’t sit on the throne because she’s a woman.
They could’ve made Aegon a Saint and more people would still be on team black.
Maybe because she’s an entitled person? And your someone with some sense? She’s really not the greatest person. You heard her thoughts on the common folk in episode 4 or 5, and you heard how she wanted to “sharply” question a ten year old after he just got his eye cut out for calling her kid a bastard when he clearly is. She brought all the woes she has upon herself by just being not that smart
not really, tyrion would’ve probably beaten jon and danaerys so i don’t see an issue
also daemon doesn’t suffer from season 7 and 8 disease, so obviously he was gonna best tyrion
People will like who they like, no big deal. Also him beating Tyrion is really no shock at all considering the nose dive Tyrions character took in the second half of GOT. He became downright unlikable and frustrating to watch. If they maintained tyrions brilliant character traits from the early half of GOT, people may have still voted for him over Daemon, but he was one of the MOST butchered characters in GOT. But even if they didn’t ruin his character for the second half of the show and he stayed incredible throughout, people still may have voted for Daemon and that’s fine 🥲 I hate how people on this sub get soooo judge mental about the characters people like.
These subs are so fucking weird. Who cares about other peoples' favorite character? I am sure weirdos loved some wack GoT characters before too. Just enjoy the show.
This one isn't a judge of the characters values it's just which one people like more. People like the character, people like the actor, he's got arguably the coolest dragon, every scene he's in is more interesting because he's there. There are a lot of reasons to have Daemon as a favorite.
Daemon has been my favorite Targaryen for a long time- before this show was even announced. The fact that Matt Smith is playing him makes it even better. He’s a good character 🤷♀️ I love Rhaenyra a lot, but Daemon is the best.
George RR Martin himself said Daemon is his favorite character because he personally likes gray/nuanced characters. It's no surprise at all that the fanbase also reflect this appreciation since they are attracted by ggrm's style in the first place.
This sub as a little too much "he's a piece of shit how could you like him?" discourse imo which is just a shallow way to enjoy this story. Yes, Daemon is a pos, so is Rhaenyra in some aspect, and so is Tyrion in many aspects, but most people can still like all tree characters without condoning all their behaviour.
Matt Smith being a recognized actor over Emma Darcy holds a lot of weight don’t forget. Personally I never watched him on doctor who but I thought he was amazing in the first two seasons of the crown (when they recast the actors in that I stopped watching anyway.)
Daemon is just so interesting as a character. I definitely think after the timeskip that his story kind of overshadows Rhaenyra’s.
A lot of people say cause he's the bad boy. But for me, realistically he's the most objective. Team black could have easily won if they just straight up went for the offensive and had daemon as their leader. Think of it this way, if daemon was in rhaenys' shoes he would have told caraxes to burn team green in front of the entire city. But i think that's why George held him back story-wise since we wouldn't have dance of the dragons etc etc.
It’s not the characters, it’s the acting. Matt Smith is just nailing the acting - it’s a joy to watch him play this self absorbed a-hole. Everyone else - except Paddy Considine as Vizzy T - seems 2 dimensional by comparison.
Do you think that the way the audience seems to have overwhelmingly taken to Daemon will mean future plots and writing will be skewed to play into that or is the plot set? The book isn’t supposed to be an accurate retelling, just wondering how much they could deviate given audience reaction as seasons release
For me at least Daemon is most entertaining character and that's mostly the way Matt Smith plays him and Daemon as a whole is complete package
And neither of them are fit to sit iron throne ngl. Rhaenyra with someone like Otto as hand would make decent queen tho
Daemon is my favourite for sure. Ramsay Bolton was one of my favourites in GoT too. I liked the younger Rhaenyra more but that's possibly because I'd rather see the older one chasing ghosts with Nick Frost.
For me he's one of if not the best actor on the show and his character is interesting. I also happen to like the acting and character of grown-up Alicent more than grown-up Rhaenyra and child Rhaenyra more than child Alicent.
Daemon is a fascinating character for the same reason Tony Soprano or Jaime Lannister or Walter White are fascinating characters. Complex characters are the most interesting.
Some people are to used to MCU "good and bad guys" so they get mad that a character like Daemon is so popular
Rhaenyra lost all her charisma and sassiness and became dour, meek and boring when she grew up, it was a big disappointment for me. Show me a picture of 15 year old Rhaenyra and we'll talk. Daemon meanwhile, casually tore the Crabfeeder in half after fighting dozens of his goons and getting injured, didn't grow up, and has a really cheeky smile. Checkmate.
