House Of The Dragon Star Emma D'Arcy Had The Same Rhaenyra Complaint That Fans Did

After getting a blistering start out of the gate upon premiering in 2022, "House of the Dragon" stirred up plenty of debate with a divisive second season — one that even author George R.R. Martin weighed in on. Rather than throwing us headlong into the Targaryen civil war that forever changes the fate of Westeros, the show instead shifted into neutral and left viewers waiting on the precipice of all-out conflict. As such, main protagonists Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) haven't yet taken the darker turns that their arcs would seem to dictate ... and fans aren't the only ones who've noticed.

"House of the Dragon" will return quicker than you can say "Dracarys," and those involved are promising a much bigger, more action-packed experience this time around. Entertainment Weekly just dropped its cover story for Season 3, with one major star promising that this next chapter will deliver in a key area where the previous ones didn't. Indeed, nobody could argue with the work D'Arcy has put into their performance as Queen Rhaenyra, but, in stark contrast, the character's arc has been somewhat passive to this point. Rather than fight for the throne she believes is hers, she's instead found every excuse not to wage total war.

D'Arcy shares the same concerns that many fans have expressed and expects that to change in Season 3. Per the actor:

"Rhaenyra has primarily been in a reactionary position. She spent a lot of time in Season 1 and Season 2 backed into a corner, treading water to an extent, trying to preserve a very tenuous position. I have shared with [the] audience a desire for her to move into a more active, front-footed position. I wanted to see what happens when that character stops having to apologize."

Of the many changes that "House of the Dragon" has made to its source material, George R.R. Martin's "Fire & Blood," one in particular has to do with Rhaenyra's personal motivations. In Martin's book, the Queen hardly even hesitates to start a war over the Iron Throne that was stolen away from her by Alicent. In "House of the Dragon," however, the introduction of that prophecy passed down from ruler to ruler by Aegon the Conqueror added a whole new dimension to Rhaenyra's ambitions. Not only is she fighting for what's rightfully hers, but she's also fighting for a far nobler reason: the preservation of the world against a much graver threat.

Elsewhere in EW's cover story, Emma D'Arcy teases that this may have a much more destabilizing effect on Rhaenyra than viewers may have thought. Without spoiling anything, those who've read Martin's book know that many of the main players remaining on the board will take less and less sympathetic actions as the war drags on. Watching that "movement towards tyranny," as D'Arcy calls it, will be a highlight of Season 3 and beyond. "I think in Rhaenyra's case, it's a kind of religious fanaticism, actually, that starts to radicalize her position," to quote D'Arcy. In other words, it's one thing to be a ruler grasping for power that's been taken from you — it's quite another to do so while believing you're on a divine mission to save the world.

It sounds like "House of the Dragon" will finally live up to the fire and blood of it all. It's about time. Season 3 will premiere June 21, 2026, on HBO and HBO Max.