A Popular Night King Theory Has Me Pissed Off Again Over Cancelled $30 Million Game of Thrones Spinoff

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Fire & Blood, the book on which House of the Dragon is based.

Summary

• The theory that Daemon Targaryen is the Night King has gained traction since the season two finale of House of the Dragon.
• Speculation that Daemon is the Night King demonstrates a desire for more answers about the White Walkers.
• Bloodmoon could have provided these answers, but HBO canceled the spinoff after filming the pilot.

A theory about game of Thrones‘King of the Night and House of the DragonThe fact that Daemon Targaryen is the same person has gained a lot of traction. It’s a fun, if crazy, speculation, as are many of the more compelling theories, but I’m even more annoyed that HBO has abandoned its plans for a Long Night spinoff.

There are various game of Thrones spin-off in development, but the first one was Blood Moonwhich would have taken place in the Age of Heroes and led up to the Long Night. HBO canceled the show in 2019, long before it could actually begin, and then pivoted to a Dance of the Dragons story. However, the franchise never got beyond White Walkers, with even House of the Dragon the season 2 finale references them, and it makes the spin-off that never was that much more frustrating.

Daemon Targaryen is the Night King – Theory Explained

Is he the Night King… Consort?

The theory that Daemon Targaryen is the Night King dates back to the beginning of House of the Dragonthough it has gained more prominence since season 2. Unlike, say, R+L=J (the now-confirmed theory that Jon Snow is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark), there isn’t a lot of evidence, but there’s enough to make it an interesting piece of tinfoil speculation. That includes

• What happens to Daemon’s body after his supposed death is never confirmed.as he is never found again after he crashes into the God’s Eye lake following his fatal fight with Aemond.
• The costumes of Daemon (in season one) and the Night King are quite similar in style and design.
• House Targaryen is tied to the Others through the prophecy of the Song of Ice and Fire.
• Some people believed that the Night King was a Targaryen because he survived the dragon fire in game of Thrones season 8, and Daenerys was fireproof too.
• Daemon has a vision of a White Walker in House of the Dragonseason two finale, and has Targaryen hair.

When it comes to evidence, it’s more like wet cardboard than reinforced concrete, but I think there’s some fun in these more wild theories. I can certainly understand why the idea of ​​the Night King being a Demon has caught on.because it explains mysterious parts of both characters, each of whom is very important to their respective shows. Theorizing about the White Walkers was a key part of interacting with game of Thrones which was lost when Arya Stark killed the Night King, so I understand I’ll try to fill that void as well.

The Night King was invented for
game of Thrones
and it doesn’t exist in George RR Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire
books.

Certainly, the images in Daemon’s vision seem to want to connect the two somehow. It’s more likely that it’s the Targaryens causing their own downfall rather than something as literal as Daemon somehow becoming the Night King, but again, it’s not hard to see why it would add fuel to the fire of the funniest and most outlandish theories. On its own, it’s fine, but it shows flaws in the larger franchise.

Daemon as Night King Theories Make Bloodmoon Cancellation Even Worse

The prequel could have provided so many answers

The theory that Daemon is the Night King tells me two things, besides the fact that people are willing to theorize literally anything:

1. There is not enough information known about the Night King and other Strangers.
2. There is a clear demand for such information and, despite the negative reaction, game of Thrones Despite the way the story was handled in season eight (or perhaps because of how it was handled), it remains a part of the lore that audiences are invested in and want to interact with.

This makes it very frustrating that HBO had the game of Thrones spin-off that could have provided all this and much more in line, in the form of Blood Moon (its working title). Set in the Age of Heroes and then in the works until the Long Night, it could have explained a lot about the creation of the White Walkers, their first defeat, what really happened to them, and their motivations.

The origin of the Night King, and thus the origin of the White Walkers as a whole, has only been touched upon in game of Thrones. Bran Stark’s vision of the man who was transformed into the Night King is an easy way to debunk the Demon theorybecause, well, it’s clearly not him (and as far as we know, that was thousands of years before the Targaryens existed, not counting their arrival in Westeros), but it’s a few seconds of insight into the villains who have been the main threat throughout the entire series.

Given that HBO reportedly spent around $30 million on Blood Moonpilot, then it is easy to assume that it must have been a real disaster. Director SJ Clarkson said that the game of Thrones the spin-off pilot was “Great,” while former WarnerMedia chairman Robert Greenblatt said it wasn’t canceled because it was “horrible” or there was something terribly wrong, but the “depth and richness” of the pilot episode of the original series.

The few images of Blood Moon that were revealed looked impressive, and had a good cast – led by Naomi Watts – and a strong writing pedigree in Jane Goldman (Kick ass, X-Men: First Class). With all that, I’d really like to know what that pilot was like, given how much potential there was in the idea and, clearly, how appealing it would be even now.

The Demon/Night King theory just shows how much more there is to explain about the villains. And yes, it’s a failure of game of Thrones. But this is also where, at the very least, the spin-off could have helped by telling its own story. And maybe the cancellation was the right decision – it’s very difficult to argue without seeing the pilot – but the constant speculation about White Walkers only makes me even more annoyed that we didn’t get the prequel in some form.

*There are also two unknown animated shows and another live-action show in development, according to George R.R. Martin’s comments on game of Thrones spin off.

However, as winter seems to keep coming (even Daemon himself notices this), and multiple game of Thrones spin-offs in the works (both animated and live-action), maybe one day it will happen. Until then, we can enjoy the theory that Daemon is the Night King, even if he isn’t… because of course he is the Three-Eyed Raven!

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  game of Thrones

  Created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, Game of Thrones is a television series based on the book “A Song of Ice of Fire” by George R. R. Martin. It tells the story of the ongoing battle between the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, as they fight for control of the coveted Iron Throne. Friction between the houses leads to a full-scale war. All while an ancient evil awakens in the far north. In the midst of the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night’s Watch, led by Jon Snow of House Stark, is the first to encounter frozen horrors that threaten all the kingdoms of men. The series debuted on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011 and quickly became one of the biggest event series of the “Golden Age” of TV. Winner of 38 Primetime Emmy Awards, Game of Thrones has attracted record-breaking ratings on HBO and has a large, active international fan base.

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  House of the Dragon

  Set approximately 172 years before the events of game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the story of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spin-off series originally starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, before being replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play older versions of the characters. The series also stars Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.

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  game of Thrones

  $69 $85 Save $16

  Game of Thrones is a media franchise created by George R. R. Martin. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire was the basis for the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, which ran for eight seasons. After the incredibly divisive final season of Game of Thrones, the series was followed by the prequel series House of the Dragon, which also received critical acclaim.