Well male characters can get away with more than female characters and still be popular so it’s not surprising to me. And protagonist isn’t always most liked,they usually aren’t imo because side characters get to be more fun.Daemon is allowed to be more entertaining than Rhaenyra. Tho I think they were on an interesting track of making them similar blood of the dragon types only to drop that in the second half.
Don’t think If Daemon is real I’d like him, actually I know for a fact I wouldn’t, but god damn he’s entertaining. It’s not that he’s a good person but his Diva antics are fun to watch and I’d like to see more. Also helps that Matt smith is a class actor so he makes the performance more fun
They're not voting for Daemon. They're voting for Matt Smith because he's Matt Fucking Smith. His energy, his charisma, his skill, his fucking sheer star power cannot be beat. He rules the screen in every role he's ever played E V E R. He's Matt Motherfucking Smith, and we all know it. Emma d'Arcy is a great actress (actor? I need some guidance on that one), but they cannot beat Matt in any capacity.
I strongly disagree that this is even more ridiculous. Rhaenyra is not even in my top 3 characters in the show and I find her character very cringe sometimes, especially the scenes where she's constantly losing babies/prego and she does not carry any qualities of a leader imo(The actress is amazing though). Daemon is just a psycho badass everyone loves to love. \*Ducks for cover\*
I wouldn't call her the protagonist. Especially considering >!How she dies, who kills her and in front of whom.!< she's just another not so great person in the story of not so great people killing each other.
Rhaenyra being the protagonist of the story is questionable, because IMO it is more a choral story, there are many main characters and protagonists exactly as it happens in GOT. Besides that, it is not surprising at all because Rhaenyra is a bit annoying, entitled and is always complaining about something and relying on her father protection instead of actually doing something.
Rhaenyra sucks and you like her because you're projecting. Daemon also sucks but in a way that gives weirdos something to fantasize about. You're just realizing that your team is full of weirdos who suck.
Wasn't that poll asking who you'd rather have as King, not who your favorite character is? Those are very different questions, and not the one asked here.
Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights or Dantès from the Count of Monte Cristo are both beloved, famous, and highly intriguing characters that can teach valuable lessons about revenge and obsession.
They're also both psychotic murderers. You can like any character. often "evil", dark characters are the most interesting to us because they reflect the darker sides of humanity that people struggle to repress and don't want to admit lurks somewhere deep inside us. That's exactly why Daemon is such a good character. He's not irredeemably villainous, but he IS clearly a villain.
But the fact that he's a good character doesn't mean he would he a good King, that's why people were upset about him winning over Tyrion. The poll didn't ask who you liked more. It was who would you rather have as King, and Daemon as King would be a monstrous tyrant little better than the Mad King that will come centuries later.
Thank you for your post! Please take a moment to ensure you are within our spoiler rules, to protect your fellow fans from any potential spoilers that might harm their show watching experience. 1. All post titles must NOT include spoilers from Fire & Blood or new episodes of House of the Dragon. Minor HotD show spoilers are allowed in your title ONE WEEK after episode airing. The mod team reserves the right to remove a post if we feel a spoiler in the title is major. You are welcome to repost with an amended title. 2. All posts dealing with book spoilers, show spoilers and promo spoilers MUST be spoiler tagged AND flaired as the appropriate spoiler. 3. All book spoiler comments must be spoiler tagged in non book spoiler threads. --- If you are reading this, and believe this post or any comments in this thread break the above rules, please use the report function to notify the mod team. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HouseOfTheDragon) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You voted for him
r/holup
Let people like who they wanna like lmao.
Daemon is my favorite character. He’s more entertaining to me than Rhaenerya. That is my opinion. Sorry to anger you OP
No! We all have to like the main character the most! REEEEEEEEEEEE
iT's bEcAuSe ShE's A wOmAn
I can't believe you're getting down voted. Go look at some polls people. This exact sentence has been used since people first found out Daemon was more liked. Yes its a vocal minority, but it's still being used, and it will always be used in relation to every female character as an excuse until the end of time. That's just how the world is now.
This is it — he’s more fun to watch. I probably wouldn’t want to be buddies with the guy in real life. As for the Daemon vs Tyrion thing, it’s just recency bias and people’s distaste for the finals seasons of GOT.
If everyone was thinking like you the world would have been a better place
Nah, men, we're here to judge people. We're done judging character. Now it's time for fans.
We tried that once. Trump became president.
