Warning: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon.
House of the Dragon season 1 includes many subtle hints that Daemon Targaryen might be bisexual and a deleted scene from episode 6 all but confirms it. Daemon Targaryen, portrayed by Matt Smith, is the brother of King Viserys I Targaryen. Daemon begins season 1 as the most likely heir to the Iron Throne, but quickly has that hope stripped away from him, leading Daemon down a path of rebelliousness and spite.
Following the ten-year time jump, Daemon Targaryen is married to Laena Velaryon and they have two daughters and a third unborn child together. Daemon first interacted with Laena in the show at the celebration of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laenor Velaryon's wedding prior to the time jump. Laena suffers complications during the birth of her and Daemon's third child and Laena Velaryon has her dragon, Vhagar, kill her with its fire rather than die from a risky C-section procedure. Daemon is once again a widower, and will likely be looking to take another wife.
However, a couple of subtle moments throughout House of the Dragon season 1 have alluded to the possibility that Daemon Targaryen is bisexual. The first hint appears in episode 5. When Daemon first interacts with his future wife, Laena Targaryen, he tells her that she is nearly as pretty as her brother. In isolation, this may not be anything more than one of the clever comments for which Daemon Targaryen is known. However, when dining with Prince Reggio Haratis in Pentos, where Daemon and Laena have been living, Daemon can be seen very briefly grabbing a male servant's arm, pulling him close, whispering something in his ear, and smirking. The exchange lasts only a second, but that second is long enough to establish a connection and plausible sexual tension between the two. Two small hints may not be conclusive, but one final piece of evidence may confirm this theory. HBO has added fuel to this discussion by circulating a deleted scene on the subject. The deleted scene shows the male servant from the earlier dinner sitting cozily next to Daemon, apparently holding his hand as they whisper into each other's ears. Those who have seen the House of the Dragon episode 6 deleted scene have begun drawing conclusions about what it means for Daemon. Those three details may be small, but together they seem to confirm, or at least heavily imply, that Daemon Targaryen is bisexual in House of the Dragon.
Is Daemon Targaryen Bisexual In The Book?
Confirmation that Daemon Targaryen is bisexual would be a departure from his character's counterpart in the book, Fire & Blood. Daemon's bisexuality would be one of the many welcome changes that the show has made in adapting the book's story to the television screen. In the show, Laena herself makes a comment that has a layered meaning when including Daemon's bisexuality in the context. When discussing whether the family should stay in Pentos or go back to Westeros, Laena tells Daemon that she knows that she is not the wife that Daemon wanted. The line heavily implies that the preferred wife is Rhaenyra, but given the context of the deleted scene that takes place on that same rooftop location, it might be possible that Laena was actually alluding to Daemon's attraction to both men and women and knew that she was not who Daemon wanted romantically.
What Daemon Being Bisexual Would Mean For HOTD
In this context, only would Daemon's bisexuality provide much-needed representation, but it would also provide plenty more intrigue as to how he will proceed after Laena's emotional death by the dragon Vhagar. Subtle hints and deleted scenes seemingly confirm that Daemon Targaryen is bisexual in House of the Dragon. If Daemon and his two daughters decide to head back to Westeros following Laena's death, it is possible that his sexuality will be explored further when Daemon rejoins Rhaenyra and the Targaryens' tumultuous affairs. Until then, viewers can cling to the deleted scene for confirmation of Daemon being a bisexual king (of the Stepstones and Narrow Sea).