After House of the Dragon Showrunner’s Comments, Expect These 4 Major Deaths in Season 3

by

Even after only two seasons, House of the Dragon is already past the midpoint of its planned story. HBO has confirmed the show will conclude after Season 4. This means the next, Season 3, will be a pivotal moment, featuring significant character deaths. Similar to Game of Thrones, not everyone will survive – or at least, almost no one will. While the most impactful deaths are likely reserved for the later stages of the series, we can expect some characters to meet their end in Season 3.

I recently heard from showrunner Ryan Condal on The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of podcast that we’re getting to the point where we have to say goodbye to some of our favorite characters. He mentioned they’re wrapping up filming on Season 3 and giving wrap gifts, but it’s bittersweet. He said, “We’ve reached that point in the series, we’re starting to say goodbye to some people,” and that there have been “a number of these tearful ceremonies.” While they haven’t officially confirmed any deaths yet, knowing it’s based on George R.R. Martin’s work, we can probably anticipate some big losses. Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Fire & Blood, the book House of the Dragon is based on.

4) Jacaerys Velaryon

Jacaerys Velaryon’s death is expected to be one of the most emotionally impactful moments in House of the Dragon Season 3, and it will likely happen very early on in the season. The second season concluded with the Battle of the Gullet about to begin – a conflict originally intended to be the finale of Season 2, but moved to Season 3. As a result, this battle will probably start immediately, meaning Jace will die within the first few episodes.

During the events of Fire & Blood, Jacaerys, along with the dragonseeds – Addam of Hull, Hugh the Hammer, Ulf the White, and Nettles (who doesn’t appear to be in the TV show) – join the battle and start destroying the Triarchy fleet using their dragons. But when Jace’s dragon, Vermax, gets injured and falls into a burning ship, the prince jumps off… only to be killed by a crossbow bolt, and his body disappears beneath the waves.

3) Otto Hightower

A significant event expected early in House of the Dragon Season 3 is the capture of King’s Landing. The stage is set for Rhaenyra Targaryen to seize the city, as King Aegon II Targaryen has already retreated. As depicted in the source material, Rhaenyra swiftly establishes her authority by executing those who supported Team Green for treason. This includes Lord Jasper Wylde, the lords of houses Rosby and Stokeworth, and, most prominently, Otto Hightower.

However, the show added a complication. The finale of House of the Dragon Season 2 changed Otto’s storyline, showing he was actually imprisoned somewhere-many fans believe it’s Honeyholt, the stronghold of House Beesbury in the Reach. This doesn’t mean he won’t die, but it suggests he won’t be in King’s Landing when Rhaenyra returns. His death will likely still happen, as letting him live would be a significant departure from the source material. Perhaps the Beesburys (or whoever is holding him) will simply bring him to the Queen, but it will be fascinating to see if there are more surprising developments with his fate.

Prior to Otto, Gwayne Hightower also meets his end during the Fall of King’s Landing in Fire & Blood, though it doesn’t seem that will happen in the TV series. The last we saw of Alicent’s brother, he was away fighting alongside Criston Cole. He’ll likely still die, but it now appears that will occur in a different battle and at a different point in time – potentially in Season 3 or 4.

2) Criston Cole

Few characters in House of the Dragon are as unlikeable as Criston Cole. While this self-important knight has already killed many who support Rhaenyra Targaryen, he did realize something in the Season 2 finale: he and his soldiers are heading for certain defeat. And he’s absolutely correct about that-especially the part about ‘defeat’ meaning death, as it seems likely Criston will die in Season 3.

In the story, this conflict happens during a battle called the Butcher’s Ball. Before the battle, Criston and Aemond Targaryen take control of the deserted castle of Harrenhal, but they can’t agree on what to do next. Criston, known as the Kingmaker, wants to go south and join forces with the Hightower army to increase their power. However, Aemond wants to use his dragon, Vhagar, to destroy the Riverlands while looking for Daemon Targaryen. They split up, with Criston and his soldiers heading south… and directly into a trap set by Team Black, led by the Winter Wolves.

Facing a much larger enemy force, Criston tried to arrange a surrender with the opposing leaders, even offering to duel them personally. But before any agreement could be reached, he was killed by a volley of arrows. While it will be very satisfying to watch Criston die – and will likely be met with applause from the audience – his final scenes, similar to the Season 2 finale, should add depth to his character, preventing him from being seen as simply evil. We can anticipate these developments in the latter half of the season.

1) Helaena Targaryen

Similar to Jace’s death, Helaena Targaryen’s passing will be heartbreaking: she’s one of the very few genuinely good and innocent characters in this story, making her death all the more impactful. However, her storyline is also quite interesting, as significant changes have already been made. Not only does she now experience dragon dreams – a power she didn’t have in the book – but one of her sons has been removed from the show. Her and Aegon’s youngest child, Prince Maelor, hasn’t appeared so far, and it doesn’t seem he will be included later on.

Following Jaehaerys’ death – caused by Blood and Cheese – Helaena descends into sadness and eventually loses her mind. However, it’s the death of Maelor that ultimately leads her to take her own life. She jumps from a window in her room, falling onto spikes below – a moment in Season 2, showing Helaena near spikes, hinted at this tragic event. This, along with the public’s growing frustration with Rhaenyra’s rule, causes widespread unrest in King’s Landing. This unrest culminates in the Storming of the Dragonpit, where Helaena’s dragon, Dreamfyre, is killed, along with Prince Joffrey, one of Rhaenyra’s sons, and Syrax, the Queen’s dragon.

There’s a great deal happening in the story, and I’m genuinely concerned about whether Season 3 will be able to cover everything properly. It’s also important to remember that Helaena’s death occurs after the Battle Above the God’s Eye, a huge battle fought on dragonback between Daemon and Aemond. That event doesn’t seem likely to happen until Season 4, primarily because HBO probably wants to keep Matt Smith available to promote the last season, and building anticipation for that long-awaited confrontation would be excellent for publicity. But will Helaena’s death be delayed until then as well?

According to George R.R. Martin, the events surrounding House of the Dragon Season 2, specifically the removal of Maelor, suggest a grim fate for Helaena. In a now-deleted blog post, he indicated that Helaena is still planned to take her own life in Season 3, but “for no particular reason. There is no fresh horror, no triggering event to overwhelm the fragile young queen.” While these plans are subject to change, this revelation makes Helaena’s storyline somewhat confusing and worrying as we approach the third season.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is being filmed now, and viewers can expect to see it on HBO and HBO Max around summer 2026.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

Read More

2025-09-30 20:22