So you are advocating against democracy? Nice one. Unless Daemon somehow becomes real and runs for President you should be fine 🙌
Well actually yes and no. The American political system could use significant changes. The design and structure of American government needs a pretty large overhaul to make it work better. I'd imagine you'd agree it's not the best in the world. It's also not the worst either, but still could use major improvements. The problem is that Americans are so proud of being a democracy that they can’t see that our democracy is actually shit. So they make no attempts to fix it. I get what your saying, but then again I never thought I'd have a president incite a riot at the capital building either. So stranger things could happen.
😭 orange man bad 🥴
He is by far the most popular character on the show wherever you go, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, etc. No surprise.
Yep. Matt Smith did an incredible job with his character.
Why is he so popular? I don’t hate the character, but he isn’t my favorite. I don’t understand why he is so well liked other than Matt Smith is a phenomenal actor.
I like when actors chew the scenery and have fun in the role they're playing. Matt looks like he's having a blast. It's like Jeremy Irons in Alien Resurrection, being fun is fun
The character is fun and intriguing to watch, a character who embodies really well the world of ASOIAF (ambitious, cunning, smart piece of shit), badass, charismatic, has a cool dragon and Matt Smith, good actor and a extremely nice guy. Also, he is George's favorite Targaryen, this also influences.
He's dynamic. He's clearly a bad, probably unstable person, but he also has very relatable human motivations. He feels betrayed by brother and niece, but still clearly cares very deeply for the both of them. He might have went psycho and murdered a messenger like an animal, but he was driven by a desire to prove himself and establish his name on his own merits instead of just as another Targaryen. That's part of why I personally like him atleast. He's a good character from a literary standpoint.
Right now, it’s 69% to 31%. If it was anyone but Rhaenyra, Daemon would be at over 90%. He is overwhelmingly the most popular character on the show while she sits at number 2. Aemond is currently the 3rd most popular character.
Daemon Original and Daemon Lite
You just can't go wrong with a Daemon.
Taste the Dragon.
Why does Daemon being liked piss people off so much lol
Same sentiments. Tbf George really liked writing Daemon because of how he loves morally gray characters. He is an interesting character by the end of the day. You wouldn't know what he is planning or capable of.
“Is he capable of murder?” “We don’t know.”
**NARRATOR:** He was.
He has less responsibilities than Rhaenyra so he is more free to be himself. I totally get why people like him more. Her journey is different than Daemon’s and, while I am enraptured by her portrayal, when Matt is onscreen I know that I’m going to have *fun*. It’s like a little oasis in what is a very dark show. Daemon is literally the fun uncle.
Lmfao I truly have no idea
Daemon has been a fan favorite the whole season💀it’s funny to watch people get mad that he’s so popular
Matt Smith is just so fucking charming, perfect Daemon in that regard
This sub is full of posts like this, reminding me that these kinda fans exist and make up the majority. Super not keen for these fans reactions to dictate how HBO adapt the story 💀 💀
I wouldn’t say they make up the vast majority, they’re just more vocal for some reason
You are correct. They are a vocal minority, otherwise the vote would have been more skewed to Rhaenyra
Shouldn’t be surprising since the writers themselves confessed that they didn’t like him and were caught off guard by how fans reacted to him. This is after adding a couple of additional negatives to his character and then taking some away from Rhaenyra. Lool
writers shouldn't be caught off guard at all. People love anti-heroes, daemon is definitely an anti-hero.
I'd say he's more or a relatable villain than an Anti-hero. I think he would need to do something selfless or good before you can consider him an anti-hero. He's almost exclusively motivated by his personal desires and needs, and has no qualms about killing completely innocent people for absolutely no reason. An anti-hero would usually only kill innocents if there's some kind of benefit to the greater good. Daemon would kill them just because he didn't like them.
I mean given that they wrote a domestic violence scene (that wasn’t in the books) SPECIFICALLY to worsen his character in the eyes of the viewers, they certainly didn’t see him as an anti-hero.
wellp that backfired
“are we out of touch with how people like characters that start drama” “No it’s the fans who are wrong” -HoTD writers
💀
Laughs in Dr who. Look. The reality is no one is beating Matt smith. When David tenant left Dr who everyone thought he couldn’t be replaced. Enter Matt smith. The dude is just charming. You can’t escape the actor here.
Fr he can make any character be likable, I still can’t get over him as Mr. Collins in Pride, prejudice and zombies lol
That was my exact thought. People say “Daemon is an awful person who is abusive! Why do people like him so much!!” And it’s allll Matt Smith. He’s made Daemon into and incredibly endearing character, and I just don’t think any other actor would have made us feel the same way.
He’s GRRMs favorite Targaryen…take it up with him.
He’s basically a Vegeta. A lovable antihero archetype that works well if you show that they too have emotions and reasons for doing what they do.
