Hence its name, House of the Dragon is all about dragons and their riders, and fans will get to see plenty of those riders return when Season 3 finally premieres. House of the Dragon Season 2 aired in 2024, and the original thought was that Season 3 would follow two years later in 2026. That is still the case, but Season 3 won't be the next Game of Thrones project to be released, as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will also be coming out in 2026, albeit much earlier.
House of the Dragon Season 2 contained the biggest dragon battle of the entire show at a location called Rook's Rest. The installment also introduced new dragonriders during the Sowing of the Seeds, and fans will likely be seeing them in action sooner rather than later.
As tensions continue to grow, major events will occur throughout Westeros, most of which involve dragons. According to showrunner Ryan Condal, four important sequences will be included in Season 3, and fans can expect all of the main characters to get in on the action.
House of the Dragon Season 3 is expected to premiere sometime in the second half of 2026.
Every Dragonrider Who Will Be in House of the Dragon Season 3
Rhaenyra Targaryen
Rhaenyra Targaryen is arguably the outright main character in House of the Dragon, and she will be returning with her dragon, Syrax in Season 3. Rhaenyra has not appeared on dragonback very often since the major time jump in Season 1 (when Rhaenyra went from being played by Milly Alcock to Emma D'Arcy).
In the books, Rhaenyra also does not ride Syrax very much. However, there are a few events that will likely happen in Season 3 that will force Rhaenyra to jump on her dragon, so fans better be prepared.
Daemon Targaryen
Matt Smith's Daemon Targaryen is another dragonrider who will be at the forefront of House of the Dragon Season 3. Smith has commented on filming Season 3 on multiple occasions, but, most notably, he did confirm that the upcoming installment will be extremely action-packed and bloody, which many of the show's fans will be grateful for.
Daemon's dragon is named Caraxes, but it is also referred to as the Blood Wyrm for its red scales and abnormally large neck. Caraxes has appeared all throughout the series, and is expected to be featured prominently in Season 3.
Jacaerys Velaryon
Jacaerys Velaryon will be returning in House of the Dragon Season 3, and he will be a key player in what will likely be the first major event of the upcoming season — the Battle of the Gullet.
The Gullet will happen sooner or later in Season 3. Some fans thought that it was going to happen in Season 2, and it very well could have, so it is possible that it will open Season 3. Whatever the case may be, Jacaerys and his dragon, Vermax, will be the focus of that battle.
Helaena Targaryen
Helaena Targaryen is bonded with a dragon named Dreamfyre. In the books, she rides Dreamfyre very frequently and has an extremely strong bond with the beast. However, the show has seemingly changed that, as she is not depicted with Dreamfyre hardly at all.
Helaena was confirmed to be a major character in Season 3 by A Song of Ice and Fire and Fire & Blood author George R.R. Martin. He even seemingly spoiled the show, saying that showrunner Ryan Condal's outline for Season 3 included Helaena's suicide.
Baela Targaryen
Baela Targaryen will be returning for House of the Dragon Season 3, as actress Bethany Antonia was spotted on set in Wales while the upcoming installment was still filming. Baela rides a dragon named Moondancer.
As mentioned, Season 3 will likely be action-packed. If that is the case, fans can expect to see Baela and Moondancer together on multiple occasions, as Baela fully supports Rhaenyra's claim to the Iron Throne.
Aegon II Targaryen
Aegon II Targaryen will definitely be in Season 3, and he has already established himself as a dragonrider, but he is still out of action because of what happened at the Battle at Rook's Rest.
Fans will remember that, during that battle, Aegon was severely injured, and so was his dragon, Sunfyre. However, Aegon escaped with Larys Strong at the end of Season 2, so he is safe for the time being. Sunfyre still needs time to heal, but the dragon still has an extremely important role to play in the story.
Aemond Targaryen
Season 2 included an important moment between Helaena and Aemond Targaryen where she told her brother that she had seen a vision of his death. Aemond actor Ewan Mitchell commented on what that revelation will mean for Aemond in Season 3, and how he will respond to it, but that is the least of his worries for the time being.
Aemond is one of the most ruthless characters in the entire series, and he is even more dangerous since he is bonded to the biggest living dragon in all of Westeros, Vhagar. Aemond can be seen riding Vhagar all throughout the show, and he will continue to utilize her in Season 3.
Daeron Targaryen
Daeron Targaryen has not been featured in House of the Dragon yet, but he will make his arrival in Season 3. Ryan Condal confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Daeron will have an important role in the story, and that his blue dragon, Tessarion.
Tessarion was actually featured in the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale while the Hightower army marched to war, so the dragon has technically already appeared in the show. However, she and Daeron will properly be introduced to viewers in Season 3.
Joffrey Velaryon
Joffrey is the youngest of Rhaenyra's three children she had with Harwin Strong (legally Laenor Velaryon is their father, but not biologically). Joffrey hasn't played an extremely major role in the show yet, but he is still a dragonrider. His dragon is named Tyraxes, and it is still rather small since Joffrey is quite young.
Ulf the White
Ulf the White is a Targaryen bastard who was able to bond to a dragon named Silverwing since he technically has Targaryen blood. Ulf plays an extremely important role in the books, and his shining (or darkest, depending on who is asked) moment will probably be showcased sometime in Season 3.
Hugh Hammer
Hugh Hammer is another Dragonseed in House of the Dragon who bonded with a dragon during the Sowing. He was able to bond with and "tame" Vermithor, who is also known as the Bronze Fury. Vermithor is almost as large as Vhagar, so he will be a powerful asset for Rhaenyra and the Blacks.
However, it is important to mention that Hugh is also involved in that same major moment that Ulf will be featured in. Both of those characters make a war-changing decision, and it will likely happen in the upcoming installment.
Addam of Hull
Addam of Hull is another bastard, with his father being Corlys Velaryon. Since he has Valyrian blood, he was able to jump on the back of Seasmoke. Seasmoke was originally Laenor Velaryon's dragon, but after Laenor left, Seasmoke became riderless.
Addam proved himself to be extremely loyal to Rhaenyra in Season 2, and that will not change in Season 3. In fact, if the show follows the source material, Addam will turn out to be one of the most loyal people in Rhaenyra's entire group of followers.
BONUS: Rhaena Targaryen
Rhaena Targaryen is the sister of Baela and the daughter of Daemon. Unlike her sister, she has not been able to bond to a dragon yet. However, at the end of Season 2, she found a wild dragon named Sheepstealer, but the footage cut off before anything was revealed.
In the book, Sheepstealer is ridden by a character named Nettles. However, Nettles has not been introduced in House of the Dragon, so it seems as though Rhaena could take her place.
