Is Daenerys really immune to fire in Game of Thrones? Everything to know about the unscorched Targaryen

Daenerys Targaryen in Game Of Thrones (Image via HBO)
Daenerys Targaryen in Game Of Thrones (Image via HBO)

In the series Game of Thrones, Targaryens are not immune to fire. They can only tolerate flames longer than an average person. We presume that only a true Targaryen cannot be burned by fire since Daenerys Targaryen (played by Emilia Clarke) enters a pyre and exits unharmed during the final scene in the fourth episode of Game of Thrones season 6.

Fire has the power to kill Targaryens, the former noble members of Valyrian descent who once ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westos and they are not immune to it. Game of Thrones depicts Daenerys Targaryen as, though, an anomaly. She is the Mother of Dragons, not just any old Targaryen. Thus, in the GOT universe, Daenerys is the only one with the advantage of not being affected by fire.

From adolescent Khaleesi to the Mad Queen, Daenerys Targaryen portrayed a divisive persona on the popular television series Game of Thrones. She had to take numerous crucial actions along the way.

While Dany is undoubtedly unaffected by fire, other Targaryens do not appear to share this trait. Indeed, there are several examples of Targaryens suffering from serious burns and even dying as a result of fire.


Daenerys demonstrates her immunity to fire through various scenes in Game Of Thrones

Daenerys Targaryen, affectionately known as Dany, was the only daughter of King II Targaryen known as the “Mad King” and Queen Rhaella and the youngest sister of Rhaegar and Viserys Targaryen. Dany and her older brother Viserys lived in exile, and the latter plotted to retake the throne while constantly harassing his sister in the process.

The pilot episode of Game of Thrones featured a dense first major scene, introducing Daenerys Targaryen as a piece in a much larger game, rapidly establishing how scary her brother Viserys was, and hinting that she may be stronger than she seemed.

But several instances proved that Daenerys was the only true Targaryen, who was made an exception to being immune to fire throughout the series.

The first instance was, when Dany entered a steaming bath, her attendant hurried over to tell her that it was too hot. Dany did not even give a wink. It seemed strange at first, but after nine episodes, Dany survived a night in a real fire, proving that she was the true dragon in the family, not her docile older brother.

Later on, after being wed to Drogo, she gained the confidence of the Khalasar. Following his death, she expanded her domain to Essos and gained the loyalty of the army. During the Last War, Daenerys eventually succumbed to the so-called “Targaryen madness” of her ancestors after a series of personal losses, grief and betrayal.

In Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen's dragons were indispensable allies. In "Fire and Blood," a scene from season 1, Khaleesi hatched the petrified dragon eggs in Khal Drogo's funeral pyre. Against all chances, Daenerys and her newly hatched offspring escape the flames, rising from the ashes to become the Mother of Dragons.

Daenerys Targaryen holding the dragon egg. (Image via Instagram)
Daenerys Targaryen holding the dragon egg. (Image via Instagram)

In Game of Thrones season 6 episode 4, Daenerys Targaryen triumphantly defeated all of the Khals as she wrapped her hands around the burning brazier before throwing it to the ground and setting the whole place on fire. Meanwhile, the Khals raced towards the door to save their lives only to find out that the path to escape was locked.

The entire time Dany stood in the middle of the roaring flames with a smirk on her face. Later, every Dothraki member prostrated themselves before her as she stood before the fire, naked. This was a real moment of power, depicting that she wasn't any regular woman to mess with.

As the lone representative of the Targaryen dynasty and a real Targaryen by blood, Dany is the only Targaryen who survives the fire in the entire series. Dany is the Mother of Dragons, thus she's not just any Targaryen.

She entered her husband's funeral pyre and emerged carrying three newborn dragons. Metaphorically, she truly gave birth to dragons millennia after they disappeared from the planet of ice and fire.

Razing King's Landing despite its surrender, Daenerys seized power after killing Queen Cersei Lannister, along with countless common folk. Unable to be dissuaded from further destruction, she was assassinated by her nephew Jon Snow to prevent further carnage.


Apart from Daenerys, there is no proof in Game of Thrones that other Targaryens are immune to fire. The first ruling queen of Westeros, Rhaenya Targaryen, was put to death by Aegon by having her fed to his dragon, in order to have it recorded in history that Rhaenyra was never the true queen of Westeros.

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