Note: This story contains spoilers from “House of the Dragon” Season 3, Episode 4 and “Fire & Blood.“
“House of the Dragon” changed another aspect of the story from George R.R. Martin’s book and this one is going to have serious repercussions for a major character.
Season 3, Episode 4 confirmed that Sunfyre was truly dead after a lot of speculation from fans of the book. Aegon (Tom Glynn Carney) came across his former dragon with Larys (Matthew Needham) while they were on the run from Team Black. After being mentioned in Episode 3 that the dragon was wasting away where he and Aegon fell at Rook’s Rest, it was still jarring to see it proven true.
The episode’s seeming confirmation of Sunfyre’s death is the latest change to have major domino effects for the show’s upcoming fourth and final season. This one deals directly with Queen Rhaenyra’s fate.
Spoilers ahead but read on to learn how Sunfyre’s death is changing how “House of the Dragon” may end.
Sunfyre’s fate revealed
Aegon and Larys are still on the run when Episode 4 kicks off and their slow-moving journey has brought them back to the origin of their problems. They arrive at Rook’s Rest, the spot of the battle where Aegon was severely burned and his dragon Sunfyre was killed. Mentions of the dragon’s moldering corpse came up in Episode 3, but many fans held out hope the dragon was still somehow alive.
Aegon wants to visit his dragon and doing so costs the pair a fee. Aegon understandably can’t really keep it together – and at one point insists that Sunfyre is still alive – but the beast is dead and the former king takes a golden scale from him in remembrance.
How the Dragon’s Confirmed Death Changes the Ending for the Show’s Biggest Character
Many book fans assumed Sunfyre was not actually dead in the show and only grew worried after mentions that he was decaying. This is another big departure “House of the Dragon” is taking from the “Fire & Blood” book because Sunfyre survives and plays a big part in a major character’s death.
A second spoiler warning for the “Fire & Blood” book and story beats from Season 4 of “House of the Dragon”
In the books, Sunfyre is extremely wounded by Meleys at the Battle of Rook’s Rest but doesn’t die. Criston Cole and his men find the dragon and slowly feed him until he can build up his strength to fly back to King’s Landing. It’s slow-going, and much like Aegon, Sunfyre is crippled and scarred for life but he’s still alive.
After a series of losses and betrayals, Rhaenyra flees King’s Landing and returns to Dragonstone. She isn’t there long before she is captured and brought before Aegon and his crippled dragon. The king hands out Rhaenyra’s fate and Sunfyre burns her alive and devours her in six bites.
What could happen now?
If Sunfyre is truly dead then Rhaenyra’s ending is somewhat up in the air. She’s still likely doomed to die — “Game of Thrones” spoiled as much in the show’s third season.
“Rhaenyra Targaryen was murdered by her brother, or rather his dragon,” Joffrey tells Margaery when giving her a tour of King’s Landing. “It ate her while her son watched. What’s left of her is buried in the crypts right down there.”
While the history of the books might not be lining up in “House of the Dragon,” the history of the adaptations certainly still say Rhaenyra was killed by Aegon’s dragon. There are a couple ways that could come about.
The cop out is that Sunfyre is not actually dead and this is all a fakeout for book readers. Aegon says in the episode he can still feel life in his dragon, but it certainly seems dead and it hasn’t eaten in months. If this was the way things played out the show, it would be sure to get a number of “what was the point of all this” questions about hiding Sunfyre’s status.
The more likely answer is that Aegon gets himself another dragon. While most are accounted for there are still two wild dragons roaming around — and one has been mentioned this season, making it feel like it could be a real possibility.
On Dragonstone, a never-ridden dragon named The Cannibal calls one of the island’s caves his home. The massive black dragon is one of the oldest in Westeros and he earned his name by feeding off dead dragons. If he took a trip off Dragonstone, him feeding on Sunfyre’s body could be a way for him to meet Aegon and bond.
“House of the Dragon” airs Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
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