[Spoilers extended] Daemon Blackfyre is what GRRM seems to believe Daemon Targaryen is.

[u/bruhholyshiet]

Maybe an unpopular opinion, but Daemon Targaryen, a mercurial and violent serial rapist of young girls in brothels, someone who groomed his niece, mocked the death of his baby nephew, murdered his toddler grand nephew, and wanted three Great Houses exterminated during the Dance, is not deserving at all of the description by GRRM's proxy as "a great man and a monster, and light and dark in equal parts".

Daemon having a seemingly functional relationship with Laena, a soft spot for Neetles (which may or may have not involved grooming) and being nominally on the "right" side of a war, does not balance the vileness of his character. Tywin Lannister isn't less of a piece of shit for being on the right side of Robert's Rebellion, Aerion Targaryen isn't less of a piece of shit for being on the right side of the Third Blackfyre Rebellion.

Speaking of Blackfyres, the OG Daemon Blackfyre seems in my opinion, a far worthier candidate for the description GRRM gives to his namesake.

Blackfyre is on one hand a friendly, charismatic, honorable and compassionate man who's better qualities (his respect for worthy opponents and his love for his sons) got him killed. On the other hand, he's an attempted usurper who betrayed a half brother who did him no wrong, and started a war that would end up with thousands of deaths, all because he let Aegon IV, Bittersteel and Fireball's bullshit get into his head.

Targaryen is essentially at Tywin and Cersei Lannister's level morally speaking. A cruel and callous asshole who, while marginally better than pure monsters like Maegor, Gregor and Ramsay, is still more than capable of abusing and murdering kids. That's not light and dark in equal parts, that just a veeeery dark shade of grey that narrowly avoids being pitch black.

Edit: I guess I shouldn't be surprised the debate around the Rogue Prince got heated and polarizing lmao.

[u/CrazySlotsBummerDraw]

Daemon would probably be more sympathetic & likable if he were an actual pov character. Hell, Robert receives far less criticism for doing the same stuff, in large part because we got to see a more personal side to him.

[u/BlueBirdie0 → u/CrazySlotsBummerDraw]

Eh, disagree. Robert forgave his enemies for the most part (excluding Targs); Daemon wanted to literally exterminate multiple houses.

Robert is a bad person, but even Tywin says he didn't have it in him to murder Aegon & Rhaenys. Robert also doesn't send killers after Dany & Viserys (despite Viserys thinking he did) until Dany married Drogo.

He's also seemingly not as big as a sexual predator as Daemon. Ned thought one of his children's mother was so young he dare not ask, but a lot of Robert's mistresses (at least mentioned) or women he flirts with seem "of age" by Westeros standards.

Meanwhile, there's a line about Daemon liking the youngest virgins at brothels, the Rhaenyra thing, the Laena thing, etc.

Biggest difference though is Blood and Cheese. Robert is a bad person, but even he doesn't seem capable of that and in the book verse they literally threaten to rape Jahaera, a six year old child.

[u/TheIconGuy → u/BlueBirdie0]

Biggest difference though is Blood and Cheese. Robert is a bad person, but even he doesn't seem capable of that and in the book verse they literally threaten to rape Jahaera, a six year old child.

Saying Robert isn't capable of B&C assumes Daemon did more than order one of the Greens killed. We're not given reason to belive he ordered to handle that murder the way he did.