Image via HBO
Published Aug 10, 2026, 5:36 PM EDT
Born with Autism (formerly classified as Asperger syndrome), Tyler B. Searle has been obsessed with storytelling since he was old enough to speak. He gravitated towards fairy tales, mythology, the fantasy genre, and animated movies and shows aimed at family audiences. When not writing, Tyler enjoys watching more cartoons and reading fantasy books in his home in Ontario, Canada.
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Spoiler Alert: This list contains spoilers for the House of the Dragon Season 3 finale.House of the Dragon's third season has come to a close, and it's been a wild ride. After the lackluster second season that ended with all the buildup and no payoff, Season 3 has seen a lot more action and story advancement as The Dance of the Dragons shifts to a new phase. Queen Rhaenyra Targayren (Milly Alcock and Emma D'Arcy) sits on the Iron Throne, but her rule is far from stable, as King Aegon II (Ty Tennant and Tom Glynn-Carney) is still alive and loose in the world, while Lord Ormund Hightower (James Norton) commands an army that opposes her in favor of Aegon's youngest brother, Prince Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth).
Of course, with the war ramping up, not every character makes it to the end of the season. There are several prominent deaths over these eight episodes, from some characters who have been there since Season 1, and others who just showed up. Regardless of their screentime, their deaths have lasting effects on the show.
10 Lord Jasper Wylde
Played by Paul Kennedy
Image via HBONicknamed "Ironrod," Lord Jasper Wylde (Paul Kennedy) became Master of Laws after Lord Lionel Strong (Gavin Spokes) was made Viserys' (Paddy Considine) Hand of the King. Unfortunately, his adherence to the law means that he supports Aegon's claim to the throne. He remained a staunch follower until the fall of King's Landing, where he lost his head to Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and Darksister.
Jasper is one of those characters who has been there since Season 1, but you're unlikely to remember anything about him. That's probably why the show had the Master of Laws decide to randomly try to assault Queen Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke) while there were guards outside the door: they needed the audience to want to see him dead. There's a bit of black comedy to it as well, as he gets killed before he can even finish his last words.
9 Captain Sharako Lohar
Played by Abigail Thorn
Image via HBOTo break the blockade on King's Landing, Ser Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) goes to negotiate with an alliance of the Free Cities called the Triarchy, who are enemies of Rhaenyra's Hand of the Queen, Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint). He manages to win the support of their admiral, Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn), who is all too happy at the chance to get back at the Sea Snake. The ensuing Battle of the Gullet does not go well for her, with her fleet being burned and her life ending at the hands of Corlys' bastard son, Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim).
Sharako feels like a miniboss in the show, appearing in only two episodes before dying. She's entertaining enough as a flamboyant pirate captain, but she doesn't have as much time to leave much of an impact. Still, her attack does leave the Velaryon fleet crippled and High Tide in ruins, which has a lasting impact on Corlys' power.
8 Lord Jason Lannister
Played by Jefferson Hall
Image via HBOWhile his younger twin brother, Ser Tyland, serves on Aegon's Small Council as both Master of Ships and Coin, Lord Jason Lannister (Jefferson Hall) rules the Westerlands from Casterly Rock. He once offered to marry Rhaenyra, only to be turned down by King Viserys I for overreaching his station. He led the Lannister army in Aegon's name once the war began, but was massacred by a combination of Lord Oscar Tully's (Archie Barnes) Rivermen and the Winter Wolves led by Lord Roderick Dustin (Tommy Flanagan).
Given that Jason loses his head offscreen, his death is the least memorable on this list. However, his death does have some major impact on the war, as it leaves House Lannister without a head and prevents the Westerlands from sending any more men to help the Greens. And at the very least, there's something hilariously macabre about seeing Daemon Targaryen singing next to Jason's head on a spike.
7 Ser Simon Strong
Played by Simon Russell Beale
Image via HBOWhen Daemon claims the cursed castle of Harrenhal, he meets its castellan, Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale), who has no love for his grandnephew, Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham). He does what he can to help Daemon rally the Riverlords to Rhaenyra's cause, while also navigating around the prince's more volatile outbursts from the visions gifted to him by the castle. Sadly, he was unable to do the same with Prince Aemond Targaryen (Leo Ashton and Ewan Mitchell) when he came to the castle, and was killed alongside his two sons.
