With House of the Dragon season 3 finally bringing the Battle of the Gullet to the screen, viewers have now witnessed one of the most brutal conflicts in Westerosi history.
Adapted from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the massive naval battle unfolds between Dragonstone and King’s Landing, delivering spectacle on an unprecedented scale. But the Battle of the Gullet delivered grave consequences with its explosive action.
The devastating clash claimed the lives of several fan-favorite characters, altering the balance of power in the Dance of the Dragons and reshaping the rest of the war.
Spoilers ahead!
House of the Dragon season 3’s Battle of the Gullet claims several key characters
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House of the Dragon has eliminated the Lannisters, the Triarchy, and an heir to the Iron Throne all in just a single episode.
The third season premiere opens with Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) leading Team Black’s fleet against Sharako Lohar’s Triarchy’s ships at the Gullet. The bloody naval clash proves to be a defining moment in the Targaryen civil war, claiming the lives of several key figures on both sides.
The bloodshed begins when Daemon Targaryen’s troops engage Jason Lannister’s army. However, Jason (Jefferson Hall) quickly perishes off-screen, and his demise is confirmed after his severed head is presented to Daemon.
His brother, Tyland Lannister, also played by Hall, meets a similar fate by the episode’s end.
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During a fight with Lohar, Tyland is thrown overboard while wearing heavy armor and sinks beneath the waves, sealing his fate.
As a result, the Lannisters are effectively removed from the main conflict. In the episode’s closing moments, Lohar, the fierce leader of the pirate Triarchy fleet, also meets her bitter end.
After abandoning her mission to break the blockade, she instead seeks revenge on Corlys and nearly succeeds. Her actions lead to a confrontation with Corlys’s son, Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim), who ultimately kills her.
However, the episode’s biggest and most shocking demise is reserved for the end.
What Jacaerys and Vermax’s demise means for Queen Rhaenyra
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Despite his mother’s apprehension, Jacaerys (Harry Collett) joins the battle with his dragon Vermax. After locking Rhaenyra at Dragonstone, Jacaerys heads to the Gullet with Baela, providing a much-needed boost to the Velaryon fleet.
However, events take a turn for the worse when Rhaena, who recently bonded with Sheepstealer, joins the battle. Sheepstealer is quickly startled by the Triarchy fleet, leading him to attack Vermax.
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As a result, Vermax gets caught by a grappling hook and is pulled into the water. The Triarchy’s bowmen then take out Jacaerys with a volley of arrows as he and Vermax plunge into the sea and drown.
Jacaerys’ demise means that Rhaenyra has now lost her male heir. At the same time, Team Black loses a key political strategist and one of its most formidable dragons. Moreover, Rhaenyra has now lost three of her children in her pursuit of the Iron Throne.
How is the Battle of the Gullet different from the book?
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While Jacaerys and Vermax’s fate is ripped straight from the source material, his motives were entirely different. In Fire & Blood, Jacaerys tries to save his brothers from being abducted by the Triarchy. Several other outcomes of the battle have also been changed in the adaptation.
Unlike the show, Jacaerys isn’t joined by Baela, nor is Vermax attacked by Rhaena’s dragon. In the book, Jacaerys joins several Dragonseeds and their dragons in the battle.
Moreover, Sheepstealer is bonded with Nettles, an illegitimate Targaryen girl who was cut from the show, with much of her storyline reassigned to Rhaena.
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In the source material, Lohar isn’t defeated by Alyn but does perish shortly after her fleet loses the battle. Similarly, Jason’s demise comes much later during the Battle at the Red Fork, while his twin, Tyland, survived long after the Dance of the Dragons.
House of the Dragon is currently streaming on HBO Max.
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