Who Lived and Who Died in the Battle of Tumbleton in the House of the Dragon Season 3 Finale
Who Lived and Who Died in the Battle of Tumbleton in the House of the Dragon Season 3 Finale
Megan McCluskeyMon, August 10, 2026 at 2:10 AM UTC
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Rhaenyra's forces prepare for battle in House of the Dragon Season 3. —Theo Whiteman—HBO
Warning: This post contains spoilers for the House of the Dragon Season 3 finale.
It's been a good six episodes since Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) at long last seized the Iron Throne and proclaimed herself Queen of the Seven Kingdoms in House of the Dragon Season 3. But it wasn't until Sunday night's finale that we truly got a glimpse into why Westerosi history books dubbed her "Rhaenyra the Cruel."
After learning her half-brother and former king Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) had resurfaced in a literal blaze of glory supplied by his previously presumed dead dragon Sunfyre, Rhaenyra's desperation to assert herself as the realm's rightful ruler was palpable. So, she finally picked a definitive side in the ongoing struggle between Daemon (Matt Smith) and Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) to win her trust. Rather than continuing to work to legitimize her rule through support for the common people per Mysaria's counsel, Rhaenyra opted for the show of brute force Daemon has been all too eager to lead the charge on. As he put it, "The only quality the realm understands is strength."
However, Rhaenyra did have one caveat for giving Daemon the go-ahead to attack Ormund Hightower (James Norton) and his forces at Tumbleton: "The realm is watching. Do not make a monster out of me."
Unfortunately, when dragons are involved, all-out carnage seems like more of an inevitable outcome than an active choice. So it shouldn't have really come as a surprise to anyone involved when the assault on Tumbleton quickly spiraled into a fiery onslaught that turned the city's smallfolk into collateral damage.
As for all our major players, here's everyone who lived and who died in the Battle of Tumbleton.
Who livedDaemon Targaryen
Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon Season 3. —Theo Whiteman—HBO
TheRogue Prince lived to fight another day, but not without taking a nearly lethal beatdown at the hands of Ser Jon Roxton (Joplin Sibtain). By the end of the episode, Daemon appeared to be more cowed than we've ever seen him. And if the horrified expression on his face was any indication, he's all too aware of how badly he bungled Rhaneyra's order not to let the battle make her look like an evil tyrant.
Corlys Velaryon
Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon in House of the Dragon Season 3. —Ollie Upton—HBO
Corlys (Steve Toussaint) may have lost a finger to Ormund, but he managed to largely stay out of the fray at Tumbleton after Gwayne (Freddie Fox) handed him over to Daemon as part of an attempted peace offering. Unfortunately, his son Alyn (Abubakar Salim) seems to have already grown comfortable filling Corlys' role as Hand of the King back at King's Landing.
Gwayne Hightower
Freddie Fox as Gwayne Hightower in House of the Dragon Season 3. —Ollie Upton—HBO
That final shot of a somewhat scorched Gwayne crawling through the ruins of Tumbleton in search of Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) let us know everyone's favorite Hightower had managed to make it through yet another fiery dragon rampage.
Daeron Targaryen
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Daeron Targaryen in House of the Dragon Season 3. —Ollie Upton—HBO
Although we didn't get confirmation Daeron survived the blast of dragonfire that sent him and Gwayne flying through the streets of Tumbleton, we also didn't see him die on screen. In the A Song of Ice and Fire universe, that's pretty much a guarantee he'll be back next season. Plus, we haven't even gotten to see him ride his dragon Tessarion yet.
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Hugh Hammer
Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer in House of the Dragon Season 3. —Ollie Upton—HBO
Hugh (Kieran Bew) survived the violence, but we can't imagine he won't be out for vengeance for the death of his wife, Kat (Ellora Torchia), and the remaining members of her family. Who exactly he'll decide is at fault for their untimely demise is still up in the air, though.
Ulf the White
Tom Bennett as Ulf the White in House of the Dragon Season 3. —Theo Whiteman—HBO
Ulf (Tom Bennett) may have bad blood with the highborns of both Team Green and Team Black, but his decision to carry out that vendetta by going rogue and raining dragonfire down on Tumbleton directly resulted in a massacre of the city's common folk (likely including some of the very same people with whom he spent the previous night drinking a local tavern dry). At this point, it's pretty clear Ulf could care less about anyone but himself.
Jon Roxton
Joplin Sibtain as Jon Roxton in House of the DragonSeason 3. —Kevin Baker—HBO
Considering he almost took down Daemon, Ser Jon is clearly no slouch when it comes to combat. But now that Lord Ormud is dead, he'll have to chart his own path forward.
Oscar Tully
Archie Barnes as Oscar Tully in House of the Dragon Season 3. —Ollie Upton—HBO
We didn't really get to see the young lord of the Riverlands in action during the battle, but he did quickly pop back up at the end of the episode to prove he was still kicking.
Alysanne Blackwood
Annie Shapero as Alysanne Blackwood in House of the Dragon Season 3. —Theo Whiteman—HBO
Like Oscar (Archie Barnes), Alysanne (Annie Shapero) was slaying Hightowers off-screen for most of the clash. But even if she had died, Alysanne's already made a lasting name for herself as the one who delivered the killing blow to Ser Criston Cole.
Who diedRoderick Dustin
Tommy Flanagan as Roderick Dustin in House of the Dragon Season 3. —Theo Whiteman—HBO
The leader of the Winter Wolves was ordered not to die before Tumbleton's main gate fell. Ser Roderick (Tommy Flanagan) more than accomplished his task, even managing to deliver an incapacitating blow to Ormund before meeting a smiling end engulfed in Silverwing's dragonfire.
Ormund Hightower
James Norton as Ormund Hightower in House of the Dragon Season 3. —Ollie Upton—HBO
After showing his true colors by forcing children to the frontlines of Tumbleton's battlements to serve as human shields, Ormund brought about his own demise with his brutal treatment of a hungover Ulf just as the battle began. In the end, all of Ormund's bluster about the the unworthiness of the Targaryens didn't stop a dragon from killing him.
Kat
Ellora Torchia as Kat in House of the Dragon Season 3 —Ollie Upton—HBO
It was unclear exactly how Kat actually died since she didn't have any visible wounds or appear to be injured in any way when Hugh found her body. But we're taking Hugh's scream of anguish as a sign that Kat is no longer with us.
Additional deathsHeleana Targaryen
Phia Saban as Heleana Targaryen in House of the Dragon Season 3. —Ollie Upton—HBO
Heleana (Phia Saban) didn't die at the Battle of Tumbleton, but her death is certainly significant. In a callback (or rather, call-forward) to King Tommen Baratheon throwing himself from a high tower of the Red Keep in Game of Thrones, pregnant Heleana chose to jump to her death out of a very similar window in the castle rather than continue to live as Rhaenyra's prisoner. It's difficult to imagine a world in which Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenyra's relationship will come back from this one.
High Septon Eustace
(L-R): Simon Chandler as High Septon Eustace and Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon Season 3. —Ollie Upton—HBO
Rather than continue to put up with his refusal to anoint her as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Rhaenyra came to the conclusion that her best course of action was to put the High Septon (Simon Chandler) to the sword instead. Unfortunately, we have a feeling that move isn't going to play so well with her many subjects who adhere to the Faith of the Seven.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