Simon proved to be one of the show's most entertaining side-characters, thanks in no small part to Russell Beale's fantastic performance. While his death might not seem too impactful at first, it does leave Harrenhal both to Aemond and the mysterious Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin). Sadly, characters as friendly as Simon never last long in the works of George R. R. Martin.
Collider Exclusive · Game of Thrones Personality Quiz Which Game of Thrones House Do You Belong To? Stark · Lannister · Targaryen · Baratheon · Tyrell
Five great houses. Five completely different answers to the same question: how do you hold power in a world that will take it from you the moment you stop paying attention? Eight questions will determine where your loyalties — and your nature — truly lie.
🐺Stark
🦁Lannister
🐉Targaryen
🦌Baratheon
🌹Tyrell
FIND YOUR HOUSE →
01
Someone powerful is acting dishonourably and everyone knows it. What do you do? In Westeros, the answer to this question has ended more than one great house.
ACall it out, openly and on the record. If honour means anything, it has to mean something when it's costly. BUse it. Information about someone else's dishonour is leverage — and leverage is power. CAct decisively to correct it — with or without the approval of those around me. DChallenge them directly. Strength settles disputes more honestly than courtroom manoeuvring. ENavigate carefully — build alliances, apply quiet pressure, and create a situation where the right outcome becomes inevitable.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
What is the source of your power? Every house endures because of something. What is it for yours?
AThe loyalty of people who trust me — earned over generations, not bought with gold. BWealth, intelligence, and the willingness to use both without sentiment. CA legacy so fearsome and a vision so total that opposition becomes unthinkable. DPhysical strength, military force, and the respect that comes from being the kind of person nobody wants to fight. ECharm, connection, and the ability to make powerful people feel that my success is also theirs.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
Who do you truly fight for? Strip away the banners and the words. The honest answer tells you everything.
AMy family and my people — those who depend on me and have kept faith with me through everything. BMy family — the ones who share my blood, even when they exhaust me, even when they disappoint me. CMy cause — a vision larger than any single person, including me. DMyself, and those few who've proven themselves worth fighting beside. EMy house — its name, its future, the position I intend to leave it in when I'm gone.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
How do you deal with your enemies? A house's method reveals its character as clearly as its words ever could.
AHonestly — I face them directly, and I give quarter when it's warranted. BThoroughly — I don't leave loose ends, and I don't make the same enemy twice. CDecisively — fire answers questions that diplomacy only delays. DHead-on — I'd rather meet a threat on the battlefield than behind closed doors. EElegantly — I prefer to make former enemies into allies, or at least into people who owe me something.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
What kind of ruler do you believe in? Westeros is full of answers to this question. Most of them end badly.
AA just one — someone who serves the realm rather than using it, who leads by example rather than fear. BA capable one — someone smart enough to navigate the game, ruthless enough to win it, and realistic about what winning costs. CA transformative one — someone who doesn't just rule what exists but reshapes what's possible. DA strong one — someone whose authority is beyond question because the alternative is obviously worse. EA wise one — someone who understands that the realm is fed by more than armies, and that a full stomach keeps more peace than a sharp sword.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
You suffer a devastating loss. How does your house respond? How a house handles defeat tells you more about it than how it handles victory.
AWe grieve, properly and together — and then we endure, because endurance is what we do. BWe adapt. We reassess. And we ensure that whoever caused this loss comes to regret it completely. CWe burn hotter. Setbacks don't soften us — they clarify what needs to happen next. DWe hit back. Grief and revenge are the same motion in our house. EWe regroup quietly, rebuild our position, and return when we're ready — on our terms, not theirs.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
Which of these truths about Westeros do you most believe? Every house has a philosophy. This is yours.
AThe lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Nothing matters more than the people you protect. BA Lannister always pays their debts — in gold or in kind. Reputation is built on consistency. CI am the blood of the dragon. Some destinies are written before the person who carries them is born. DOurs is the fury. When we move, we move completely — and we don't stop until it's done. EGrowing strong means knowing when to bloom and when to wait. Patience is its own kind of power.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
The Iron Throne is within reach. What do you do? The answer reveals not just your ambition — but your character.
AClaim it only if the realm needs me to — and rule in a way that makes it worth having. BEnsure someone who owes us sits in it. The power behind the throne is safer than the throne itself. CTake it. It was always meant to be mine — I feel that in my bones and in my blood. DSeize it — with both hands, without hesitation. Opportunity in Westeros does not wait to be asked. EPosition my house to be indispensable to whoever sits there — influence outlasts any single reign.
