Like its sister show Game of Thrones, HBO's House of the Dragon is a sprawling tale filled with an ever-growing ensemble of characters. Some are more important than others, but all of them contribute to the overall tapestry of the story. As the Dance of the Dragons civil war nears its next deadly clash at the First Battle of Tumbleton, some of those seemingly minor character will rise to the forefront.
We've seen plenty of the likes of Rhaenyra Targaryen, Alicent Hightower, and Daemon Targaryen; now it's time for others to step up and perform great acts of heroism of villainy. Or, heck, even just get a little bit more screentime to sell us on their long-term importance to the show's story before we head into the two-year drought between seasons.
Here are 7 overlooked characters we want to see more of in the House of the Dragon season 3 finale.
1. Rhaena Targaryen
Rhaena Targaryen's storyline has been controversial this season, with the show giving her a book arc with the dragon Sheepstealer that belonged to a totally different character, named Nettles. The result has been compelling, with Rhaena going feral in the Vale and hiding out with her wild dragon while she tries to evade Rhaenyra's wrath, since the Black Queen believes Sheepstealer's rider to be the cause of her son Jacaerys Velaryon's death at the Battle of the Gullet.
It all came to a head in episode 7, where Rhaenyra and Addam of Hull finally cornered Sheepstealer and uncovered the identity of his rider. Now that Rhaena is back in King's Landing and separated from the wounded dragon, we need some inkling of what's going to come next for the character. There's only one more episode left for House of the Dragon to do it this season, so it needs to give us something to cap off Rhaena's unique show storyline before the credits roll.
2. Baela Targaryen
The same can be said for Rhaena's sister, Baela Targaryen — except there's an even better reason for Baela to come into focus in the season finale: the return of Aegon Targaryen's dragon, Sunfyre. All season, Baela has been scouting for the Blacks in search of Vhagar. While she has remained one step behind Aemond Targaryen's monstrous dragon, Baela reported to the queen that Aegon's dragon Sunfyre was dead in the forest near Rook's Rest, his corpse slowly decomposing in the weeks following the devastating battle there.
Except it turns out Sunfyre wasn't quite dead, and now word is about to spread like wildfire that Aegon is still alive, too. We get a glimpse in the season finale trailer of Rhaenyra clutching Baela's face in an intimidating manner; I think there's a decent chance this will be tied to news of Sunfyre and Aegon's rebirth.
Since the Battle of the Gullet, Baela has spent the rest of season 3 floundering as she tries to find her new place in the order of things, while her step mother the queen has kept her as busy as possible to create distance between them. That schism may come to a head in the finale, which means we'll need to spend enough time with Baela to close out this arc properly. My guess is that we'll see Rhaenyra banish Baela from court by sending her back to Dragonstone, where she'll be positioned for a key part of her character's book arc that should happen there in season 4.
3. Addam of Hull
It's felt a little bit like House of the Dragon is treading water with Addam of Hull this season, and I'm really hoping that changes in the finale. The first dragonseed to join Team Black, Addam has largely just scouted around with Baela while catching unreciprocated feelings for her. The main other thing he's had going for him is a story beat where Rhaenyra refuses to legitimize him and his brother, Alyn, against their father Corlys Velaryon's wishes. The queen hasn't wanted to be seen legitimizing bastards, for fear that it will draw scrutiny to her own bastard heir, Joffrey Velaryon.
But with the capture of Corlys by the Greens, the succession of Driftmark is in question. If Corlys dies without an heir during the battle at Tumbleton, it will destabilize a crucial house allied to Rhaenyra, depriving her of its remaining soldiers and resources. The one play Rhaenyra has to avert that threat is to legitimize Alyn and Addam, so that House Velaryon will endure no matter what happens in Tumbleton.
Beyond that, Addam's big moment in the war happens in the dark time following the First Battle of Tumbleton. What happens there effects his position in unexpected ways that launch him toward his eventual ending, which is a beloved plot turn in the novel that will almost certainly appear in the show in some form. In order for it to land well, House of the Dragon needs to give us more time with Addam. It's possible the show will save his best material for season 4, but getting a start during the season 3 finale would give us an even better runway toward the fateful day when Addam of Hull proves just how loyal he is to the Blacks.
