House of the Dragon Season 3 episode 1 will straightaway begin with the Battle of Gullet, which is the bloodiest war of the Dance of the Dragons. This war and its consequences will essentially decide how the rest of the season proceeds.
Despite being the first episode of the season, we’re going to have one or more deaths in the House of the Dragon Season 3 premiere episode. Moreover, there are going to be other incidents that take place, which will directly affect what happens next in the Dance of the Dragons.
Who will die in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 1?
House of the Dragon doesn’t follow Fire & Blood word by word, but it stays true to the source material for all the major events and storylines. In Fire and Blood, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon dies during the Battle of Gullet, and as early reviews state, the same will happen in the show.
In the book, Jacaerys died while leading the attack against the Triarchy on his dragon Vermax. During the attack, Vermax flew too low and was either wounded by ballista fire or got tangled in ship rigging, which caused the dragon to crash into the sea.
Jace did not die in the crash. He managed to unclip from the saddle and break free and briefly clung on to a piece of floating wreckage. However, before he could be rescued, crossbowmen aboard the nearest Myrish vessel shot at him multiple times, with one bolt striking him in the neck and killing him. His body sunk beneath the waters and was never found.
As early reviews suggest, Jace’s death will take place in the premiere episode of House of the Dragon Season 3. The exact details around why he dies might be different in the show, but he will surely die when he’s fighting the Triarchy in the Battle of Gullet.
Rhaenyra’s children will get seperated
Jace’s death is not only a huge loss for Rhaenyra as a mother but also as a queen who is trying to rightfully claim the throne. With Jace dead, Rhaenyra doesn’t have an heir since her other three sons are too young to rule. In House of the Dragon Season 3’s premiere episode, Aegon III and Prince Viserys II will be at the Battle of Gullet, and as the early reviews state, Viserys II will get kidnapped by the Triarchy and initially be presumed to be dead.
Prince Aegon III will manage to escape the battle in time on his dragon, Stormcloud, and fly back home to Dragonstone to warn his family of what’s happened. Jace’s death and Viserys II’s apparent death will shatter whatever possibility of reconciliation between Alicent and Rhaenyra was.
Alicent hoped for peace when she visited Rhaenyra at the end of Season 2, but the events of the Battle of Gullet will leave no space for diplomacy and turn the conflict into a full-blown war with no realistic path back to peace. Losing both Jace and Viserys II (since he is presumed dead initially) will change the way Rhaenyra has been dealing with the civil war. It will be the final push that makes Rhaenyra ruthless.
House of the Dragon Season 3 episode 1 will premiere on HBO and HBO Max on June 21, 2026.
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Edited by Riddhee