In the modern day, the term "mutually assured destruction" is most associated with the use of nuclear weapons in war; if one side uses an atomic bomb against the other, there will be retaliation. In regard to the Game of Thrones universe, the "nuclear bombs" are dragons, and in the war at the heart of House of the Dragon — the Dance of the Dragons — both the Greens and the Blacks have dragons in their arsenals.
The Dance of the Dragons pits Queen Alicent Hightower and her son, King Aegon II Targaryen, against Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, who was named heir by her father, King Viserys I (Paddy Considine). The war between them is a key and significant time in Westeros' history, marking the only time that two sides had dragons in battle. The biggest and most intimidating beasts come in the form of Aemond Targaryen's Vhagar, the largest dragon in Westeros, and Daemon Targaryen's Caraxes, arguably the most formidable and experienced dragon in battle.
With dragons on both sides, House of the Dragon ensures mutually assured destruction. “I think the thing this show contends with that the original Game of Thrones did not contend with, at least until the very end, is this idea of there are nuclear weapons in play, and there are nuclear weapons in play on both sides," showrunner Ryan Condal recently explained to Deadline. "So really you have this classic Cold War standoff of mutually assured destruction."
The Dance of the Dragons fully begins in Season 2, but what we've seen so far is nothing compared to Season 3. “The war really kicks off in Season 2, but it’s done in fits and starts, because nobody wants to make the big move that is going to break down the wrath of [the dragon] Vhagar or Daemon, because they realize that if it goes too far, you could just have ash left over. But, of course, that builds and builds and builds, and at some point the cork comes off the champagne bottle, and that’s where we begin here in Season 3.”
One of the defining battles in season 3 is the Battle of the Gullet, perhaps the most significant naval skirmish in Westeros' history. It sees the forces of the Triarchy launch an attack against the Sea Snake's blockade at the Gullet, which was starving King's Landing of resources. In that battle, dragons play an enormous, devastating role. It serves as a brutal example of the mutually assured destruction at play within the Dance of the Dragons. We're not seeing one or two dragons in battle; there's multiple.
“There is a lot of dragon action,” Condal teased. “There are new ones that we haven’t really spent any time with at all that you’ll be very excited to see, and some old favorites come back in and get lots of exciting screen time and action."
If one thing about season 3 is certain, it's a gluttony of fire and blood.
House of the Dragon season 3 premieres June 21 on HBO and HBO Max.
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