4. Ulf the White
If there's one character who must get a spotlight in the season finale, it's Ulf the White. Episode 7 ended with the shocker twist that Ormund Hightower has been courting Ulf's favor in hopes of winning him over to the Greens. All season long, Ulf has hoped for more worldly pleasures to go along with his new station as a dragonrider, like a lordship and a castle. Ormund promised him that and more. It appears the Hightower mastermind's efforts have been successful, as the episode ends with Ulf promising those who laughed at him among the Blacks "will burn."
Without going into the details, Ulf's betrayal is one of the defining aspects of the First Battle of Tumbleton. The groundwork has already been laid for it, so it's a pretty much a no-brainer that Ulf and his dragon Silverwing are going to play a crucial part in the season finale.
5. Hugh the Hammer
Another character who will factor into Ulf's betrayal is Hugh the Hammer, the blacksmith dragonseed who rides Vermithor, the second largest dragon in Westeros after Vhagar. To discuss it, we have to get into SPOILERS for how The First Battle of Tumbleton plays out in George R.R. Martin's book, Fire & Blood.
In the book, Hugh betrays the Blacks along with Ulf. House of the Dragon has shown us some of Hugh's personal struggles, like his failed attempt to rescue his wife Kat, who was more horrified at how long he'd left her alone in the middle of a war than she was grateful to finally have an out. While Hugh's season 3 journey has driven home the idea that his life hasn't necessarily improved since becoming a dragonrider, I don't know that it's been enough to really sell his defection.
Something has to give in the season finale, whether that's House of the Dragon deciding not to flip Hugh, or giving him a clearer motivation for going over to the Greens. With Ulf already firmly in Ormund's camp, maybe it'll be him who tempts his fellow dragonrider over, perhaps by convincing Hugh that Ormund is more willing to give him the money and titles he so desperately needs than Rhaenyra has been. If that comes to pass, I imagine we'll get a bitter ending for Hugh where he still doesn't get back into Kat's good graces, since Ormund had her brother Leo killed. Truly, there's no good way through for Hugh the Hammer.
6. Daeron Targaryen
The last dragonrider who needs to get a bigger spotlight at the Battle of Tumbleton is Daeron Targaryen, the youngest son of Viserys and Alicent. Daeron is one of the most important new characters to appear in House of the Dragon season 3, but thus far we've mostly known him as Ormund's unwilling puppet and borderline captive. That dynamic must continue to evolve to remain interesting, and the First Battle of Tumbleton is the place for that to happen.
Ormund has impressed time and again on Daeron that his Targaryen blood is a taint, and that he should not have genuine affection for his dragon, Tessarion. We've only gotten a single scene of Daeron with his young dragon. But with Tessarion present at Tumbleton and Daeron chafing at the fact that Ormund is withholding battle plans from him, the time is ripe for Daeron to have a heroic flight on Tessarion. I'm hoping we'll see him take to the sky at a crucial moment in the battle, turning the tide and actually earning his nickname Daeron the Daring.
7. Joffrey Velaryon
"Who's that?" you may be asking yourself, and no one could blame you. We're only talking about the current heir to the Iron Throne under Queen Rhaenyra, who arrived at the Red Keep back in episode 306 and has yet to have a single scene where he's not sound asleep. Joffrey is Rhaenyra's youngest son with Harwin Strong during her marriage of convenience to Laenor Velaryon. With Jacaerys and Lucerys both dead, the six-year-old Joffrey stands to inherit the most powerful position in the Seven Kingdoms. That makes him both important to the narrative, and in quite a bit of peril; thus far, being a child to one of the major players in this war hasn't been working out well for people.
Despite his brief screentime so far, Joffrey should have a rather large impact on the story down the road. For that to be effective, House of the Dragon has to use this young character for more than set dressing; we need to get to know this kid and get a feel for how he views his mother, the dragons, and the rest of his family. We can't do that if he never does anything but sleep on screen.
I wouldn't expect much screentime for Joffrey by the end of the season, but if we don't get at least one good scene with him and Rhaenyra, it'll feel like a waste to have even involved him in season 3 at all.
House of the Dragon's season 3 finale premieres Sunday, August 9 at 9:00 p.m. EST / 6:00 p.m. PT on HBO and HBO Max. We'll be covering it extensively, so join us for the epic Battle of Tumbleton!
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