The season 3 premiere of House of the Dragon opened with a bloody naval engagement that claimed the life of Prince Jacaerys Velaryon. The Battle of the Gullet delivered a death for Rhaenyra’s eldest son that matched the brutality fans expected from the Game of Thrones universe. Harry Collett’s character met his end in the first episode of the new season, which premiered on HBO and Max on June 21, 2026. The sequence unfolded with a harpoon strike, a drowning dragon, and a volley of arrows that left no doubt about Jace’s fate.
The Battle of the Gullet Claims the Black Queen’s Heir
Jacaerys Velaryon perished in the narrow sea between Dragonstone and Driftmark, a waterway known as the Gullet. The episode depicted the Triarchy fleet’s assault on Corlys Velaryon’s navy. Admiral Sharako Lohar commanded the attacking forces with a personal vendetta against the Sea Snake. Jace locked his mother Rhaenyra in her chambers to prevent her from joining the fight, then flew out on his dragon Vermax alongside Baela Targaryen to defend their fleet.
The battle turned against the prince when Triarchy forces deployed scorpion weapons against the dragons. A large bolt struck Vermax mid-air, dragging the dragon into the water. The beast drowned in the sea, unable to survive underwater. Jace managed to free himself from his saddle but faced a rain of arrows from enemy ships. Multiple projectiles struck the prince, killing him in the water.
Showrunner Ryan Condal and the writing team adapted this sequence from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, where Jace also dies during the Battle of the Gullet. The show maintained the book’s outcome while expanding the action into a full-scale naval confrontation. The premiere wasted no time delivering a major character death, setting a grim tone for the season ahead.
Harry Collett Reflects on Jace’s Heroic End
Harry Collett, who portrayed Jace since season 1, spoke about his character’s final moments and the prince’s motivation for joining the battle. The actor noted Jace’s desire to prove himself as a worthy Targaryen heir, not just a bastard son. He described Jace’s mindset as cocky and eager to demonstrate his combat skills. Collett said Jace had not fully considered the dangers of the battle and acted on impulse to protect his mother and prove his worth.
“I think he’s like, ‘OK, Mother’s safe.’ This is probably the first time we see Jace smile throughout the entire series,” Collett told reporters. “He’s just been a grumpy teenager before. But it shows what he really loves and what he’s been waiting for. 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 also addressed whether Jace would have sacrificed himself to save Vermax. The actor said his character would have prioritized his own survival over the dragon’s. “Going to be honest, no. Not for a dragon,” Collett said. “He knows that he’s going to sit the throne one day and that would be more important to him. He’s got that Targaryen blood in him. Jace would put his life over Vermax’s.”
Emma D’Arcy Calls Jace’s Death an Insurmountable Loss
Emma D’Arcy, who portrays Queen Rhaenyra, discussed the impact of Jace’s death on her character. The loss represents a devastating blow for Rhaenyra, who previously lost her son Lucerys in season 1. D’Arcy described Jace’s death as a point of no return for the grieving mother.
“I think for Rhaenyra, Jace’s death is an insurmountable loss, honestly. It’s unprocessable,” D’Arcy said during a press roundtable. “But I think grief actually sometimes simplifies things. It offers her a sort of nihilism in that final part of the journey.”
The actor also noted the off-screen impact of losing a cast member. “The relationships that we have on the show and the friendships that we form are very real. They’re friends of mine. There is always a life imitating art aspect to a character death because we lose a company member. Those days have an atmosphere necessarily,” D’Arcy said.
Admiral Sharako Lohar Meets Her Own Brutal End
The premiere also depicted the death of Admiral Sharako Lohar, the Triarchy commander who orchestrated the attack. The character, portrayed by Abigail Thorn, drowned at the hands of Alyn of Hull after a personal confrontation with Corlys Velaryon. This death represents a significant departure from Martin’s source material, where the admiral survived the battle and died later from unrelated causes.
Thorn explained that she shaped Lohar’s final moments through collaboration with the show’s creative team. “The script just says that they fight and she dies. I decided that in her very final moments, she is just a woman who is afraid,” Thorn told Radio Times. “In that final moment, I think you see everything that this battle and this quest has cost her. It makes Alyn look like a real monster as well.”
The actress described the drowning scene as intentionally shocking. “In the end, she’s a woman being drowned by a much larger man, and it is shocking,” Thorn said. She spoke about the thematic weight of the sequence, noting how Alyn of Hull becomes infected by the same vengeance that consumed Lohar. “The germ has been passed to him. And that sets up the entire Season 3,” Thorn told USA Today.
Tyland Lannister Presumed Dead After Premiere
The opening episode also claimed Tyland Lannister, the twin brother of Ser Erryk Cargyll. The Lannister character, played by Jefferson Hall, ended up dumped overboard by Admiral Lohar. Lohar ordered the heavily armored Lannister and his comrades thrown into the water to lighten her ship’s load before engaging the Velaryon fleet. The character’s fate remains ambiguous, but the episode portrayed the event as a death.
His twin, Ser Erryk Cargyll, died earlier in the series during the season 2 duel with his brother Arryk. The Lannister twins’ fates now mirror each other in the show’s narrative, with both meeting their ends at sea. The premiere’s multiple deaths established the high cost of the Targaryen civil war and the willingness of the show’s creators to follow the source material’s brutal outcomes.
Rhaenyra’s Line Suffers Another Heavy Loss
Jace’s death leaves Rhaenyra with only one living son among the children fathered by Laenor Velaryon. Her youngest, Joffrey, and her sons with Daemon Targaryen, Aegon the Younger and Viserys, remain alive. The succession for the Black faction now falls to her remaining children, though the war continues to escalate.
The premiere set up the season’s remaining episodes, which will air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max. The season finale is scheduled for August 9, 2026. Episodes also stream on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK, Crave in Canada, and Binge and Foxtel in Australia.
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The Show’s Adaptation Follows Martin’s Outline
Ryan Condal’s adaptation has remained consistent with Fire & Blood‘s major plot points while expanding smaller moments into full sequences. Jace’s death during the Battle of the Gullet matches the book’s version, though the show’s portrayal includes additional details and character moments. The battle itself represents one of the larger action sequences in the series to date, combining naval warfare with dragon combat.
The show’s creative team previously delayed the Battle of the Gullet from the season 2 finale to the season 3 premiere. Harry Collett told Variety he expected to die in season 2 based on the source material. The delay extended his tenure on the show by one season, allowing his character to participate in the build-up to war. The premiere’s opening battle now positions the remainder of season 3 to explore the war’s escalation across Westeros.
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