This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3.
The penultimate season of HBO’s House of the Dragon has come to an end, and with the finale, we bid farewell to beloved and hated characters alike. In the past eight episodes, Westeros spiraled into full chaos as the Blacks and Greens charged into one battle after another, exchanging assassination plots and forming factions and shady alliances even within their own ranks.
To recall, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) takes over King’s Landing after losing her eldest son and heir, Jacaerys (Harry Collett), in the Battle of the Gullet. We are also introduced to Ormund Hightower (James Norton), cousin of Queen Dowager Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and caretaker of her youngest son, Daeron Targaryen (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth). Ormund has a plan of his own: to defect from the Greens and put Daeron on the Iron Throne in place of the Greens’ incompetent King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), who has gone missing, and the Blacks’ Queen Rhaenyra, who is unfit to rule because she’s a woman.
All the scheming and political talk throughout the show culminates in the First Battle of Tumbleton in Episode 8, bringing the season to an action-packed end and setting the stage for House of the Dragon’s exciting fourth and final season, which we’ll see in 2028.
As we approach the apex of the Dance of the Dragons, we look at where its major players are after Season 3 of House of the Dragon.
Ormund Hightower: Loser
Ormund was a real shit-stirrer, pretending to bend the knee to Rhaenyra and handing over a decoy Daeron to the Blacks, before also wreaking havoc on King’s Landing by hiring assassins to mutilate and kill the city watch. He chose Tumbleton, a meek and peaceful market town, as a Green stronghold with the express intent to make Rhaenyra look like a monster when she sends her army and dragons his way. A religious fundamentalist, he also harbors ill will against Daeron’s ungodly Targaryen side, but still wants to use his nephew for power. While cunning, the Hightower commander’s hubris eventually leads to his demise in the First Battle of Tumbleton when he gets stabbed in the ass by Roderick Dustin (Tommy Flanagan) and burnt by Silverwing. Rest in peace, Ormund, and — quite literally — up yours!
Ulf the White: Winner
Ulf the White (Tom Bennett) might have been the most disloyal, disobedient, and irritating of the dragonseeds, but I must give 10s where 10s are due. Ulf wanted the glory of being a dragonrider, boasting about his status in the taverns until Rhaenyra banned him from them. And when he could no longer find that glory in Team Black, he switched to Team Green, but found out a little later on that he’d also be humiliated. In the end, on the back of Silverwing, he took the opportunity to rain fire on both sides of the Dance. Those who’ve read Fire & Blood know that punishment awaits him for his treasonous streak (though his betrayal against the Greens doesn’t come this early, canonically), but for now, it must feel good for him to put his anger out on the disputed kings and queens of Westeros.
Gwayne Hightower and Daeron Targaryen: Losers
In the world of A Song of Ice & Fire, you just don’t win by being good, and Gwayne (Freddie Fox) and Daeron are great but unfortunate examples of this. In Episode 8, the two try to defect from Ormund and the Greens by attempting to broker a peace deal, in which Daeron, being the only known surviving Hightower-Targaryen claimant, would only rule Oldtown as the Lord of the Reach, while Rhaenyra rules all Seven Kingdoms. But Daemon (Matt Smith), as Rhaenyra’s consort, uncle, and proxy at the Battle of Tumbleton, is also a warmonger out for blood. The deal doesn’t satisfy him, especially as Daeron could still be seen as a threat to Rhaenyra’s reign, and the battle pushes through.
Rhaenyra Targaryen: Winner
Rhaenyra has lost so much in the civil war: her friendship with Alicent, her lover, her gay husband, and two of her sons. After Jace died in Episode 1, Daemon asked if she’d let his death go in vain, and she finally finds the will to take over King’s Landing on dragonback. When she finally sits the Iron Throne, more troubles come her way, from the High Septon refusing to anoint her as queen and the city’s empty treasury to the Gold Cloak assassinations, which have stoked fear and hostility among her people. Despite that, she’s managed to hold down the fort. Her reign over King’s Landing will only get rockier from here, but for now, she has the upper hand.
Aemond Targaryen: Loser
Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) has harbored a resentment against his older brother ever since he ascended the Iron Throne in Season 2. Eventually, it leads to him burning Aegon and Sunfyre at the Battle of Rook’s Rest, and then lying about an incapacitated Aegon abdicating the throne. But a standoff in Harrenhal also leaves him bedridden and Vhagar, Westeros’ biggest, strongest, and oldest living dragon, missing. Stuck in a run-down castle with the witch Alys Rivers, Aemond becomes consumed with guilt over trying to kill Aegon. But it gets worse when the brother he betrayed returns and slaps him in the face.
Aegon Targaryen: Winner
From being incompetent and prodigal, Aegon realizes he can’t squander his gods-given right to rule during his self-imposed exile, and returns to Team Green like a messiah. He’s literally been through some shit, having to disguise himself as a latrine attendant at Rook’s Rest, and then getting a harsh but much-needed pep talk from his Hand, Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), about how useless and miserable he is despite his privilege. It only inflates his ego, but it’s also the push he needs to finally become a worthy opponent to his older half-sister, Rhaenyra.
Alicent Hightower: Loser
Of all this season’s losers, Alicent breaks my heart the most. Say what you will about how she’s been groomed to seize and hold power, but everything she’s done has been in the interest of her children, no matter how messed up they all are. In season 3, she agrees to let go of Aegon, believing him dead, and have Aemond killed, all for the safety of her only good children, Helaena and Daeron. But Helaena dies, Daeron is still out of reach, and the sons she did try to sabotage are poised for a comeback. To make matters worse, Aemond also knows that Alicent tried to poison him. What fate awaits her in the final season, I’m afraid to find out.
House of the Dragon Season 3 is available to stream on HBO Max.
Frequently Asked Questions
House of the Dragon Season 4 is expected to come out in 2028, HBO confirmed in November 2025, ahead of the release of Season 3. It will be the show’s final season.
In the season finale, Daeron seems to disappear in the First Battle of Tumbleton. The episode ends with Gwayne looking around the town for him in the aftermath of the battle. In the book Fire & Blood, Daeron doesn’t disappear until the Second Battle of Tumbleton.
Ulf the White was humiliated by both Daemon Targaryen and Ormund Hightower on separate occasions for lazing away and getting drunk, leading him to betray both teams during the First Battle of Tumbleton. In the book, Ulf only betrays Team Black during the First Battle and goes on to try claiming the Iron Throne for himself, leading the Hightowers to punish him.
Major casualties in the First Battle of Tumbleton include White Wolves commander Roderick Dustin and Ormund Hightower, who fight each other until Ulf kills them with dragonfire.
Following Jace’s death in Episode 1, Rhaenyra’s youngest son, Joffrey, was made her new heir. Up until the events of Season 3, Joffrey was kept in the Eyrie under the watch of Lady Jeyne Arryn to keep him safe amid the civil war.
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