The first season of HBO’s Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon has come to its dramatic conclusion and Prince Daemon might have nothing left to lose. 

The prequel takes us back 200 years before Daenarys vowed to “break the wheel” and shows the Targaryen family at the height of their power. Now allegedly ruling over Westeros is King Aegon with his mother Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and her father Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). On the other side of the water lies the true heir Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and her husband/uncle Prince Daemon (Matt Smith). 

In an episode that is set to dominate conversations for the next month, there was one subtle moment that could change the show entirely. 

Over the course of the hit series, viewers have been forced to watch the slow decline of King Viserys as he decayed and rotted away from an unknown disease. 

Love Film & TV?

Get the latest Film & TV news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

Some suggested that he was being poisoned by his peers, while others theories claimed it was the Iron Throne itself that was slowly poisoning him. 

In episode eight, Viserys had become a husk of a human being. He was missing an arm, an eye and most of his skin had deteriorated. By the end, it was too much and he died, leaving Westeros to go to war over his crown. 

But now, eagle eyed viewers are suggesting that his brother Prince Daemon, has inherited this same disease. 

In the final episode ‘The Black Queen,’ Daemon can be seen with a large red mark on his neck. A mark that is far too large and obvious to be unimportant. 

However, we never see what causes the mark nor does anybody ever mention it. 

This has led fans to believe that this is the beginning of the disease that killed the King. 

Though we won’t spoil the book Fire and Blood, this potentially means a significant alteration from the source material. 

This has fans of George R. R. Martin’s original book nervous, as the last time HBO subverted the expectations of viewers it was met with a… Mixed response.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine