Despite the drama of House of the Dragon, Daenerys Targaryen’s time in Game of Thrones makes all the powerful Targaryens in HotD look tame.

Daenerys went on an incredible journey in the eight seasons of Game of Thrones. She began Season 1 as a bargaining chip for her abusive brother as he tried to claim the Iron Throne. Everything she endured from there broke her down until she had nowhere left to go but up. House of the Dragon has very similar themes to Game of Thrones.

The House of the Dragon characters are ancestors of the Game of Thrones characters and are mostly of Targaryen blood. While there’s plenty of death and drama in House of the Dragon, no one seems to match the toughness of Daenerys Targaryen. In fact, she often makes the other Targaryens look tame.

10.Daenerys Doesn’t Accept Ill Treatment Like Viserys Does

In House of the Dragon, King Viserys repeatedly tells his brother, Daemon, to leave. However, Viserys shows his hand and loses his power when he repeatedly allows Daemon to come back into his life and attend royal events. Viserys shows weakness in these situations, rather than being a strong leader and king.

Daenerys, however, does not accept ill-treatment. While she has soft spots for people, she isn’t one to take advantage of. When Dany’s brother acts out against her and Drogo, she has him killed by pouring molten gold over his head. As such, King Viserys I looks incredibly tolerant in comparison.

9.Dany Burnt Her Friend

Dany made House of the Dragon look tame when she sentenced Varys to death for treason. She didn’t just have him killed, but she also burnt him with dragon fire. This is possibly the worst way to die, but it’s how Dany treated those who betrayed her or wouldn’t accept her as queen.

This is one of many examples of Dany lacking a soft spot. There is betrayal in House of the Dragon, like Rhaenyra lying to Alicent about her sexual past, but there hasn’t been anything like this yet. Things have been generally underhanded and sly in House of the Dragon so far, but there are likely some overt consequences on the horizon.

8.Daenerys Proves Her Unparalleled Confidence And Courage

After the death of Drogo and their son, Daenerys places her three dragon eggs on the funeral pyre. She ties Mirri Maz Duur to the pyre before setting it ablaze and walking into the flames herself. There was no doubt in her mind that she would emerge from this unharmed, and she did.

There is plenty of loss in House of the Dragon that’s similar to this, like Aemma and her son’s death. However, there is nothing quite like what Daenerys did in House of the Dragon or the rest of Game of Thrones. This incredible showing of courage and confidence cements Daenerys as one of the fiercest characters in Westeros.

7.Daenerys Is The Last Targaryen

In Game of Thrones, Daenerys endures the death of her husband, Drogo, and her son. She suffers plenty of abuse through the series, especially from her brother Viserys. Dany appears very much alone in the world and believes herself to be the last Targaryen.

In House of the Dragon, the Targaryens are at the height of their power and there are a great many of them. They have the support of family and allies in their hardships. Dany’s strength of character and determination as a woman alone in the world is astounding and incomparable.

6.Daenerys Was A Defender Of The Common People

The Targaryens in House of the Dragon have wealth and power and are royalty. They, their ancestors, and their descendants will sit upon the Iron Throne, the most powerful seat in the Seven Kingdoms. Of course, they face struggles like every other person, but they can’t relate to the common person.

Dany, however, goes out to bat for everyone who has been oppressed or victimized. She sees every person who has been nailed to crosses in Meereen and decides to free them, give them autonomy, and crucify the masters instead. It is an astonishing move that places her in the hearts of the people, but the Targaryens in House of the Dragon can’t accomplish this.

5.Daenerys Shows Her Ruthlessness With Xaro And His Vault

When Game of Thrones fans think they couldn’t love Daenerys more, she meets Xaro Xhoan Daxos. Xaro tries to scam Daenerys out of everything she has built for herself. Worst of all, Xaro takes her dragons. He is a fraud with an empty vault and so Dany has Xaro and his lover Doreah locked inside.

The deaths of Xaro and Doreah are left to the imagination, of course, as Daenerys and her people take everything Xaro has. It is an act of ruthless revenge, which Daenerys is well-known for.

4.Dany’s Revenge Is Fire And Blood

So far in House of the Dragon, viewers haven’t been treated to any fire-filled scenes. In Game of Thrones, however, Daenerys uses fire to burn and kill all the Khals and to burn down King’s Landing. Daenerys’ actions are always the absolute opposite of tame.

The gentle politics of some Game of Thrones characters simply does not fly with Dany and, while she can take advice and have rational discussions, she can also take drastic action if she thinks it’s necessary. Not much drastic action has been seen in House of the Dragon, as King Viserys allows everybody to walk all over him.

3.Daenerys Had To Deal With The Night King And The White Walkers

The Night King and the White Walkers certainly existed during House of the Dragon, but they will not make an appearance until the events of Game of Thrones. There are stories and legends about the existence of these creatures, but it is unlikely that the people of King’s Landing believe it, just like Cersei doesn’t in the future.

For this, House of the Dragon’s Targaryens will always be tamer than those in Game of Thrones as the prequel’s characters will never have to face such evil. Daenerys faced these evils and lost her dragon/child Viserion. There isn’t much that can top scenes of an icy, scary being throwing spears at dragons.

2.Jon Ultimately Betrays Daenerys

There is a tradition of incest in the Targaryen line, and both Daenerys and Rhaenyra follow it. In House of the Dragon, Daemon and his niece, Rhaenyra, are together. In Game of Thrones, Daenerys and her nephew Jon also enter a relationship. Neither of the love affairs is tame, but the results are very different.

Rhaenyra ends up marrying Daemon and having his children. In return, Daemon helps her in her claim for the throne. However, Daenerys and Jon take it to another level. Not only are they in a sexual relationship, but Jon also betrays her in the worst possible way by killing her while they’re kissing. Daenerys faces so many hardships in Game of Thrones, and even her demise is tougher than most other people’s.

1.Daenerys’ Relationships Make The Relationships In House Of The Dragon Look Easy

In House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra has been intimate with Daemon and Criston Cole. She has feelings for both of them, but both relationships bring their own controversies. Criston is unwilling to be at Rhaenyra’s beck and call, but Daenerys meets many men who will gladly filled that spot for her.

Daenerys’ love life is somehow even more dramatic than Rhaenyra’s. Daenerys begins by marrying Khal Drogo, and he dies. Jorah Mormont is deeply in love with her from beginning to end. Xaro wishes to marry her but betrays her. Dany marries Hizdahr for the sake of her position and sees Daario on the side. Daario is willing to engage in an affair, but Daenerys leaves him behind. Daenerys then meets Jon Snow, who takes her life. Her romantic endeavors in Game of Thrones make the relationships in House of the Dragon seem tame.