House of the Dragon star claims he could defeat Jon Snow but fans strongly disagree

Matt Smith in House of the Dragon and Kit Harrington in Game of ThronesMax

House of the Dragon star Matt Smith has declared that Daemon could beat Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow in combat, but some vocal fans strongly disagree.

Smith plays Daemon Targaryen, the charming and violent younger brother of Targaryen king Viserys who will play a huge part in the upcoming war in House of the Dragon Season 2.

Dameon is seen as the ultimate warrior and an unrelenting, terrifying threat by many fans. So, when Jimmy Fallon asked Smith if he thought Dameon could defeat Game of Thrones fan favorite Jon Snow, he had no problem arguing that his character would easily win.

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“Who would win in a fight between Jon Snow and Daemon? Mate, I’ve got a dragon!” Smith said. “Listen, I have a lot of respect for Jon Snow. Jon Snow’s a bad boy, don’t get me wrong. Kit Harington, lovely man, lovely guy, lot of respect. But don’t get it twisted, I would f**k those brothers up.”

This question has been around since House of the Dragon premiered in 2022 because, except for Dameon’s more volatile nature, the two men have a lot in common.

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They both come from Targaryen heritage and are fierce warriors who aren’t afraid to get a little bloody, and they’ve faced down powerful and dangerous threats.

In fact, Jon is technically Dameon’s great, great, great, great, great, great-grandson, so there’s an argument to be made that he would have inherited some of his grandfather’s fighting skills.

So, while Smith is correct that Dameon has more of an advantage in a fight due to his dragon, Caraxes, some fans pointed out that it wouldn’t be a slam dunk the actor envisions it would be.

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“Both are Targaryens. Daemon is a full Targaryen. However, Jon is Targaryen with a touch of the North. So yeah, Jon will definitely win by a wide margin,” one fan tweeted.

Another fan wrote, “Jon Snow fought the white walkers without knowing he was a Targaryen. He went into battles like a leader and was the last one standing. How many battles did Daemon win in the same manner? Take his dragon away and what do you have?”

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And a third fan pointed out how an altercation that occurred in Season 1 is enough to prove that the Rogue Prince isn’t the perfect fighter, “‘Daemon was one of the best sword fighters’ but got his ass beat by Criston?? By Season 6 Jon was talked about as one of the best fighters as well… Jon is beating him easily.”

House of the Dragon Season 2 premieres on June 16. In the meantime, check out our breakdown of the wildest House of the Dragon fan fiction and find other new TV shows to stream in June.

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