1 of 4 | Season 3 of “House of Dragon” opened Sunday with an epic battle scene that disrupts the line of succession for the Iron Throne. Photo courtesy of HBO
The Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, opened Season 3 with a stunning death that will, no doubt, have serious ramifications in upcoming episodes.
Spoilers ahead.
Some victories cost everything. #HOTD pic.twitter.com/jD2dA9akCM— House of the Dragon (@HouseofDragon) June 22, 2026
After undermining a peace deal between his mother Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke), the mother of two challengers to the Iron Throne, Jace (Harry Collett) flies into the sea battle of the Gullet on his dragon Vermax.
Vermax is mortally wounded and plunges Jace into the ocean where he is shot with numerous arrows and dies.
“He’s got a rough plan in his head, but everyone would probably think that they have their ideas about battle and not really realize how difficult it is and I think he can be quite cocky sometimes in thinking about how good he is at certain things,” Collett, 22, told reporters in a recent Zoom round-table interview.
“He’s not really thought this through massively. I think he’s like, ‘OK, Mother’s safe,'” the actor said.
“This is probably the first time we see Jace smile throughout, probably, the entire series. He’s just been a grumpy teenager before. But it shows what he really loves and what he’s been waiting for and this is the moment where he can prove that he’s not just a bastard. He wants to be a hero Targaryen, like everybody else.”
Collett said he didn’t think Jace would have sacrificed himself to save Vermax if he had the opportunity.
“Going to be honest, no. Not for a dragon,” he explained.
“He knows that he’s going to sit the throne one day and that would be more important to him and he could possibly try and claim another dragon,” Collett added.
“He’s got that Targaryen blood in him, so I think that he’s very saddened and they probably grew up together and it was probably one of his best mates, but I think Jace would put his life over Vermax’s.”
Scenes that would eventually feature dragons, thanks to CGI magic, were among the most difficult to film, according to the actor.
“I was, obviously, expecting it to be fun,” he said
“I did not expect it to be that challenging, but I was so excited to see how it would look when it was finished,” Collett added. “It exceeded expectations with the way it looked on the final product.”
The actor said he was happy to have the chance to develop the character from an immature young heir to a man who makes bold decisions and bravely fights epic battles to protect his mother and her kingdom.
“It’s just something new, something fresh, and something that my character’s never done before and something that me as an actor has never done before,” Collett said.
“It just felt good to finally do something new and be in the full frontliness of this absolute madness and not be stuck at home.”
Collett was sad to leave the show but feels like his character got a satisfying send-off.
“I’m just very grateful I was even in it in the first place. I would be content, even if I went in Season 1,” he emphasized.
“It’s such an amazing show and it’s such a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Collette added.
“I pinch myself every day because of it and am forever grateful. I’ll never look it and go, ‘Damn, I’m dead in Season 3.’ I’ll never, ever look at it that way and what a good way to go. It’s not boring. It’s quite an impactful death. It’s sort of like a Red Wedding vibe death. I’ll take it.”
Quiet in the Realm. #HOTD Season 3 starts NOW. pic.twitter.com/RrhbfpG8Fl— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) June 22, 2026