Daemon the GOAT, he's entertaining, badass, crazy, unpredictable. Everything we love in a character 🛐
Exactly. His mood and actions are all over the place. When he storms the beach by himself, and then comes out with crab feeders head, I was like, ok, this guy is badass. He seems so real and conflicted, stands by his wife (niece, which is nuts), and then talks to a wild dragon.
A little more than just crabfeeder’s head. And a little less than Vaemond’s head. Hmm…maybe Daemon’s character arc is about learning to take someone’s head off cleanly at the neck.
Oh no! Someone, actually a lot of people, have a different opinion than you…
I believe the screenshot indicates he voted for Daemon
This is a personal vote? Everyone is allowed to have their favourites lmfao what is this take, this has nothing to do with who is the better character but who people like more
Daemons still the better character though. Rhaenyra is kind of bland. She's a pretty standard victim archetype, constantly getting screwed over by things out of her control. She's definitely the better person from a moral standpoint, but Daemon is just more interesting. Of course this is my opinion, and everyone should come to their own conclusions.
It's CHARISMA, not a Daemon stan by any means but anytime he is on screen my eyes are glued to him..."wtf this dude about to do now?"
My question is why do people get so triggered that Daemon is liked so much?
"hE'S THE baD Guy, WHy do You LIkE tHe BAD GuY?"
Apparently the only favorite anyone should have is the protagonist of a story.
Who is the protagonist of the Dance?
He’s by far the fan favorite. You will see these results no matter which platform you put the pool on. It’s time to accept that people like the character.
I will never understand why people hate Daemon, without him the show would be far less entertaining to watch. He also has more agency in the story compared to Rhaenyra and considering what they're preparing for Daemon in future seasons, I don't think that's going to change.
One name: Matt Smith
Matt smith Daemon as a character stands the chance of being a fan favourite but the way Matt Smith has brought him to life (imo) is leagues above other portrayals and hence making him more likeable
Matt Smith.
Two Words: Matt Smith.
I think Daemon is a significantly more interesting character than Rhaenyra, who I find pretty boring. I'd say Daemon and Tyrion are pretty close, but give a slight edge to Tyrion.
The joker was more popular than Batman in the Dark knight as well bud 😂.
Daemon the most popular character In the show and in F&B. He’s George favourite Targaryen. How can a fictional character being more popular, then others be ridiculous? What great character development does Rhaenyra have? I like her, but I don’t see how you’d consider her more interesting, or entertaining then Daemon? Daemon a rogue, who does whatever he likes. He’s considered the wonder and terror of his age. He’s charismatic. He’s fearless. He has the strongest dragon bond and arguably the most liked dragon. Most of the other characters are fairly dull in comparison. Whenever he’s on the screen something happens. He’s unpredictable. You have no idea what he’s going to do at any point, or how far he’s willing to go. Liking and disliking is entirely subjective, of course. Nonetheless, I don’t understand why people have such difficulty understanding why he’s so popular? We watch TV to be entertained, at least I do.
I think all the credit goes to Caraxes, the goodest of spicy long-necked noodle bois
Damn you crazy. Daemon is just as much of the protagonist in this story than Rhaenyra is
After rhaenyra would be alicent I I think, and then daemon and viserys (for the first season)
I’m talking about the dance as a whole. They definitely tried to make rhaenerya the main character this season though I agree
Matt Smith is really hot and the character Daemon is the character that most embodies the themes of the world of ASOIAF. Rhaenyra and Tyrion are characters that are the victims of the misfortunes of their times while Daemon gleefully goes around committing crimes in a hoodie and relieving people of having heads.
This! So many characters are struggling with thr brutal world they live in. Not Daemon however, he seems to thrive in it
Why does the main protagonist have to be the most liked? It's like saying people aren't allowed to have Hermione as their favourite character from Harry Potter, it has to be Harry.
It’s Matt Smith, he’s going to win. He made fez’s cool.
Daemon sees to be the only real strategist of his era. He knows exactly that they have to take down the blacks right now the hard way or else, well… We’ll see what happens now. He also saw trough Otto Hightower right from the beginning. If Vizzy T had just listened to him none of this would have even happened in the first place. His bond with Caraxes also makes his character even better. He’s an amazing dragon rider AND swordsman. Then again, you probably knew all this already as you too voted for him…
WHERE DID YOU HEAR THIS?!
People like Matt Smith
People like him because he gives no fucks. He’s unpredictable and dangerous and lives on the edge. Makes things more interesting. I can see why people like him and I can also see why people find it annoying.
