With only a few short months left to go before House of the Dragon season 3 premieres on HBO, the anticipation is beginning to grow. HBO's first Game of Thrones spinoff series has a high bar to clear this season, as it adapts several major events from George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood that will see dragons clash in the skies, armies battle it out in the mud, and political schemes run rampant in the halls of power. It should be a fun time!
Even though the Dance of the Dragons civil war is essentially a Shakespearean tragedy set in Westeros, the HBO series has often kept some characters more sympathetic than others. Is anyone really rooting against Rhaenyra Targaryen, the noble queen played by Emma D'Arcy? Does anyone actually like Ser Criston Cole, the bitter, petty knight played by Fabien Frankel? Despite being based on a story where pretty much everyone is different shades of awful, the show keeps things a little more straightforward.
But that's about to change in season 3. Frankel recently appeared at Budapest Comic Con, where he told the crowd that he expected "people's opinions on these characters shift" in the show's final two seasons. Having read Fire & Blood, that statement got me very excited, because if House of the Dragon is going to be as good a story as it can be, it's time for it take the kid gloves off and let some of its heroes be horrible and its villains find unexpected paths toward empathy.
Here are five characters we're expecting to give viewers emotional whiplash in season 3, and force us to rethink just what depths and heights we thought their actions could reach.
1. Rhaenyra Targaryen
Rhaenyra Targaryen has long been the main protagonist of House of the Dragon, at least as much as the series can be said to have one. She has a legitimate claim to the Iron Throne as her father King Viserys' chosen heir, and has proven time and again that she is a capable and compassionate leader who is doing her best to alleviate the suffering of her people. There's also the fact that she was chosen to carry on the memory of the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy, tying her to its destiny.
But if House of the Dragon is going to give viewers anything remotely close to the story laid out in George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, it's going to have to give Rhaenyra the chance to be her worst self. Following a major shift in the status quo that will likely happen near the beginning of season 3, Rhaenyra spirals into paranoia as the war grows ever bloodier and she's surrounded by the schemes of court. She makes some horrible decisions in the source text, and those missteps are key to her character's journey. With only two seasons to go, now is the time to let Rhaenyra give in to her more vicious impulses and transform into a ruler worth fearing as well as following.
2. Criston Cole
On the opposite end of the spectrum we have Ser Criston Cole, arguably the most-hated character in the entire series. Criston is one of the few characters House of the Dragon has allowed to be truly messy and awful, which has made him extremely compelling to watch. Surprisingly, Criston also had one of the best arcs of the show's second season, when it became clear just how deeply the Battle at Rook's Rest had impacted his psyche. The man we see by the end of the season is resigned, believing he's on a one-way march toward death as he heads to war against Daemon Targaryen in the Riverlands.
While I don't expect a full-blown redemption arc for Criston, the way his character shifted during season 2 makes me think we'll at least see him become more three dimensional. Now that he's away from King's Landing and back in his element on the road, Criston will have the chance to prove his mettle as he leads men to battle and fights to stay alive against a vastly superior force. Criston Cole's ugliest impulses came out in the capital, but when he's just trying to lead other soldiers, it's possible that his twisted sense of honor will finally shine bright again.
3. Hugh Hammer
House of the Dragon's handling of the dragonseeds was a higlight of its second season, and of them all, Hugh Hammer stands to have the wildest story in season 3. Hugh was first introduced as a humble blacksmith in King's Landing, but we eventually found out he is a Targaryen bastard descended from the most sordid daughter of King Jaehaerys' reign. He went on to claim his grandfather's dragon, Vermithor, during the Red Sowing in one of the most jaw-dropping moments of the season.
Hugh's wife Kat hails from a city called Tumbleton, an addition of the show that foreshadows this setting where so much drama will unfold later in the Dance of the Dragons. Hugh plays a major role in just about all of that drama, so much so that it would be massive spoilers to even discuss the details. Suffice to say that his new role as a dragonrider is something that will test Hugh, and unlike the more droll rider Ulf the White, Hugh seems to take that new position seriously. But his loyalties have yet to truly be pushed to their limits, and when they are, I have a feeling it's going to floor viewers.
4. Aegon II Targaryen
Aegon II began season 2 as King of the Seven Kingdoms and ended it fleeing King's Landing with Larys Strong, horrifically wounded and crippled for life. He was a standout character in season 2 as a leader completely out of his depth who nonetheless wanted to do a good job, but when he did take his dreadful fall at the Battle at Rook's Rest, it didn't come as massive shock. Aegon may have had personality, but it never truly felt like he had what it took to rule with an iron fist and cunning.
That could be about to change in House of the Dragon season 3, which will explore a part of Aegon's journey that Fire & Blood never touched. In the book, Aegon simply disappears after fleeing King's Landing, and pops up again much later in the story. Actor Tom Glynn-Carney has teased an amazing arc for Aegon in season 3. The show has an opportunity to make viewers who have long supported Team Black question their allegiance, perhaps for the first time, as Rhaenyra succumbs to her darker instincts while Aegon is forced to live in hiding and develop a ground-level view of the Seven Kingdoms. Season 2 made Aegon likable; season 3 has the chance to make him actually feel like a man worthy of the crown — or at least one capable of keeping it.
5. Daemon Targaryen
Daemon Targaryen had perhaps the weakest storyline of House of the Dragon season 2, which saw everyone's favorite rogue prince relegated to a vision quest journey in the haunted castle of Harrenhal for nearly the entire season. Yes, it gave actor Matt Smith plenty of room to explore Daemon's psyche, but the character is at his best when he's able to mix things up and keep the rest of the cast on their toes. And to do that he needs to, well, do stuff.
Season 3 will have plenty for Daemon to do, as he leads the armies of the Riverlands to war. There are a few significant battles that take place in the region during this period of the Dance of the Dragons, and while Daemon may not be present for every single one, we've already seen a picture of him getting his hands dirty on the battlefield. We're finally getting a return to Daemon's more dangerous side!
At the same time, I don't expect Daemon to fully regress into the chaos agent he was in the first season of the series, despite the fact that that's probably what most fans would prefer. Daemon is nearly 50 years old at this point in the story, and in Fire & Blood, there's a certain uncharacteristic weariness that begins to slowly settle over him as he reaches the end of his arc. Don't get me wrong, Daemon never loses his taste for a good war crime, but he does reach a sort of acceptance that the final events of his life will be what they will be.
Daemon is the opposite of many of the other characters in this list. Yes, we will amost certainly get more of what we want out of him in season 3...but there's a good chance we're also going to see a contemplative, more mature side of the Prince Consort emerge as the season wears on.
House of the Dragon season 3 premieres on HBO in June 2026.