Today, HBO unveiled its latest teaser trailer for House of the Dragon season 3, and it is as chilling as it is epic. The third season of the Game of Thrones spinoff sees the Dance of the Dragons civil war reach its darkest stretch yet, as battle tears the realm apart and tragedies strike close to home for characters like Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy), Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), and the rest of their respective families.
Now that the trailer is out there and we've all watched it at least a half dozen times (right?), let's home in on a few of the highlights. From breathtaking new footage of dragons in flight, to revealing snippets of warriors like Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) fighting in unexpected locations, there's plenty to get excited about. Here are 10 highlights from this trailer that will have us counting down the days until June 21.
1. The dragons
Is this first one a bit broad? Sure. But look, however you feel about House of the Dragon's divisive second season finale, the one thing I think everyone can agree on is that the dragons are stunning. There are nearly two dozen of the beasties in the show, and each has its own personality and visual identity. Anytime we get new dragon footage, it's worth noting.
And there is a lot of it in this trailer, from Rhaenyra going for a meditative flight near Dragonstone on Syrax, to Aemond's mount Vhagar torching everything in sight, to Caraxes looming over an army of Riverlanders and dragon reinforcements arriving at the Battle of the Gullet. If the sight of these dragons in all their epic glory doesn't get your blood racing, then what are you even doing here?
2. Ormund Hightower
House of the Dragon has had a large ensemble cast from the outset, which can make it difficult for new faces to stand out next to the likes of Rhaenyra, Daemon, and other fan favorites. But one character poised to have a large impact on season 3 is Ormund Hightower, Otto Hightower's nephew played by James Norton. Showrunner Ryan Condal teased that Ormund is the "biggest new role" the show has added since its first season, and with this trailer, I'm starting to believe him.
We finally get a little bit of a feel for who Otto is and how he comes across on screen, as Norton proclaims the savagery of the Targaryens and the "holy purpose" driving his own army. Seeing Ormund both at war with his army and making speeches in a city, it really feels like a new power player is entering the field who can give any of the established characters a run for their money.
3. The arrival of House Stark to the war
So far, the Dance of the Dragons civil war has stayed relatively focused on the rival branches of House Targaryen and their close allies, like the Velaryons, Hightowers, and Lannisters. But in season 3, the conflict is going to expand in major ways, with new fronts opening up in the Reach and the Riverlands.
The most notable new army taking the field is the Winter Wolves, a group of old House Stark warriors who march south assuming they'll never make the return trip home. We caught a glimpse of them in the ending montage for season 2, and Tommy Flanagan has been cast as their leader, Ser Roderick Dustin, a.k.a. Roddy the Ruin. They're going to have a huge impact on the Riverlands campaign, and in this trailer we catch multiple glimpses of them, from their forces meeting with Daemon Targaryen's Tully army, to long knives banging against a Stark shield. It's going to be great to have the North back in the mix after it has sat on the sidelines for so much of this Game of Thrones spinoff.
4. Aemond Targaryen storming Harrenhal
There's plenty of action in the new House of the Dragon season 3 teaser trailer, but some of the most thrilling scenes focus on Ewan Mitchell's one-eyed dragonrider, Aemond Targaryen. While we do see Aemond on the Iron Throne, the more intriguing scenes see him afield on his gargantuan dragon, Vhagar. Vhagar burns a decrepit old castle and all those unlucky enough to be in her way, while later on Aemond storms down the hallways in black armor without his signature eyepatch, before demanding someone take up their sword.
That castle we're seeing is Harrenhal, the seat of power in the Riverlands where Daemon Targaryen spent most of season 2. If the show follows George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood — which it looks like it will in this respect — Aemond will capture the castle early in the season. We've seen Aemond play at regent, but now we'll see him in the field, where he can bring his most terrifying tendencies to bear.
5. Rhaenyra Targaryen taking King's Landing
While there will no doubt be lots of unexpected twists and turns in House of the Dragon season 3, one development that has to happen right near the start of the season is that Rhaenyra Targaryen will finally capture King's Landing and claim the Iron Throne, which lays the stage for most of the main events of the back half of the Dance of the Dragons. The show hasn't made any secret of this with its marketing, including a poster that features Rhaenyra on the Iron Throne. But the new teaser kicks that up a notch by actually showing us Team Black taking power in King's Landing.
The most notable of those moments is a shot of the Iron Throne with Team Black banners draped the walls behind it. Elsewhere, we see Rhaenyra burning Team Green banners. So suffice to say, the show has basically now confirmed Rhaenyra's capture of King's Landing is coming — and since I'm anticipating most of the scenes in this teaser will be on the earlier side of the season, I'd expect it no later than Episode 2.
6. Alicent and Helaena face Rhaenyra's judgment
Connected to Rhaenyra's capture of King's Landing is the start of a plotline I've been anticipating since this show was first announced. One of Rhaenyra's very first acts after she sits the Iron Throne is to bring every remaining member of Team Green's power structure who didn't escape in for judgment. That includes her rival, Alicent Hightower, who is promptly taken into captivity for the long haul.
It's been a little unclear how the show will navigate this plotline given its changes to Alicent and Rhaenyra's relationship, but we do get a look at Alicent and her daughter, Helaena (Phia Saban) being brought before the Iron Throne by Gold Cloaks, who will of course side with their former master, Daemon, during Rhaenyra's move to take the city. However House of the Dragon handles the Alicent and Rhaenyra dynamic, it should be central to this season.
7. Daemon Targaryen raids the Red Keep
A mirror to Aemond's assault on Harrenhal, we catch a very brief look at Daemon Targaryen fighting his way through the Red Keep. That's him above, slicing up Team Green men-at-arms in the chamber that Cersei Lannister will one day have pained with a floor-length mural of the Seven Kingdoms. Right now, it's only painted with the blood of those who stood in Daemon's path.
This scene will obviously be part of Rhaenyra's assault on King's Landing, which Daemon is present for in the book. It looks like he'll also be there in the show, but it hits even harder because we've actually seen Daemon live out so much of his life in this castle. Now he has to fight his way back into his ancestral home, in order to re-claim it for the heir his deceased brother chose to succeed him.
8. Criston Cole's doomed march through the Riverlands
One of the more interesting storylines in House of the Dragon season 2 centered around Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), and if anyone had told me that I was going to be saying that before the season aired, I would have called them a liar. But Criston's transformation from an insecure, petty knight, to a commander totally out of his depth, to a man who has seen how futile it is to fight in the face of dragons and accepts his fate, was riveting. I didn't feel bad for Criston by the end of season 2, but his speech about the doomed natured of his expedition into the Riverlands was a high point in an otherwise lukewarm finale.
The season 3 teaser trailer shows more of Criston's journey, and every single shot feels like its weighed down with the inescapable burden of a knowing the end is near. While armies are clashing, we see more shots of Criston's men sneaking through forests and overgrown fields, as well as in a few pitched battles. I never would have expected to be so excited for Criston Cole's story in season 3, but House of the Dragon has hooked me with it.
9. The lack of the Gullet
While House of the Dragon season 3 will have a sweeping story that covers a lot of ground, the part that has received the most press so far is the Battle of the Gullet, a massive naval battle which was originally planned as a capstone to season 2, but was shuffled to the start of season 3 due to cuts from the studio. We've heard about the Battle of the Gullet from the cast and crew, and the first teaser featured plenty of shots of dragons flying amidst fleets.
Those shots may be absolutely thrilling, but the season will need much more to stand on than this one battle that wasn't even originally planned for it. Thankfully, this new teaser trailer only features a couple of shots from the Battle of the Gullet, such as dragon reinforcements arriving over a Velaryon ship and Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim) fighting enemy sailors. I am ridiculously excited to watch the Battle of the Gullet, but I'm very glad House of the Dragon shifted the focus to the season at large, because it makes the new teaser stand out from what's come before.
10. Rhaenyra Targaryen's descent into darkness
If I had to pick one plotline in House of the Dragon that will be most important for the show to land in season 3, it's Rhaenyra Targaryen's difficulty to maintain her rule once she captures King's Landing. In the book, Rhaenyra undergoes a gradual slide into paranoia and cruelty that alienates her from her closest allies and creates a horrible reputation amongst the smallfolk. House of the Dragon has often dulled the more vicious edges of its characters compared to their book counterparts, but if there's one instance where it's absolutely crucial that it doesn't go down that road, it's with Rhaenyra's dark side.
The trailer gave me the most hope yet that the show will actually commit to that storyline, because Rhaenyra is not in a good way in this trailer. Yes, she's claiming the Iron Throne, but her dead-voiced proclamation that "There will be no doubt who the gods have chosen to rule," sounds downright terrifying. We also see her sobbing in front of a skull which has had all the flesh burned off it, and some foreshadowing for how badly a certain loss at the Battle of the Gullet is going to wreck her.
It remains to be seen whether House of the Dragon can pull off Rhaenyra's downward spiral effectively, but the chills I got during this trailer make me believe the show might just pull it off.
We'll find out soon enough. House of the Dragon season 3 premieres June 21 on HBO and HBO Max.
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