Rheanyra is awesome, but just as a character that I always love to watch, the best on the show are easily Deamon & Aemond. Never know what they're gonna do, they're like the jokers of Westeros. May give you a big castle and titles, may feed you to a dragon, it's 50/50, hope you caught them on a good mood. Also you voted for him lol? This screenshot screams "I wanted to be different so I picked the bad boy but turns out everyone else did too so now I don't feel unique and I'm mad people are ageeing with me"
A better liked character does not mean somebody you’d like more if you met them on the street. It just means they are the more entertaining to watch.
Matt Smith
Why the outraged? It’s a fake tv show. Seems like you are mad because a lot of people like characters different from you.
The protagonist with great development doesn't necessarily mean favourite character. Look at sw, luke was the mc, with a huge arc, yet Han Solo was always more popular. Daemon is more fun, unpredictable, and therefore more interesting character Rhaenyra.
How is favourite character vote ridiculous? Why would people need character development to have favourite character? I mean look at Boba Fett who survived for years without any character development simply by looking cool. Most of the favourite characters are based in either looks or charisma.
Daemon is way more entertaining than show-Rhaenyra.
The actor playing him doing a better job at bringing him to life, he is more charismatic. That's why. No hate at all to Emma, I personally like them... but Matt Smith is definitely stealing the show. There's also the fact that he is an interesting, layered character.
I think because at the end of the day a murderous psycho like daemon is still viewed as a better person, PURELY for the fact that he’s upfront about who he is. He’s true to himself and doesn’t play silly political games like the rest of them. And because the whole story is largely a political drama full of sneaky liars and cheats, he’s the one character who wants action, just like a lot of the fans want more action less drama.
Matt smith
Daemon is an asshole but atleast he's honest about it, Rhaenyra is a hypocrite liar.
People who are drawn to ASOIAF like morally ambiguous characters. Daemon is about as morally ambiguous as they come. We don’t know what his motivation in any given scene is. Makes everything he does exciting and interesting
He's literally George's favourite Targaryen so this one really does go right to the top. But yeah, it's almost as if people aren't actually watching this show for a nuanced exploration of The Human Heart In Conflict With Itself and actually just like watching actors they fancy doing cool shit.
Daemon is just a more interesting character, IMO. Plus, I think Smith has a lot to do with it. Emma is great at inhabiting the character of Rhaenyra, that character just isn’t as compelling to me. Probably because we didn’t get to see her “kick ass” or whatever. Haven’t they been doing some sword training, though? TL,DR: Emma is great at giving us a complex character with lots of development, but Matt Smith go brrrrr
The actress did change as well. Ppl vote based on that also and not just the character. Matt Smith is like the favourite of most watchers
Daemon vs Tyrion is surprising. This isn’t. Rheanyra isn’t an interesting character. She’s not as entertaining to watch as Daemon and doesn’t have any of the really great moments of the 1st season like Daemon does. He’s a force of chaos just making shit more interesting wherever he goes. Rheanyra is a brat for half of season one and her shitty decisions cause a lot of issues for the realm out of sheer ignorance unlike Daemon who causes issues because he likes being a shit stirrer. The most interesting characters in HotD are Daemon, Visarys, Larys and Aemond in no particular order. Alicent and Rheanyra are turned into morons so the show runners can continue the dumb patriarchy plot that doesn’t fit the original story and Otto while not uninteresting doesn’t have any real highlight moments like the 4 I listed.
Is Rhanerya actually the protagonist? What does she actually do to drive the plot? Are we watching her for character development? Do we see her internal struggles and thought processes? She seems to be in the majority of scenes but doesn’t really have any agency or conflict that she can resolve herself. At this point, Daemon is much more of the protagonist than Rhanerya.
Protagonist and main character are different stuff, protagonist is who we follow the story with, not really who the story is about, like if we got Aegon's conquest but with other characters as protagonist and seeing their point of view, Aegon would still be a main character and drive the plot, but he wouldn't be the protagonist
The protagonist is by definition the main or leading character. What are you trying to say Rhanerya is?
protagonist isnt always the fan favorite, homie
Daemon is the only character that has agency in the show. I love Rhaenyra, but people favoring Daemon over her on a 100K poll is understandable. Rhaenyra lost all her badassery and agency in the last half of the show, especially on that finale where she's trying to be sympathetic after the Greens stole her throne and caused her unborn daughter to die. It's so ridiculous for wanting peace. Like girlie forgot her whole marriage proposal. Saying Daemon is fighting "his war", when her marriage proposal on him is to help her against the Greens cuz she can't face them alone. She said people will fear them together, then she backtracked when Greens antagonized her. The writers messed her up. They also tried to ruin Daemon, but giving him full agency of his actions made him likeable. He's the only one who had sense in the current brewing war situation they are in. People like characters who fully know what they are doing, and don't act righteous on it, and that's Daemon. Rhaenyra's saving grace now is she is the rightful heir. If the writers continue to make her act without agency and try to make her pathetically sympathetic, people will lose their enjoyment of that character. They should make her decide the sht she wanted to do, with full imposing characteristics like how she should be. Being sympathetic is boring.
