Daemon Targaryen Vs Jon Snow: House Of The Dragon's Matt Smith Says There's A Clear Winner

"House of the Dragon" is the first big spin-off of "Game of Thrones" — serving as a prequel focused on the powerful Targaryen family and their vicious civil war over the Iron Throne — which means that a new generation of actors gets to play huge roles in Westeros. One of those actors, "Doctor Who" veteran and "Morbius" star Matt Smith, is weighing in on his character Daemon Targaryen's ability to fight an original "Game of Thrones" character known for his expert swordsmanship and general bravery.

In a clip that "The Tonight Show" shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), host Jimmy Fallon asks Smith who would win in a fight: Daemon or Jon Snow, the hero played by Kit Harington on "Game of Thrones" during its original run. "Come on, man. Jimmy. Who would win in a fight between Jon Snow and D— I have a dragon! A dragon! 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. I have a lot of respect. But don't get it twisted. I'd f*** [him] up."

Much like Jon, Daemon is a formidable fighter; in the series premiere of "House of the Dragon," audiences watch as he absolutely demolishes an opponent in a jousting match honoring his brother King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) and the birth of his heir. He does make a good point, though; Daemon has a pretty big advantage.

Matt Smith, at the end of the day, is probably correct in his assessment; Jon Snow might have his direwolf Ghost and his Valyrian steel sword Longclaw, but he doesn't have a massive fire-breathing beast. Daemon rides a huge dragon named Caraxes throughout the events of "Fire & Blood," the novella written by "A Song of Ice and Fire" author George R.R. Martin that details the civil war amongst the Targaryens. Caraxes is known to be quite large (nearly half as large as the era's largest dragon Vhagar) and just as talented of a fighter as the man who rides him.

There is one thing that could factor in here, though; Jon might not have a dragon of his own, but he does share a lineage with Daemon. During "Game of Thrones," a major mystery from "A Song of Ice and Fire" finally got resolved — Jon is revealed to be the legitimate heir of Rhaegar Targaryen (brother to Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen, who strikes up a romance with Jon) and Lyanna Stark, sister of Ned Stark (Sean Bean). With the knowledge that Jon is not a Stark bastard but a "dragon" himself, it's fascinating, at first, to watch Jon interact with Daenerys' largest dragon, Drogon, and even ride his brother Rhaegal during the Battle of Winterfell. Why is it "fascinating at first?" Probably because the show does absolutely nothing with Jon's bloodline in the end. Still, if he did have a dragon of his own, he'd probably make a worthy opponent for Daemon.

Jon Snow is a phenomenally depicted and enormously important character in "Game of Thrones," thanks in large part to Kit Harington's excellent performance ... but when news broke that a spin-off centered around the presumed bastard turned Targaryen heir was in the works, fans were understandably concerned. According to Harington himself, though, the fledgling Jon Snow series is dead (for now).

"Currently, it's off the table, because we all couldn't find the right story to tell that we were all excited about enough," Harington told ScreenRant in April of this year. "So, we decided to lay down tools with it for the time being. There may be a time in the future where we return to it, but at the moment, no. It's firmly on the shelf."

This is probably for the best, as great as Harington was as Jon. At the (disappointing) end of "Game of Thrones," Jon rides off into the great white north after slaying his aunt and lover Daenerys (for the good of the realm, considering that she closes out the final season by massacring countless innocents in King's Landing). Not only is this a silly move for the show — the White Walkers are gone, so there's no longer a need for Jon to be a part of the Night's Watch — but it certainly feels like closing the chapter on Jon's story. Still, the character is memorable enough that he's being compared to Daemon Targaryen as a warrior, which is a pretty solid legacy to leave behind.

"Game of Thrones" and "House of the Dragon" are both streaming on Max now.