House of the Dragon showrunner says he's most proud of Daemon's story in season 2 as he teases the Targaryen's "haunted past"

House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal has revealed which part of season 2 he's the most proud of – and it's exploring Daemon Targaryen's "haunted past". 

"The story that I’m most particularly proud of this year is Daemon’s story," Condal tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features The Boys season 4 on the cover. 

"It was very hard to break and very challenging to dramatize and film and then edit. But in the end, I think we succeeded and we stuck the landing on it. He’s still very much Daemon. But it further excavates Daemon’s haunted past. I’m excited for the fans to see it. It all comes back to the nature of his relationship to Rhaenyra. Is that as husband and wife? Is it as uncle and niece? Or is it as heir to the throne and also ran? Maybe it can be all three of those things."

Daemon, played by Matt Smith in the Game of Thrones spin-off, is married to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen – who also happens to be his niece. Rhaenyra has been the heir to the Seven Kingdoms since she was 14 years old, but Alicent Hightower, her late father's widow, believes her son Aegon has a better claim to the throne. After a dramatic and emotional climax to season 1, we can expect all-out civil war to kick off in season 2. 

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House of the Dragon season 2 releases on June 16 on HBO and Max in the US, and Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK . The above is just a snippet from our interview, available in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which features The Boys season 4 on the cover and is available from Wednesday, June 12. Check out what you should look out for on newsstands below...

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