Why ‘House of the Dragon' Season 3 Replaces Nettles With Rhaena Explained by Showrunner
House of the Dragon Season 3 is back, and it's already dominating conversations following its action-packed premiere. The Game of Thrones spinoff's latest death is at the center of those discussions, but so is the dragon-rider duo that accidentally causes it. Warning: SPOILERS ahead for House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 1. That, of course, would be Rhaena and Sheepstealer. In a switch-up from George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, the two bond in the premiere, with Rhaena becoming the dragon's rider.
And as they fly home to Dragonstone together, they spot the chaos unfolding near the Gullet. Rhaena and Sheepstealer join the fray, but it doesn't take long for the fresh young rider to lose control of her dragon. This, and the way it contributes to Jace's death, is original to the HBO show - but then, so is Rhaena's entire connection to Sheepstealer.
In Fire & Blood, Sheepstealer's rider is a 16-year-old dragonseed named Nettles. Nettles is involved in the Battle of the Gullet, but she doesn't lose control of her dragon. She later joins Daemon Targaryen in hunting Prince Aemond, and they become close enough that Nettles becomes a point of contention between him and Rhaenyra. Meanwhile, Rhaena's book counterpart doesn't have a dragon for the Targaryen civil war. After cutting Nettles from its adaptation, House of the Dragon appears to be giving Rhaena a tweaked version of her story, however.
In an interview with IGN, House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal explained his decision to give Rhaena Nettles' dragon and narrative. "It just felt to us that because again, this story is told in point of view, that it felt more apt as this is a family story to where we had the opportunity to involve one of the family members in the storyline," Condal explained.
Considering House of the Dragon's sprawling cast, the choice to condense and simplify certain arcs isn't that surprising. And Condal went on to discuss how it gives Rhaena more opportunities to shine.
"And because Rhaena has been set up since Season 1 as the member of this family who doesn't have a dragon and basically her sole identity is the Targaryen kid who doesn't have a dragon," he said, "it felt like that was a character that we had already set this long runway for that it could be very satisfying for the TV audience that didn't have an experience with the book at all to see that character claim a dragon and then in a very, I think, Game of Thrones and Westerosian kind of way, to reap the consequences of having her wish come true. It's a very monkey's paw kind of moment for Rhaena. She gets her great wish and it becomes her greatest nightmare."
What Rhaena's New Storyline Means for 'House of the Dragon' Season 3
Rhaena's new storyline in House of the Dragon Season 3 means Nettles likely won't show up later in the show, but the impact of this change extends beyond that. With the Game of Thrones spinoff making Rhaena partly responsible for Jace's death, her character is poised to be at odds with both Queen Rhaenyra and Baela heading into House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 2.
She's also likely to feel guilt surrounding the incident, potentially turning dragon-riding into a double-edged sword for her. Jace's death could serve as motivation for her to join Daemon's crusade, though, just as Nettles does. And the HBO show won't need to deal with the uncomfortable nature of Daemon's relationship with Nettles, as it makes more sense for his daughter to be close to him. How that change will impact his romance with Rhaenyra remains to be seen, but it wouldn't be the first divergence the series had to work around.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 4:58 PM.