Season 1 of the HBO hit prequel series, House of the Dragon, set the stage for the Dance of Dragons to begin in essence. With the promise of a lot of fire and blood, fans looked forward to Season 2 with great fervor. With each episode, the tension between the two opposing factions of the warring family grew, teasing an epic showdown between Team Black and Team Green. However, when the season finale did arrive, audiences witnessed what was a rather anti-climatic ending, much to their chagrin. House of the Dragon Season 2 was heavily criticized for this among a few other reasons, but while the dance might tarry, it will indeed commence and one major star is already pushing for their character to look more battle-ready starting from the next season.
A lot about Season 3 currently remains under wraps, but we now know, thanks to Emma D'Arcy, that when the next chapter opens, their character, Queen Rhaenyra, will look a little different compared to past seasons. In their recent interview with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, D'Arcy expressed displeasure with the fact that the female members of the Targaryen family do not carry around any form of weapon, unlike their male counterparts. D'Arcy explained how having a sword is a functional accessory that helped with filming posture and is something deserving to be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of their gender. She said:
"The petition I’ve put in is I want a weapon. Like it’s getting ridiculous. I don’t even mind if it’s like a little dagger, a short sword. I don’t really care. All the men in the show don’t have to worry about where they put their hands because they’re constantly holding the pommel of their sword. That obviously sounds like innuendo and you can do with that what you will but that is true. And all the rest of us are going, “Where do we put our f--king hands?"
Anyway, next year one hand is going to be taken care of. That’s what I want. I want a sword, and I’ve been really clear about that with Ryan and I think that’s happening.
A Sword-Wielding Queen Rhaenyra Will Serve A Better Purpose
Queen Rhaenyra is a monarch, leading an army of men, women, and dragons to unseat an unyielding usurper who robbed her of her birthright. As such, the idea of having a weapon handy is a no-brainer. What could be a more powerful weapon than a fire-breathing beast? One might think, but while a sword does pale in comparison to a dragon, it does not make it a less important battle tool. Also, with the stakes in this looming civil war higher than ever, Queen Rhaenyra needs every protection she can get. The incident over the skies at Storm's End did put a question mark on the loyalty of dragons and having backup protection is wise and does fit the narrative expected to unfold in Season 3.
House of the Dragon Season 3 is yet without a release date, but stay tuned to Collider for updates. Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Max.

House of the Dragon
Cast
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Fabien Frankel
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Gavin Spokes
- Creator
- George R. R. Martin, Ryan J. Condal
- Main Genre
- Fantasy
- Seasons
- 1
- Franchise
- Game of Thrones
- Characters By
- George R.R. Martin
- Cinematographer
- Alejandro Martinez, Catherine Goldschmidt, Pepe Avila del Pino, Fabian Wagner
- Distributor
- Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
- Filming Locations
- Spain, England, Portugal, California
- Main Characters
- Lord Corlys Velaryon, Grand Maester Mellos, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Lord Jason Lannister/Ser Tyland Lannister, King Viserys I Targaryen, Mysaria, Lord Lyman Beesbur, Prince Daemon Targaryen, Ser Harwin Strong, Princess Rhaenys Velaryon
- Producer
- Karen Wacker, Angus More Gordon, Alexis Raben, Kevin Lau
- Production Company
- Bastard Sword, Cross Plains Productions, Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO
- Sequel
- Game of Thrones
- Sfx Supervisor
- Michael Dawson
- Story By
- George R.R. Martin
- Number of Episodes
- 10