House of the Dragon returned for its third season with a premiere that wasted little time before killing off one of its central characters. Jace Velaryon, the oldest son of Rhaenyra Targaryen and a figure present since the series began, died in the Battle of the Gullet during the opening episode. The actor who played him says he could not be happier about how it happened.
The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Harry Collett about the death scene. Collett was direct about his reaction. "I'm so happy with how it turned out," he said. "It's such a cool way to go. It's not just brushed under the carpet. It's very impactful, in such a great and epic episode. What a heroic death he gets to have. It's not just some boring death. I'm very happy with it."
The Battle of the Gullet is a well-known event among fans of George R.R. Martin's source material, and the show's production history made the sequence a long time coming. The battle was originally intended to close out season two, but the writers' strike of 2023 forced the production to cut the sequence. Instead, it opens season three, and the show uses it to establish the violent tone of the Dance of the Dragons conflict between the Blacks, loyal to Rhaenyra, and the Greens, loyal to her nephew Aegon.
Team Black wins the battle, but Jace's death comes during a chaotic sequence involving dragons. His ally Baela loses control of her dragon after her sister Rhaena appears riding a newly minted and uncontrollable dragon of her own. Jace tries to help, but once his dragon settles at sea, a series of massive bolts strikes him and kills him instantly.
Collett had known this moment was coming for a long time. Because House of the Dragon is adapted from Martin's books, cast members have access to their characters' fates. "Luckily, I found out what happened to Jace round about season one," Collett said. "So it wasn't a shock, and I'm glad! I don't think it should be that way. I think it's quite mean, which Ryan would never do: don't tell the actor, then get them to the script read-through, and that's when they find out: 'What? I'm dead?'"
Showrunner Ryan Condal had previously planned the naval battle as a major set piece, and its delayed arrival only heightened its importance to the season. Several other characters also die in the battle, including Abigail Thorn as Shark Lohar, who commands the opposing fleet against Corlys Velaryon.
Jace was the second child Rhaenyra has lost during the conflict. His death leaves the remaining characters to continue the war without him, and the show's surviving cast to carry the rest of season three.
