The countdown is on until House of the Dragon season 3 finally hits our screens. Since some of the cast stopped by CCXP in Mexico City last month, HBO’s marketing has really stepped up, providing us not only a new teaser trailer but the release date as well. And this week, the show chose an unconventional—but very fun—way to release the latest poster, which features most of the main players of the Dance of the Dragons. Check it out below:
From Tuesday to Wednesday of this week, the official House of the Dragon account on X chose a handful of creators in the space—including us—to drop pieces of the poster like a puzzle. After writing about Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon Targaryen) as part of our news sweep yesterday, the show gave us Aegon’s piece of the poster to share exclusively.
So what’s going on in this poster and what does it mean? It’s easy to compare this art to a renaissance painting, depicting a point in Targaryen history worth learning about. It’s no doubt dramatic, showing characters in deep emotion and/or in action. The biggest takeaway from this poster is Rhaenyra’s position. Sitting at the base of the Iron Throne, she’s not quite sitting on it, but she’s close enough. This, of course, teases what’ll happen in the third season.
Warning: Fire & Blood spoilers ahead!
One of the biggest events we can expect to happen in House of the Dragon season 3 (likely early on) is the Fall of King’s Landing. With Aegon and Aemond Targaryen away from the Iron Throne, the Blacks find the perfect opportunity to invade. Rhaenyra will sit the Iron Throne again—though, if the show follows the book, she will face a bad omen when she does: getting cut by it. We’re very curious to see if this plays out onscreen.
New House of the Dragon season 3 poster is full of tension and teases
To Rhaenyra’s right on the poster, we see Daemon Targaryen, who clutches his sword ready to attack anyone who stands in his queen’s way. He is a major player in the Fall of King’s Landing, turning the City Watch against the Greens through his personal relationship with the men, having previously commanded the gold cloaks.
It’s interesting that this poster puts Daemon head to head with Aemond Targaryen, who is shown on the left side of Rhaenyra. Book fans have speculated this count be a nod to the Battle Above the God’s Eye. While it’s certainly possible this is a purposeful hint, we shouldn’t expect that major moment to happen until season 4.
Elsewhere in the poster, we have three Targaryens with their arms outstretched toward Rhaenyra—either to offer her support or to take the Iron Throne for themselves. On the righthand side, Jacaerys Velaryon reaches for his mom, no doubt in support, while Baela Targaryen reaches out while looking down at her sister, Rhaena Targayren, and their grandfather, Corlys Velaryon. Corlys will be very busy with his fleet in season 3, particularly in the Battle of the Gullet which likely will kick off the season.
Baela and Rhaena have been given bigger storylines in the show, so we can expect them to make an impact on the war in season 3. Rhaena has seemingly somewhat replaced a book character named Nettles, having located a wild dragon named Sheepstealer in the second season. But we’ll have to see how much more their characters are merged.
The third Targaryen reaching up at Rhaenyra is Aegon Targaryen, her younger brother who usurps the crown from her in season 1. But after Larys Strong smuggles him out of King’s Landing in season 2, he’s not there to protect the Throne. It’s noteworthy that Aegon is depicted so far down on the poster, away from the action. We shouldn’t expect him to play a big role in the battles this season, but he is the one the Greens want to rule. His placement further suggests that the war is so much bigger than just Aegon vs. Rhaenyra. Is anyone even concerned about where Aegon is in season 3? We’ll find out.
And finally, last but not least, we have Alicent Hightower and her daughter Helaena Targaryen. While Helaena looks away, Alicent appears to be staring up, concerned, at Daemon. This makes sense, as Alicent and Helaena are at King’s Landing when the Blacks invade, though considering the show’s big focus on Alicent and Rhaenyra’s relationship, I would’ve expected her to be staring dead at Rhaenyra.
The throne room steps are full of tension and teases, leading up not just to Rhaenyra near the Throne but also the words: “Win or Die.” Of course, this is a Game of Thrones show, so we should expect major deaths in House of the Dragon season 3. Noticeably absent from the poster is Criston Cole, who could very well be on the chopping block, among several other characters—including one who is on the poster.
The war continues when House of the Dragon season 3 premieres on Sunday, June 21. Check back with us at Winter Is Coming for our continued coverage of the prequel spinoff.
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