Jace’s Death in ‘House of the Dragon’ Is the Gut-Punch That Changes Rhaenyra’s War Forever
‘House of the Dragon’ has never shied away from taking its most beloved characters and dragging them into the sea, both literally and figuratively. The ‘Game of Thrones’ spinoff returned for its third season on June 21, wasting no time reacquainting viewers with the fire, blood, and heartbreaking casualties they have come to expect. After two seasons of building up Rhaenyra Targaryen’s fragile claim to the Iron Throne, the show has now dismantled her most important asset in the cruelest way possible.
The Season 3 premiere arrived with the full weight of long-delayed destiny pressing down on every scene. Showrunner Ryan Condal had originally planned the Battle of the Gullet as the Season 2 finale but was forced to cut the sequence due to budget constraints, pushing it to open Season 3 instead. That delay, as it turned out, only sharpened the anticipation, and the show arrived primed to deliver what many fans had waited years to witness.
Rhaenyra’s eldest son Jace, played by Harry Collett, was killed in the Battle of the Gullet along with his dragon, Vermax. Jace and his dragon were fighting over the open ocean when enemies speared Vermax with a rope attached to an anchor, dragging them both underwater. Vermax drowned, and Jace briefly resurfaced before three arrows struck him, killing Rhaenyra’s son and the would-be future king. The chaos was made worse by Rhaena’s arrival on Sheepstealer, a wild dragon whose lack of control drove Jace and Vermax dangerously low over enemy ships, putting both rider and dragon squarely within range of the Triarchy’s weapons.
What makes the loss cut even deeper is the act of love that preceded it. Jace locked Rhaenyra in her chambers against her wishes before riding into battle, with his intention being one of protection. Collett explained the choice, saying Rhaenyra “has been fighting so hard to keep me at home and keep me safe because she knows that I’m the heir,” and that Jace was playing the role of a son finally stepping out on his own terms. The irony is devastating. The decision he made to protect her is the very one that removed him from her side permanently.
For Collett, the farewell came with one personal mission that he refused to leave the show without completing. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, he revealed he had insisted on saying the iconic Valyrian dragon command before his exit, stating “There’s no way I can leave this show without saying ‘Dracarys!’ There was no way. Not on my watch.” The line was not originally in the script. Collett simply said it in the moment while filming on the dragon rig, and his co-star Tom Glynn-Carney reacted with genuine admiration when he found out it had been an adlib, calling it “class.”
The 22-year-old actor told Gold Derby he hoped his death scene would be “the best death the show will ever have,” and expressed pride in how the entire sequence came together. Director Loni Peristere drew inspiration from the historical Battle of Trafalgar and a London screening of Peter Weir’s 2003 film ‘Master and Commander’ when designing the sequence, with a stated goal of restoring what “epic” truly meant for sea battles.
With Jace gone, Rhaenyra vowed to avenge her children, declaring “I will never have justice, but what crumbs of it I can snatch, I will devour.” She has now lost two sons to this war, and the season has only just begun. Whether Jace’s final act of protection was the most selfless thing a son could do or the reckless choice that ultimately doomed the Black cause is the question ‘House of the Dragon’ is daring viewers to sit with, so sound off in the comments with where you land on Jace’s decision to ride into the Gullet.
