House of the Dragon Season 3 May Have a Huge Targaryen Twist That Changes the Book

by

Rumors suggest that *House of the Dragon* may continue to diverge from its source material, *Fire & Blood*, with a significant change planned for the Targaryen family’s storyline in Season 3. The *Game of Thrones* prequel hasn’t shied away from making changes to the book over its first 18 episodes, and even author George R.R. Martin commented on some of these decisions after Season 2 (though he later removed his post). It’s natural for a TV adaptation to make adjustments to best suit the screen, so further alterations in the upcoming season wouldn’t be surprising. Please be aware that the following may contain spoilers for *House of the Dragon* Season 3.

A recent post on X by @housethedragons suggests a surprising twist for Daeron Targaryen in Season 3 of the show. It builds on earlier rumors that Daeron – the son of Alicent Hightower and Viserys Targaryen – would be captured or surrender to Daemon Targaryen, with set photos seemingly confirming a scene between them. This already deviates from the book *Fire & Blood*, where this doesn’t happen. However, the newest rumor claims there’s even more to the story: apparently, two actors are playing Daeron. Charlie Gordon portrays a decoy version of Daeron who is given up to Daemon, while Benjamin Evan Ainsworth plays the real Daeron.

Could House Of The Dragon’s Targaryen Twist Actually Work?

This should be treated as just a rumor, as there’s no official confirmation and it might not be true at all. However, it’s intriguing because it’s quite different from the source material. One aspect of it could potentially work, though. Daeron has spent most of his life away from King’s Landing, meaning Daemon or Rhaenyra likely wouldn’t recognize him now that he’s grown up. Therefore, if someone presented a boy as Daeron – of the correct age, with Valyrian features, and able to convincingly play the role of a Targaryen prince – they might very well be accepted.

Deceptive twists and hidden identities have always been part of the world of *A Song of Ice and Fire*. In the books, Sansa Stark’s friend, Jeyne Poole, was tricked into marrying Ramsay Bolton by pretending to be Arya Stark. Similarly, a major mystery in the upcoming book, *The Winds of Winter*, revolves around Young Griff, who claims to be Aegon Targaryen. Many fans believe he’s an imposter, and that could turn out to be true. While these storylines weren’t included in *Game of Thrones*, *House of the Dragon* might be drawing some inspiration from them.

Despite the potential benefits, this change isn’t without problems. Daeron already has a dragon, Tessarion, and it’s unclear how she’d factor into a switched identity scenario – either Team Green would have to hide her, or Team Black would need to eliminate her. More importantly, it begs the question of why make this change at all. Altering the story isn’t necessarily a negative, especially since Daeron has a well-defined storyline with established heroic actions. It appears the showrunners are attempting to give Daemon more screen time, but this could unnecessarily complicate the plot and potentially invite further criticism from fans.

Filming is underway for Season 3 of *House of the Dragon*, and it’s anticipated to premiere on HBO and Max in the summer of 2026.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/house-of-the-dragon-moments-books-season-3-adapt/embed/#

Read More

2025-09-23 19:53