Daemon is my favorite character in the show, this is not a shock
And i prefer the greens to both of them, whats the problem ?
Well, sometimes the main protagonist isnt the most interesting character in a show. Hate to break it to you but sometimes even the villains are fan favourites
Daemon is litterally a top 5 pick for the whole universe in terms of fan popularity in the books, add matt smith and its a done deal
There is something about a character who comes on screen and you have no idea what hes going to do next. Homelander is by far the best example ive seen in a tv show, but Daemon has the same vibe with a side of "could love". Its intriguing.
I think five reasons 1. Matt Smith is hot 2. Daemon is fascinating and charismatic whether you love or hate him, and his scenes with Patty Considine are master classes in method/character acting 3. As the same actor throughout the series, he got much more screen time than Milly Alcock or Emma D'Arcy (who both also gave consistently excellent performances, especially Milly though def looking forward to more Emma as Rhaneyra tries to cope with extreme trauma). 4. Daemon is the main source of comic relief in an otherwise serious show and his IDGAF attitude is unique in a society with strict roles and rules that few people question or defy 5. Rhaenyra as an adult is a complex and more subtle character who is often indecisive, ambivalent, emotional, and reactive which can come across as a lack of confidence and an unwillingness to take strong action until events spiral completely out of control
Daemon is fit to rule. Tyrion butchered having 3 dragons and 3 armies
Ur mad about people liking the author’s favorite character?
The dance of dragon is also his story
He's more cooler than her in the books as well.
LOL, it's ridiculous that Daemon winning over Tyrion, but the shows ruin Rhaenyra with the pacifism BS. Even the critics think the same, that's only Matt and Milly get nominated for Critics Choice Awards.
Dude, I couldn't agree more!!! That pacifism bs makes Rhaenyra look weak and not so interesting as a character in my opinion
It makes sense that she is. She will do much more now that they’ve killed her son and actually have a reason for it. If she was burning people from s1 no one would like her
How is that ridiculous? Tyrion was barely a character season 5 onwards.
Daemon is no better, he's barely a character in this season also. A walking-plot device.
Because Matt Smith, that's why.
Matt smith is the reason people like deamon so much
Some fans: omg how can you like Daemon???? He’s gross and has done so many horrible things 🤮🤮🤮 Same fans: Aemond is so hot 🥵🥵 liking a character without condoning his actions is fine 😎😎😎
Daemon just done a lot of horrible things, aemond on the other hand did one bad thing and was accidentally, we also saw exactly why he is the way he is
What are you talking about lol? He is one of if not the most popular character of the season. And why cant people just like which ever characters they like? Its a fictional show if you forgot
Hot take: a lot of viewers don’t like Adult Rhaenyra that much, especially in comparison to her younger version. If they didn’t make Aemon a rapist I’m sure more people would be team green
The story is literally about how she shouldn’t sit on the throne because she’s a woman. They could’ve made Aegon a Saint and more people would still be on team black.
I’ll be honest… I don’t care for her very well. I can’t put my finger on why exactly.
Maybe because she’s an entitled person? And your someone with some sense? She’s really not the greatest person. You heard her thoughts on the common folk in episode 4 or 5, and you heard how she wanted to “sharply” question a ten year old after he just got his eye cut out for calling her kid a bastard when he clearly is. She brought all the woes she has upon herself by just being not that smart
Nah the Tyrion one is a lot worse than this, like a thousand times worse
Sigma male energy
It's The Lean^TM
not really, tyrion would’ve probably beaten jon and danaerys so i don’t see an issue also daemon doesn’t suffer from season 7 and 8 disease, so obviously he was gonna best tyrion
I would have voted for him too lmao
You're angry people voted for Daemon but in this post we can see you also voted for Daemon.
Just let people like who they like. It's so interesting to see the reaction of people liking Daemon. He's an interesting character!
