'House of the Dragon' Could Be Setting Rhaenyra Up for a 'Game of Thrones' Finale Twist 7 Years Later

6 days ago 11

Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon

Published Feb 21, 2026, 8:26 AM EST

Kendall Myers is a Senior Author with Collider. As part of the TV and Movies Features team, she writes about some of the most popular releases before, during, and after they premiere. In three years, she has written over 900 articles with topics ranging from classic sitcoms to fantasy epics.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms might be more prevalent at the moment, but it isn't the only ongoing Game of Thrones spin-off, as the fans were recently reminded. House of the Dragon is not done, and the third season's new teaser trailer provides a taste of what is coming for Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy), Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), Alicent (Olivia Cooke), and the rest. Picking up after Season 2's finale, the story is set to launch into all-out war as Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) assumes his brother's throne, dragons fly into battle, and Rhaenyra plans to take control of King's Landing. Already, there is a lot at play, but the brief trailer suggests that Rhaenyra is heading for a particularly interesting arc as she follows the example of Game of Thrones' Daenerys (Emilia Clarke).

Throughout the series, Rhaenyra has faced loss and hardship as the Seven Kingdoms reject the idea of a woman gaining power, a struggle Daenerys faces herself. The pain and anger take Daenerys on a dark path in Game of Thrones final season, and it seems House of the Dragon will show that Daenerys wasn't the first Targaryen queen to take that journey.

Rhaenyra Might Be Going Mad in 'House of the Dragon' Season 3

As Rhaenyra has made her claim to the Iron Throne, she has been all too aware of the bloodshed, searching for a peaceful resolution before jumping into the war. But when all of those efforts fail, she refuses to give up. By the end of Season 2, Rhaenyra is ready to take drastic action, as seen by her willingness to sacrifice people in the Red Sowing. Yet, the first glimpse of Season 3 suggests it is getting worse. With only a minute and a half of content, Rhaenyra refuses to listen to her son's advice, stares menacingly into a fire, and appears to be reacting with grief and rage. Admittedly, it's not much to go on; however, the tone of Rhaenyra's role suggests that she is growing more volatile, pushing her story in a tragic direction.

Targaryens are well known to be prone to madness, and though Rhaenyra doesn't start that way, it would make sense. After all, the Dance of Dragons is only going to get more bloody, and most of those fighting for her are family, with her husband, Daemon (Matt Smith), her son, Jace (Harry Collett), and her stepdaughter, Baela (Bethany Antonia) now serving as her three most experienced dragonriders. Based on her reaction to Lucerys' (Elliot Grihault) death in Season 1, it's fair to say she is deeply impacted by personal loss, and if more of her beloved family dies, madness isn't out of the question, as Season 3's trailer seems to hint.

Matt Smith in battle in 'House of the Dragon'

'House of the Dragon's Rhaenyra Is a Lot Like Daenerys

If Rhaenyra does go mad, it will make her even more like Daenerys. In the original series, Daenerys' Mad Queen arc is one of the major complaints about the conclusion. Just as she takes control of King's Landing, she turns her fury on the citizens, burning the city with dragonfire. It's the result of her grief and feelings of betrayal, but the turn is sudden and destructive. Though Rhaenyra is unlikely to burn the city down (it is still standing almost 200 years later, after all), it's safe to say she's heading for some changes as gaining power proves to be much more difficult than she expected. As the war escalates, House of the Dragon has a chance to redo Daenerys' arc more thoroughly with Rhaenyra, emphasizing the similarities between the two queens.

These two characters are naturally connected, largely because they are related. The Targaryen line is a constant throughout the franchise, and Daenerys is specifically a descendant of Rhaenyra's, yet their parallels go much deeper. Both women are ambitious and believe in their right to rule, but they are impeded by the fact that they are women. Though these Targaryen queens initially aim to minimize bloodshed, with Rhaenyra attempting to prevent war and Daenerys hoping to spare the innocent by "breaking the wheel," neither succeeds. These similarities will only grow in Season 3 as the trailer suggests that, like Daenerys, Rhaenyra will attempt to take King's Landing with her dragons. Though House of the Dragon has yet to show just how far this parallel goes, it's looking like Season 3 will commit to it, giving Rhaenyra a Mad Queen storyline that mirrors Daenerys'.

House of the Dragon is streaming on HBO Max in the U.S.