All Hail Daemon Targaryen, The Only True Wife Guy On House Of The Dragon

This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of "House of the Dragon."

When Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) was first introduced on "House of the Dragon," he was an immediate frontrunner as the "villain to watch," with many speculating that the Rogue Prince would serve as the go-to character fans would love to hate. The prediction is not unfounded, as the new Prince Petty thrives on Westerosi drama, and if he's not at the center of it, he's casually leaning against a pillar in the wings with a snappy one-liner just waiting for the perfect moment to unleash his sass.

He's killed some people, he's dismembered some folks, he seduced his niece and eventually married her, and he's even got a cute little crime cloak to wear whenever he's out causing riff-raff. Daemon Targaryen is a wild card by every stretch of imagination, and he certainly keeps things interesting in King's Landing. But above all else, Daemon Targaryen is a total Wife Guy™, and perhaps the only true example of the trope on "House of the Dragon."

For the uninitiated, a wife guy is typically a male celebrity or social media figure whose fame is intrinsically tied to the way he talks about or behaves in the honor of his wife. This isn't just some dude in a healthy relationship who loves his wife and wants to scream it from the rooftops, like Gomez Addams, this is a man whose public love for his wife has completely changed the way the rest of society views him. Daemon has always been an agent of chaos, but with Princess Rhaenyra now his bride, he has finally been given the opportunity to go full wife guy.

Alright, let's first address the obvious facts that before Daemon and Rhaenyra got hitched, Prince Petty had been married twice before, and both women are dead. His first wife, Lady Rhea Royce, is a woman Daemon never particularly liked. He referred to her as a "bronze b****" in front of the small council and even offered her up to Otto Hightower after the passing of his own wife, because Daemon has yet to become a wife guy at this point. He was betrothed to Lady Royce and as such, cheats on her constantly with his mistress Mysaria.

When Daemon attempts to steal a dragon egg for the child he hopes to have with his mistress, a still-teenaged Rhaenyra shows up to remind him "you already have a wife," and he immediately bows to her will. Not because he loves and respects Rhea Royce, but because Daemon is already sowing the seeds of his wife guy connection with his niece Rhaenyra.

Daemon eventually kills Lady Royce by causing her horse to buck her off, breaking her neck in the fall, before bludgeoning her to death. With her out of the way, he is now open to remarry, and does so with Laena Velaryon. The two create two daughters, Baela and Rhaena, but she tragically has a complicated pregnancy with their third child. Her circumstances echo that of Queen Aemma Arryn in the first episode, but is given more autonomy in her final moments. She commands her dragon, Vhagar to burn her, allowing her the chance to "die a dragonrider's death." As unrelentingly sad as this situation is, Daemon is now in the perfect position to achieve his final wife guy form.

Plenty can argue that Daemon's interest in Rhaenyra stems solely from his desire to sit on the Iron Throne, and that marrying the named heir apparently gets him one step closer to his goal. However, anyone who saw the way Daemon looked at Rhaenyra in the brothel, on the beach, or even at her own wedding can attest that this man has got it b-a-d BAD for his niece. The Targaryens are known throughout the seven kingdoms for their incestual relationships, but Daemon and Rhaenyra are on another level. The two share similar frustrations in life and constantly have to prove themselves to the kingdom, which makes them a match made in seven hells.

This isn't just a marriage for the sake of political gain, no. Daemon and Rhaenyra are in it to win it, and bone each other senseless in the process. I'd rather argue (as I'm known to do) that Daemon's interest in Rhaenyra was initially based in his own selfish motives, but after spending time with the girl, realized what "House of the Dragon" fans have known from the beginning – Rhaenyra Targareyan f****** rules.

Every decision Daemon has made since the start of the series and throughout its many time jumps can all be traced back to his feelings about Rhaenyra, which is some grade-A wife guy behavior. Call it a chip on his shoulder or insecurities about being the king's brother all you want, but the truth is that Daemon is one good "I love my wife" joke away from becoming the bratty blonde echo of John Mulaney. It's probably why "Daemon" is still trending on Twitter every Monday, because we as a culture love developing parasocial relationships with wife guys.

Alas, as has been proven time and time again, being a wife guy often leads to an inevitable betrayal of said wife. We already know that Daemon will go to great lengths (spoiler) to defend his wife's honor, but which interpretation of how things will end in "House of the Dragon" will only be shown with time. The story in George R.R. Martin's "Fire & Blood" is presented as a historical text with different accounts contributing to the lore, so it's not totally accurate to say which ending their relationship will see. Fortunately, Rhaenyra is a cerebral assassin in her own right, so if I were a betting woman and there was a line on their relationship in Vegas, I'd put it all down 10-to-1 that Rhaenyra turns him into a fleeing lil' pissbaby.

For the time being, Daemon is a dedicated wife guy who will literally kill for the honor of his beloved, something that I certainly relate to as a very vocal defender of my own wife. But it's clear that there are those who greatly admire Daemon and wish to emulate him, like Queen Alicent and King Viserys' one-eyed son Aemond, who might as well be what happens when you try to order Daemon Targaryen on Wish. As ambitious as he is, Aemond will never truly reach the great heights of his uncle Daemon, because he lacks the unrepentant passion of a wife guy.

In the most recent "House of the Dragon" episode, "The Lord Of The Tides," Daemon gets to put his wife guy sensibilities to the ultimate test. Six years after the events of the Junior Targaryen Family Fight Club scuffle that left Aemond without an eye and Aegon publicly calling Rhaenyra's sons Jace and Luke "bastards" in a public setting, Vaemond Velaryon has decided to be the next player on Westeros' favorite game show, "F*** Around and Find Out with Daemon Targaryen."

Vaemond not only calls the young men bastards in front of the whole royal family, but has the nerve to call Rhaenyra "a whore." Daemon knows what he's getting at, and even eggs him on by smirking, "say it." It's so clear that Daemon has been waiting for someone to try some fresh nonsense about his wife in his presence, and Vaemond walked right into his web. The second the words leave his mouth, Daemon peaces out and goes looking for the biggest sword he can. Before King Viserys' Zelda from "Pet Sematary" lookin' ass can finish the syllable of "I'll have your tongue for that," Daemon slices Vaemond's head in half in front of everyone.

The message is clear: "Talk about my wife and you'll get a taste of this knife." Well, sword. Whatever. I wanted the rhyme. Daemon's killing of Vaemond sends a powerful message to all of Westeros, and also proves in a land where husbands view their wives as nothing more than breeding stock and political pawns, Daemon is the undisputed king of the wife guys.