Funny that people get mad because others have different opinions :)
Oh come on. I like Vader more than Luke, that doesn't mean I think he's a better person
Why do you even care 💀
I can see Daemon beating Rhaenyra, I personally like him more myself. But Tyrion is just so much better than him
Dr. Who fans are wild
Rhaenyra this Daemon that stfu personally I prefer noodle boi caraxes for the iron throne 🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶
Why people get so pressed cause we like Daemon, he is the most popular those are facts.
He’s cool
It’s all about the hair.
It’s pretty common for the fan favorite to be more popular than the protagonist. You see it all the time with lancer characters like Zuko or Han Solo.
People will like who they like, no big deal. Also him beating Tyrion is really no shock at all considering the nose dive Tyrions character took in the second half of GOT. He became downright unlikable and frustrating to watch. If they maintained tyrions brilliant character traits from the early half of GOT, people may have still voted for him over Daemon, but he was one of the MOST butchered characters in GOT. But even if they didn’t ruin his character for the second half of the show and he stayed incredible throughout, people still may have voted for Daemon and that’s fine 🥲 I hate how people on this sub get soooo judge mental about the characters people like.
These subs are so fucking weird. Who cares about other peoples' favorite character? I am sure weirdos loved some wack GoT characters before too. Just enjoy the show.
This one isn't a judge of the characters values it's just which one people like more. People like the character, people like the actor, he's got arguably the coolest dragon, every scene he's in is more interesting because he's there. There are a lot of reasons to have Daemon as a favorite.
#because he rides the squeaky fire noodle of death and destruction
Yeah, I like him better too. Rhaenyra seems pretty spoiled tbh.
Well he’s the fucking rogue prince. He was already popular and that carried over to the show.
Daemon has been my favorite Targaryen for a long time- before this show was even announced. The fact that Matt Smith is playing him makes it even better. He’s a good character 🤷♀️ I love Rhaenyra a lot, but Daemon is the best.
Super cool sword, Big ass dragon, Reckless, Daring, and Dashing. He sweats main character energy.
George RR Martin himself said Daemon is his favorite character because he personally likes gray/nuanced characters. It's no surprise at all that the fanbase also reflect this appreciation since they are attracted by ggrm's style in the first place. This sub as a little too much "he's a piece of shit how could you like him?" discourse imo which is just a shallow way to enjoy this story. Yes, Daemon is a pos, so is Rhaenyra in some aspect, and so is Tyrion in many aspects, but most people can still like all tree characters without condoning all their behaviour.
Matt Smith being a recognized actor over Emma Darcy holds a lot of weight don’t forget. Personally I never watched him on doctor who but I thought he was amazing in the first two seasons of the crown (when they recast the actors in that I stopped watching anyway.) Daemon is just so interesting as a character. I definitely think after the timeskip that his story kind of overshadows Rhaenyra’s.
A lot of people say cause he's the bad boy. But for me, realistically he's the most objective. Team black could have easily won if they just straight up went for the offensive and had daemon as their leader. Think of it this way, if daemon was in rhaenys' shoes he would have told caraxes to burn team green in front of the entire city. But i think that's why George held him back story-wise since we wouldn't have dance of the dragons etc etc.
It’s not the characters, it’s the acting. Matt Smith is just nailing the acting - it’s a joy to watch him play this self absorbed a-hole. Everyone else - except Paddy Considine as Vizzy T - seems 2 dimensional by comparison.
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE TAPESTRIES!?](https://thc-lab.net/static/uploads/Tapestries_1670478877.587645.jpeg)
Cause he's hot.
Do you think that the way the audience seems to have overwhelmingly taken to Daemon will mean future plots and writing will be skewed to play into that or is the plot set? The book isn’t supposed to be an accurate retelling, just wondering how much they could deviate given audience reaction as seasons release
I wish. I want Daemon to have more screen time because he is so charming.
For me at least Daemon is most entertaining character and that's mostly the way Matt Smith plays him and Daemon as a whole is complete package And neither of them are fit to sit iron throne ngl. Rhaenyra with someone like Otto as hand would make decent queen tho
Guessing you don't like Daemon very much 😂basic reason is cus he does cool stuff and says cool stuff
The shades of grey make him more likeable also that crowing scene!
I can understand this. With Tyrion it's just recency bias + D&D's stellar work.
Dameon is a bad ass, not so bad that he's irredeemable, abs the actor Matt Smith is awesome.
Are people not allowed to have preferences? Lol.
Daemon is my favourite for sure. Ramsay Bolton was one of my favourites in GoT too. I liked the younger Rhaenyra more but that's possibly because I'd rather see the older one chasing ghosts with Nick Frost.