REVEAL MY HOUSE →
The Maester Has Spoken Your House Is…
Your answers point to the great house whose words, values, and way of surviving in Westeros match your own. Bend the knee — or don't. That's very much up to you.
🐺 House Stark
Winter is Coming — and you have always known it. You prepare not out of fear but out of duty, because the people who depend on you deserve someone who takes the long view.
- You lead with honour even when it costs you, because you understand that a reputation built on integrity is the only one worth having.
- Your loyalty to family and people runs deep — not as sentiment but as a code that doesn't bend when things get difficult.
- The North endures because Starks endure — not by being the cleverest players in the game, but by being the kind of people others are willing to follow into the cold.
- You are that kind of person. The pack survives. The lone wolf dies. You already know which one you are.
🦁 House Lannister
You understand the game — its rules, its exceptions, and exactly when the rules become the exception. You play it without illusions and without apology.
- You are sharper than most people realise, and you have learned to use that gap to your advantage.
- A Lannister always pays their debts — and you always keep your word, because your word is an instrument of power, and instruments must be kept in working order.
- You love your family with a ferocity that sometimes blinds you, and you know it, and you do it anyway.
- The lion doesn't concern itself with the opinion of sheep. Neither, in the end, do you.
🐉 House Targaryen
You carry a sense of destiny that is difficult to explain and impossible to ignore — the feeling that you are not simply participating in the world but meant to reshape it.
- You are capable of extraordinary things, and you know it, and that knowledge is both your greatest strength and your most dangerous quality.
- Fire and blood are not just words to you — they are a philosophy about what change requires and what it costs.
- The Targaryens at their best were transformative rulers who broke chains and defied the limits of what anyone thought possible.
- At your best, so are you. The dragon has three heads. You are one of them.
🦌 House Baratheon
You are a force — direct, powerful, and difficult to ignore when you enter a room or a conflict. You do not negotiate with challenges. You meet them.
- Ours is the fury — and yours is a kind of intensity that commands attention, respect, and occasionally fear from those who underestimate what's behind it.
- You value strength and straight dealing. You'd rather know where you stand in a fight than navigate a web of courtly whispers.
- The Baratheons built their house on the back of one of the greatest military victories in Westerosi history — and then struggled with what came after.
- The lesson of your house is that winning is not the end of the story. Governing is. You are learning that too.
🌹 House Tyrell
You understand that power does not always announce itself — that sometimes it arrives with flowers, good wine, and a smile that doesn't quite reach the eyes.
- Growing strong is your house's motto, and you live it: patiently, strategically, always investing in the relationships and resources that will matter most when it counts.
- You are charming by choice and calculating by nature — a combination that makes you one of the most effective players in any room you enter.
- The Tyrells fed King's Landing and shaped its politics without ever sitting on the Iron Throne — and they were arguably more powerful for it.
- You know that the person who controls the food controls the kingdom. And you always know where the food is.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
6 Ser Otto Hightower
Played by Rhys Ifans
Image via HBOServing as Hand of the King for both Jaehaerys I (Michael Carter) and Viserys I, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) was always a man of high ambitions. When Queen Aemma Arryn (Siân Brooke) dies, he pushes for Alicent to spend more time with Viserys, until they are eventually wedded. Predictably, he pushed hard for Aegon to become king and tried to serve him, but was eventually replaced and held in the Black Cells by Larys Strong before being executed by Rhaenyra after the Fall of King's Landing.
Otto's absence was felt hard throughout Season 2, and it's really unfortunate that the show brought him back only to immediately kill him two episodes into Season 3. That said, Ifans gave a fantastic final performance, playing a man who knows that he lost but makes peace with his choices. His death is far from pretty, which marks the first step in Rhaenyra's descent into cruelty, and the fact that it's witnessed by Alicent throws a wrench in their attempts to repair their friendship.
5 Lord Ormund Hightower
Played by James Norton
Image via HBOBefitting the lord of Oldtown, Ormund Hightower is a deeply religious man, and believes that times were better before House Targaryen conquered the Seven Kingdoms. Still, he leads an army to fight for Aegon's claim to the throne, if only to ensure that a Hightower rules Westeros. When Aegon is presumed dead, he tries to prop up Daeron instead, but his plans come to an end in the Battle of Tumbleton, where he is stabbed by Roddy the Ruin before being incinerated in dragon fire by Ser Ulf the White (Tom Bennett), whom Ormund had convinced to turn his cloak due to the abuse he suffered from Daemon and Rhaenyra.
