In House of the Dragon Season 2, while the Greens and the Blacks have been duking it out, Daemon (Matt Smith) has been holed up in Harrenhal, where he’s been experiencing some truly strange visions. While at Harrenhal, Daemon has been haunted by some important figures from his past, including a young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock), his former wife, Laena (Nanna Blondell), and even his mother Alyssa Targaryen (Emeline Lambert). There is, however, one major figure who still hasn’t made an appearance — King Viserys (Paddy Considine).

Daemon’s older brother and the leader that Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) has been trying and failing spectacularly to live up to, King Viserys was one of the most important characters in House of the Dragon Season 1 and played a major role in Daemon’s life. Daemon’s vision of their mother confirmed that he was always her favorite son, which Viserys previously claimed in Season 1, but being mom’s favorite doesn’t mean much when your older brother sits on the Iron Throne for decades and disregards the natural line of succession to name his daughter heir. With this in mind, it seems likely that Viserys will soon pop up in one of Daemon’s visions before Season 2 comes to an end, as he played a major role in Daemon’s life and represents everything he could’ve been had he simply been born first.

Daemon’s Visions Reflect His Insecurities in ‘House of the Dragon’

Even before he left Dragonstone, Daemon was plagued by insecurities, some surrounding his nephew Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). Unlike Daemon, Aemond has actually had the nerve to have his brother incapacitated so that he could take what he believes to be his rightful place on the throne. There are some obvious parallels between Daemon and Aemond, though their respective older brothers couldn’t be more different. Both believe they are much more suited to the Iron Throne, but are forced to live in the shadow of the firstborn son, leaving them with an unquenchable thirst for power. Based on what we saw in Season 1, Daemon and Viserys never had the best relationship, but in Episode 8, “The Lord of the Tides,” Daemon proves he still cares for his brother, helping him up the stairs to the Iron Throne and placing the crown on his head. It’s hard to imagine Aemond ever doing the same for his brother, and it’s this deep-seated brotherly love between Daemon and Viserys that kept Daemon from becoming the monster Aemond is.

In his dreams/visions, Daemon has thus far only been visited by women from his past, and he’s shown time and again that he sees women as disposable, even the ones he’s married to. A lot of the conflict in House of the Dragon stems from a refusal to update societal norms when it comes to the royal line of succession. It’s not the firstborn child that inherits the throne, but the firstborn son, and the secondborn son only gets a chance at the crown if the firstborn dies. This makes Viserys’ insistence that Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock/Emma D’Arcy) inherit the throne feel even more spiteful in Daemon’s eyes, especially after he finds out that Viserys never told him about the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy from Rhaenyra herself.

As we saw in Rhaenyra’s confrontation with Daemon in Episode 2, Daemon still has pent-up resentment towards his wife. This war is being waged in her name, but he still refuses to bend the knee and acknowledge her as heir to the throne, believing the crown to be rightfully his, not Rhaenyra’s. He runs off to Harrenhal to drum up some allies of his own, but, likely thanks to Alys (Gayle Rankin), his mission is being constatly disrupted by strange visions that don’t do much for his self-confidence. Young Rhaenyra tells him that Viserys always loved her more than him, Laena reminds him that he’s neglected his daughters, and though Alyssa tells Daemon that he was always her favorite, this vision also unearths some of his deepest insecurities.

A Vision of Viserys Could Push Daemon to Act in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2

In Harrenhal, Daemon is running in place, not willing to cooperate with Rhaenyra and her council back at Dragonstone and trying to find allies who will bend the knee to him. This is proving difficult, considering his disregard for the lives of the innocent and his philosophy of ruling through fear, not to mention the strange visions that are clouding his mind. Though his most recent vision of Laena might prompt him to seek out his daughters Baela (Bethany Antonia) and Rheana (Phoebe Campbell), if there’s anyone who can get Daemon truly riled up, it’s Viserys. Seeing him in a vision could be the tipping point that goads him into significant action, twisting the knife by reminding Daemon of his weaknesses and all the power he could’ve had if he’d had the guts to do what Aemond did to Aegon. Despite the love Daemon did have for his brother, as things continue to not go his way, seeing a vision of Viserys, the beloved peacetime king, could set him off and remind him of his inadequacies and how desperately he wants the crown for himself.

Maybe the worst part of the major character deaths in House of the Dragon is that we lose some truly great performers, the most recent being Eve Best. Once the major time jump happened midway through Season 1, we lost Alcock as young Rhaenyra, and though she previously denied rumors that she would be making an appearance in Season 2, it was a pleasant surprise to see her pop up in one of Daemon’s strange dreams, even though he quickly slices her head off. Viserys appearing in one of Daemon’s visions in a future episode would not only be important for his character arc in Season 2 but also a chance to see the great Paddy Considine on our screens once again, even briefly.

House of the Dragon is currently streaming on Max. New episodes air every Sunday.