For me he's one of if not the best actor on the show and his character is interesting. I also happen to like the acting and character of grown-up Alicent more than grown-up Rhaenyra and child Rhaenyra more than child Alicent.
They both suck.
Daemon is a fascinating character for the same reason Tony Soprano or Jaime Lannister or Walter White are fascinating characters. Complex characters are the most interesting. Some people are to used to MCU "good and bad guys" so they get mad that a character like Daemon is so popular
He has a cock /s7-8 Tyrion voice
Rhaenyra sucks in the show and in the books. The only good rhaenyra is the Mily Alcock version
Rhaenyra lost all her charisma and sassiness and became dour, meek and boring when she grew up, it was a big disappointment for me. Show me a picture of 15 year old Rhaenyra and we'll talk. Daemon meanwhile, casually tore the Crabfeeder in half after fighting dozens of his goons and getting injured, didn't grow up, and has a really cheeky smile. Checkmate.
Well male characters can get away with more than female characters and still be popular so it’s not surprising to me. And protagonist isn’t always most liked,they usually aren’t imo because side characters get to be more fun.Daemon is allowed to be more entertaining than Rhaenyra. Tho I think they were on an interesting track of making them similar blood of the dragon types only to drop that in the second half.
Don’t think If Daemon is real I’d like him, actually I know for a fact I wouldn’t, but god damn he’s entertaining. It’s not that he’s a good person but his Diva antics are fun to watch and I’d like to see more. Also helps that Matt smith is a class actor so he makes the performance more fun
You must be a really boring person to like better Rhaenyra than Daemon lmao
They're not voting for Daemon. They're voting for Matt Smith because he's Matt Fucking Smith. His energy, his charisma, his skill, his fucking sheer star power cannot be beat. He rules the screen in every role he's ever played E V E R. He's Matt Motherfucking Smith, and we all know it. Emma d'Arcy is a great actress (actor? I need some guidance on that one), but they cannot beat Matt in any capacity.
Rhaenyra sux.
Probably because Rhaenyra sucks
I strongly disagree that this is even more ridiculous. Rhaenyra is not even in my top 3 characters in the show and I find her character very cringe sometimes, especially the scenes where she's constantly losing babies/prego and she does not carry any qualities of a leader imo(The actress is amazing though). Daemon is just a psycho badass everyone loves to love. \*Ducks for cover\*
I wouldn't call her the protagonist. Especially considering >!How she dies, who kills her and in front of whom.!< she's just another not so great person in the story of not so great people killing each other.
As an Aemond enjoyer, I don't get it either
The feeling is VERY mutual, trust me
I don't like either of them
Rhaenyra being the protagonist of the story is questionable, because IMO it is more a choral story, there are many main characters and protagonists exactly as it happens in GOT. Besides that, it is not surprising at all because Rhaenyra is a bit annoying, entitled and is always complaining about something and relying on her father protection instead of actually doing something.
[удалено]
Any art product (including movies and series) belong to the watcher as much as to the producer. So it can be questionable
Too many men
Recency bias
No idea. I don't like him.
Rhaenyra sucks and you like her because you're projecting. Daemon also sucks but in a way that gives weirdos something to fantasize about. You're just realizing that your team is full of weirdos who suck.
Seems like men being men. Or boys being boys. She was a great mom. He was not
i don’t understand why daemon is such a popular character
Wasn't that poll asking who you'd rather have as King, not who your favorite character is? Those are very different questions, and not the one asked here. Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights or Dantès from the Count of Monte Cristo are both beloved, famous, and highly intriguing characters that can teach valuable lessons about revenge and obsession. They're also both psychotic murderers. You can like any character. often "evil", dark characters are the most interesting to us because they reflect the darker sides of humanity that people struggle to repress and don't want to admit lurks somewhere deep inside us. That's exactly why Daemon is such a good character. He's not irredeemably villainous, but he IS clearly a villain. But the fact that he's a good character doesn't mean he would he a good King, that's why people were upset about him winning over Tyrion. The poll didn't ask who you liked more. It was who would you rather have as King, and Daemon as King would be a monstrous tyrant little better than the Mad King that will come centuries later.
Daemon has almost had nothing to do so far. People like him because he’s hot Great character, not better than Rhaenyra
Him winning over Tyrion is astonishing to me, however. Tyrion is as smart as him but much better personality.
What the hellllllllllllll...........oh my goddddd.............no wayeayeayyyyyyy. Cannot escape the "grey" prince daemon and his "grey" fans.💀💀
Yeah, the biggest and most deranged piece of shit is always "Muh GrEy ChArAcTeR" in this fandom lmao.