Ormund was an effective villain for this season, presenting a mix of tactical brilliance, long-term ambition, and violent outbursts that made for an entertaining figure. His death is made all the more satisfying because each of the pieces work together to dismantle everything about him. His savage treatment of Ulf causes him to turn on the Hightowers. He was made vulnerable due to his weakness to foul odors, and the fact that a Northman descended from the First Men killed him spits in the very face of his Andal supremacist viewpoint.
4 Lord Roderick Dustin
Played by Tommy Flanagan
Image via HBOWhen Prince Jacaerys Velaryon (Leo Hart and Harry Collett) comes to Lord Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor) to get the North's support, he secures an army of graybeards known as the Winter Wolves, who wish to die in battle rather than be a burden on their families during winter. They are led by Roderick Dustin, nicknamed Roddy the Ruin, who presents himself to Daemon with the head of Jason Lannister and a promise to die in Rhaenyra's name. He gets his chance during the Battle of Tumbleton, where he hacks his way through the city to personally kill Lord Ormund Hightower before being incinerated by Silverwing's fire.
Roddy the Ruin brought some Northern grit to the show, courtesy of Flanagan's wonderful performance. It would have been nice to get to know him a little before he died, but as far as static characters go, he left a strong impression thanks to his fearless battle lust and blunt, no-nonsense delivery. Plus, he had probably the most badass death in the season, suffering dismemberment and impalement in his quest to kill Ormund, and died with a smile on his face.
3 Queen Helaena Targaryen
Played by Phia Saban
As the only daughter of Viserys and Alicent, Helaena (Evie Allen and Phia Saban) was wedded to Aegon in the Targaryen tradition. All she wants to do is be left alone with her bugs and needlework, but her status as a dreamer means that she is plagued by visions of what is to come, and a surprise pregnancy means that Rhaenyra keeps her under constant house arrest. Even her own mother doesn't care about her wishes, so it's no surprise that she ends the season taking her own life.
Helaena is by far the most tragic character on the show. Never once did she have any true control or choice in her life, as people were constantly using her for her dragon, her dreams, or her status as a queen and daughter. As horrible as it is, taking her own life is Helaena exerting what little control over her life that she does have, and the repercussions will be all but disastrous for Rhaenyra.
2 Ser Criston Cole
Played by Fabien Frankel
Image via HBOBorn to a lesser noble family in the Dornish Marshes, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) is chosen by Rhaenyra to join the Kingsguard and become her protector, only for things to fall through after she coerced him into breaking his vow of celibacy. This prompts him to become Alicent's champion and a major commander in the war, leading a campaign that takes out Rhaenyra's allies in the Crownlands. His spirit is shattered after the Battle of Rook's Rest, however, and he leads his men on a suicide mission to harass the Riverlords, until they ambush him in the Butcher's Ball.
Criston was perhaps the show's most divisive character, with fans either despising him for his attitude towards Rhaenyra or loving him for his complex fall into nihilism. Regardless of where you fall, his death feels perfect for the character because of how inglorious it is. There's no final duel, no valiant last stand, just three arrows into his body before what little remains of his army is cut down.
1 Prince Jacaerys Velaryon
Played by Harry Collett
Image via HBOAs Rhaenyra's eldest son, Jacaerys Velaryon was groomed by her to one day rule the Seven Kingdoms. He proved to be a very judicious prince, working hard at his studies and enacting diplomatic missions in his mother's name. Yet pride ultimately got the better of him as he flew off to partake in the Battle of the Gullet, where his dragon, Arrax, was harpooned by Triarchy pirates, before he was feathered with arrows while clinging to flotsam.
Jacaerys was probably the most noble character on the Blacks' side, taking his responsibilities seriously and caring deeply for his family. Thus, his death is one of the great "what ifs" of Westeros, and is made even more tragic because it was partially caused by his step-sister, Rhaena (Eva Ossei-Gerning and Phoebe Campbell), and her inability to control the wild dragon Sheepstealer. His death set the tone for the whole season, and was a major domino in Rhaenyra's fall into madness and cruelty.
House of the Dragon
Release Date August 21, 2022
Network HBO
Showrunner George R.R. Martin
Directors Clare Kilner, Geeta Patel
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Fabien Frankel
Ser Criston Cole
English (US) ·