This article contains major SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 3.
This article contains discussions about self-harm.
Game of Thronescreator George R. R. Martin confirms one major spoiler forHouse of the Dragonseason 3.House of the Dragonis based on Martin’s 2018 lore book titledFire & Blood.House of the Dragonseason 1 premiered to great reviews in 2022, and was followed up byHouse of the Dragonseason 2 this past summer.House of the Dragonseason 3has been confirmed and is expected to arrive in 2026.
In a now-deleted post onMartin’s official website, the author confirms a spoiler forHouse of the Dragonseason 3.Martin confirms that Helaena “still killsherself"in the outline forHouse of the Dragonseason 3. Martin explained that in his book, it is the death of Helaena’s son, Prince Jaehaerys, that ends up pushing her “to suicide.” To make it worse, she had to choose which son of hers, Jaehaerys or Maelor, had to die in aSophie’s Choice-esque moment. She chooses Maelor to die, but the assassins kill Jaehaerys instead, explains Martin, and tell Maelor his mother’s choice.
In Ryan’s outline for season 3, Helaena still kills herself… for no particular reason. There is no fresh horror, no triggering event to overwhelm the fragile young queen.
How House of the Dragon Changed Part Of Helaena’s Character
As of yet, Maelor is not a character portrayed inHouse of the Dragon. In the book, he is the younger of the two sons, with the twins still existing in the book. Martin explained that thisHouse of the Dragonbookchange came from creator Ryan Condal’s desire to keep things simpler. Martin admitted that he felt the absence of the “Helaena’s choice” element did weaken the plot, but still created a strong scene.
Even without theSophie’s Choice-inspired moment driving Helaena to suicide, the outline does see Helaena die by her own hand. According to Martin, Helaena dies “for no particular reason.” While Martin praises the TV adaptation many times throughout his statement, there is an air of disapproval surrounding the change to Helaena’s story. Despite Martin’s misgivings about Helaena’s motivation, at this point, her death could be altered before season 3 begins filming as it is still in the early stages of production.
House of the Dragonseason 2still points to a tough road ahead for Helaena. The end of season 2 confirmed that Helaena was a dragon dreamer who was seeing real visions of the future. As the Targaryens prepare for a war at King’s Landing, it is conceivable that Helaena’s premonitions will become more and more violent. This kind of terror is hard for anyone to see, and combined with her personal tragedies, may very well plague Helaena enough to resort to taking her own life.
House of the Dragon
Cast
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
