House of the Dragon developed designs for the Cannibal, a new wild dragon we could see in season 4

If you’re like most people who are obsessed with fantasy shows, you’re waiting for the next season of House of the Dragon. And while season 3 has come to an end and we now have to wait at least two years for the conclusive fourth season, we can at least start theorizing about what’s going to happen next — and that might involve a new, highly-anticipated dragon.

We already have so many dragons in House of the Dragon that it’s sometimes hard to keep track of who rides which one and where each is at any given time. Heck, at the end of season 3, we still don’t know where Vhagar flew off to. But just because there are so many dragons doesn’t mean we might not see more. And thanks to a recent VFX breakdown, we just got a hint that we might get to see another extremely exciting new wild dragon like Sheepstealer in season 4.

1. A new HBO behind-the-scenes hint at the Cannibal
2. Who is the Cannibal?
3. Ryan Condal has hinted at “more dragons” coming in season 4

A new HBO behind-the-scenes hint at the Cannibal

If you’re not on YouTube, you might miss that HBO often posts plenty of behind-the-scenes videos for the series. One in particular, uploaded in August 2026, covered how the dragons were made, including their VFX designs. With a show called House of the Dragon, there’s bound to be a lot that goes into it. If you want to watch the full video, check it out below:

That said, eagle-eyed fans spotted one particular moment that points to a certain design. In a still that talks about Sheepstealer, there’s a line underneath it that says that an underbite was added that’s “similar to Cannibal head design.” Here’s a screenshot of it below:

Several dragons mentioned in Fire & Blood haven't appeared in the show, and some have even been mentioned by name in the show but not seen (like Tyraxes). But the Cannibal is a major dragon who could potentially change the story a little if he becomes a big part of season 4.

Who is the Cannibal?

For those who don’t know, the Cannibal is exactly what his name suggests — a dragon who straight up eats other dragons.

The Cannibal isn’t a dragon that purposefully hunts down bigger dragons or even dragons of the same size. However, he feasts on dragon eggs, hatchlings, and the corpses of dead dragons. The Cannibal is quite a large beast, with coal-black scales and green eyes. According to Fire & Blood, he lived on Dragonstone during the Dance of the Dragons. He was a dragon who became relevant during the book's version of the Red Sowing, though no dragonseeds were daring enough to try to claim him.

We haven’t seen this dragon in the show, but we do know that there were dragons on Dragonstone that went untamed. We wouldn’t have had several dragonseeds come forward to claim them in season 2 if that weren’t the case. So maybe the Cannibal has been hiding. However, is there a chance we might see him in season 4?

Ryan Condal has hinted at “more dragons” coming in season 4

Several dragons will have bigger roles in season 4 of House of the Dragon, but we’ve met so many of them already. Would we really get new ones in season 4 when there are already a decent number in the war?

Turns out, the answer is yes. House of the Dragon's showrunner, Ryan Condal, said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that there would be new dragons in the fourth and final season, as well as new characters and new locations. As I mentioned before, there are several dragons we haven’t seen yet, and if the Cannibal were to make an appearance in season 4, that would be a huge moment.

Some context clues make me think we won’t get so lucky. I think if we’re going to see the Cannibal at all, it’ll be at the very end of season 4. Without spoiling everything that happens, several dragons will die during this timeframe. While there will be plenty of dominant dragons next season, many will also meet their end.

I believe the Cannibal, if he does appear, will come out at the very end of season 4 to feast on the corpses of dead dragons. I think he might be one last shock to the viewer who doesn’t know what the Cannibal is, and to show how even dragons fight against each other — and can easily feast on them if they want.

Other than that, I can’t see the Cannibal being an active participant in this war. He's a wild dragon, and while Condal also hinted at more wild dragons, how much more time can we devote to that when there’s still so much to wrap up? No one has ever tamed Cannibal and most likely never will, and the dragon wouldn’t be stupid enough to throw itself into the middle of a battle just to kill another dragon.

There’s also the possibility that the show could just be using the Cannibal’s art design as guidance for Sheepstealer in the VFX studio. Maybe we won’t even see the Cannibal in the series. But for now, we know that a design was created for this dragon, and all we can do is theorize about what might happen next.

Stream all three available seasons of House of the Dragon on HBO Max. Season 4 is due to begin filming in early 2027.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow