- Jacaerys “Jace” Targaryen is the eldest son and heir of Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of Dragons.
- In season two, Jace is intent on fighting in the civil war, despite his mother's objections.
- Here's how Jace dies in George R.R. Martin's 'Fire and Blood' and how he could die in the series.
caveat: Contains major spoilers for “House of the Dragon” season 2 and the book “Fire and Blood.”
If season 2 follows the storyline of George R.R. Martin's books, Jacaerys “Jace” Targaryen may be the next major character to die in House of the Dragon.
Following the success of “Game of Thrones,” HBO adapted Martin's prequel novel “Fire and Blood” into an Emmy-winning hit series.
In Season 2, the Black Army led by Rhaenyra and the Green Army led by Aegon II will battle for the Iron Throne. Fans will be eagerly tuning in to the series every Sunday to see if their favorite character will be the next one to be killed in the civil war.
So far, the war has claimed the lives of two children on both sides, as well as Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), and King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) was left critically ill after the Battle of Lucrest in season four.
If the TV series follows the “Fire and Blood” timeline, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma Darcy) may soon lose another child to the war.
In the fourth episode, fearing she may die in the war, Rhaenyra conveys the prophecy of “A Song of Ice and Fire” to her heir and son, Jace (Henry Collette).
Although Jace understands the importance of his family's survival, he is intent on fighting in the war, and in episode five, he makes the foolhardy move of leaving Dragonstone Castle without telling his mother in search of more allies.
In the books, Jace is also a brave warrior, which ultimately leads to his death. Here, we explain how Jace dies in the prequel novel and why he could be the next character to die in the 'House of the Dragon' TV series.
Jacaerys Targaryen and his dragon, Vermax, are killed in battle with the Triumvirate.
In “Fire and Blood”, Jace dies in the Battle of the Esophagus following the Battle of Luke's Rest.
After losing Meryce and Rhaenys at Luke's Rest, Jace helps recruit new dragonriders to aid the Blacks and escorts his brothers (Joffrey, Aegon the Younger, and Viserys) to safety.
Meanwhile, Otto Hightower, a former advisor to Aegon II, contacts the Triarchy, the army defeated by Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) in Season 1. Otto convinces the Triarchy to join the Green Party in another attack on Corlys.
Instead, the Triumvirate ambushes Aegon and Viserys on a ship bound for Pentos: the young Aegon escapes aboard his dragon, Stormcloud, and tells his family what has happened, but Viserys, having only the dragon egg, ends up being captured.
Jace rides off on his dragon, Vermax, to battle the Trinity with four newly hired dragonriders, Hugh Hammer on Vermithor, Adam of Hal on Seasmoke, Wolf White on Silverwing, and Nettles on Sheepstealer.
The dragon and the fleet push the Triarchs back, but during the battle the Velmax flies too low and is shot down, Jace attempts to escape by jumping onto a shipwreck, but is shot down by a crossbow.
The Battle of Luke's Rest took place in the fourth episode of season two, and since Jace pitched the idea of recruiting more dragonriders in the fifth episode, it's possible the Battle of Gulet could feature this season.
With three episodes remaining, there isn't much source material left to cover between Rook's Rest and Gullet.
While the writers of “House of the Dragon” could have changed the circumstances of Jace's death – his brother was safely escorted to Pentos with his sister-in-law, Rhayna Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell) – it's still possible that the Triumvirate could have attacked House Black in a different way, resulting in Jace's death.
The next episode of “House of the Dragon,” airing Sunday on HBO, will likely reveal whether Jace is the next one to be killed off.
