Daemon Targaryen and Jon Snow are two of the bravest characters in the entire live-action Game of Thrones lore. They have quite a few similarities. But you’d agree that they are very different from each other. Before we get to Jon Snow vs. Daemon Targaryen, let’s look at the parallels between these two leads.
Everyone roots for them because of Kit Harrington and Matt Smith’s epic portrayal of their respective characters. But their significant similarity comes in terms of their fighting spirit and skills. And this was majorly spotted in episode 3. Both Daemon and Jon Snow stood tall and fought against entire armies alone! Jon Snow also went running into raining arrows, and so did Daemon. Jon had his Valarian Steel Sword Longclaw, and Daemon fought with his Valarian Steel sword, the Dark Sister.
Jon Snow went completely berserk during the battle of Bastards, and Daemon’s madness at the stepstones was also apparent; ultimately, Jon was saved by his army and the Knights of Vale. And Daemon was saved by the Velaryon army. Then he chased after the Crabfeeder and defeated him pretty quickly. At the same time, Jon chased after Ramsey and took him down without any difficulty.
Jon became a well-respected commander of the night’s watch. Meanwhile, Daemon was the Commander of the City Watch of King’s Landing and thrived in that position. Then after taking Winterfell back, Jon was named the King in the North. And by defeating the Crabfeeder, Daemon was named the King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea. To add a point, Jon, a Targaryen, got to ride Rhaegal, a dragon named after his father. And Daemon, as we know, is already a dragon rider and has claimed huge victories riding atop Caraxes. Oh, and yes, they’ve also been involved in incest Daemon does it with his niece Rhaenyra. And Jon did it with his aunt, Daenerys. This is where their similarities come to an end.
Now let’s talk about the significant differences between these two! Daemon has a good heart toward his family. But for the others, not so much. He is loyal to his family members and even to King Viserys to a certain degree. He has mainly done things that would only benefit him. But there have been certain instances where he also thought of the ones he loved. Still, a sinister side goes along with his good side. He killed his first wife. He didn’t comfort his children after the demise of Laena Velaryon. But when Rhaenyra needed him the most, he showed genuine support. He even orchestrated the gruesome murder of Ser Laenor Velaryon when Rhaenyra suggested it.
Daemon craved power right from the beginning but initially curbed his desires out of respect for his brother. However, that will not be the case anymore. Another character trait is that Daemon is a pretty violent man, while Jon doesn’t choose violence. He is tactically more innovative, but Daemon is much more reckless and careless. There’s no denying that Daemon is the best when he is devoted. But he does show off, and that could make him distracted.
While Daemon had a lust for power, Jon never did. Despite being the heir to the throne, he bent his knee. He supported Daenerys on her crusade right when she lost it and went all Mad Queen. Daemon wants to rule with fear and wants Rhaenyra to do the same. But Jon Snow doesn’t support this notion at all. He knew in his heart that this wasn’t the way, and he went to great lengths to stop Dany and do what was right. He wasn’t afraid of killing his love for the sake of others. Self-sacrifice is a virtue that runs very strongly within him, as he has always fought for others. So, Jon is righteous and noble and doesn’t crave power. Meanwhile, Daemon is ruthless and can be the total opposite.
Jon Snow vs Daemon Targaryen
In a death battle, it would be tough to determine one true winner between these two. The result will depend upon the writer because both are evenly matched. Having lived longer, Daemon is the more experienced one. He is a skilled fighter. But so is Jon. And you could argue that Jon has been in battles where the danger was far greater than anything Daemon has faced. So, his battle experience should be counted as equal to that of Daemon, if not greater.
But while Jon might show mercy at times, Daemon may not. So, in that way, Daemon could trick Jon and have the last laugh. And let me say that if Viserys decides to send reinforcements, Daemon will definitely win! But other than that motivation, he can be careless and overconfident sometimes. And that’s what Jon could exploit. So till now, we’ve given 1 point to Jon and 1 to Daemon.
Another minor advantage that Daemon would have is his Darksister blade. It is much lighter than Longclaw and could be more effective as Daemon’s movement would be swift. But as I’ve mentioned, Jon is tactically more competent. So if given time, he could devise a plan to ensure his victory. That’s 2 for Jon and 2 for Daemon.
But if we include dragons into the mix, Jon’s Dragon Rhaeghal is undoubtedly weaker than Caraxes. So, that point would go to Daemon. The Rogue Prince gets more points here; you could call him the winner. But I support Jon and his virtues. And with the kinds of enemies and challenges he has faced, I’d say he can take Daemon down if he goes all in. As I said, the result of this battle would depend upon the one writing it. And I’d shift it towards Jon because of his righteousness over Daemon’s ruthless anarchy. Who knows, with the upcoming Jon Snow spin-off series, his adventures would allow us to back his claim even more.
But who would you guys choose? Would it be Daemon or Jon? Let us know in the comments.
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