Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Fire & Blood, the book on which House of the Dragon is based.Lord Cregan Stark of Winterfell, but the character may not factor directly into season 3. The return of House Stark was a big deal back in season 2's premiere, as Cregan made a deal with Jacaerys Velaryon to continue ing Rhaenyra Targaryen, and to send soldiers to fight for her and Team Black in the Dance of the Dragons.

After House of the Dragon season 3. The season 2 finale saw an army of Northmen marching into battle, and that's going to be a big part of the show's third season when it eventually returns to HBO and Max.

The Northern Army Will Be A Key Part Of House Of The Dragon Season 3

The Winter Wolves Will Make Up For A Lack Of Cregan Stark

As part of his pact with Jacaerys, Cregan agreed to send 2,000 older Northern men to fight for Rhaenyra. In Fire & Blood, this army is known as the Winter Wolves: grizzled warriors who don't expect to return home, but instead believe they'll die with honor on the battlefield. They'll up with some of the Blacks' forces in the riverlands, forming a formidable opposition for those who come up against them.

Leading the Winter Wolves is Roderick Dustin, aka Roddy the Ruin, who isn't just an experienced fighter, but someone who absolutely delights in the savagery of battle.

Leading the Winter Wolves is Roderick Dustin, aka Roddy the Ruin, who isn't just an experienced fighter, but someone who absolutely delights in the savagery of battle. Roderick will be played by Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy) in season 3, and essentially be the biggest character from the North we'll follow in the absence of House Stark. The Winter Wolves fight in several critical conflicts, including the Battle by the Lakeshore, the Butcher's Ball, and the First Battle of Tumbleton, all of which could be featured in the third season.

"We have come to die for the dragon queen." - Roderick Dustin to Sabitha Frey at the Twins in Fire & Blood.

Criston Cole's Death & The Brutal Battle That Follows With The Winter Wolves

It Will Be "Butchery, Not Battle"

The Winter Wolves in the Battle by the Lakeshore is alone exciting enough. Known as the bloodiest land battle in the entire Dance of the Dragons, it sees the Blacks' forces, led by the Winter Wolves, fighting against the Lannister army, and is known as the Fishfeed due to the high number of corpses that end up in the lake. That could be a bloody spectacle, but it's not what I'm most excited about with the Wolves.

Instead, it will be the Butcher's Ball, and the event directly preceding it: Ser Criston Cole's death. Marching his army through the riverlands, Criston is met by a large Team Black host that outnumbers his men considerably. The Hand of the King initially tries to offer peace and, when that doesn't work, to fight the three leaders - Garibald Grey, Pate of Longleaf, and Roddy the Ruin - himself. Instead, Criston is killed by three arrows, fired by a riverman named Robb Rivers and his archers.

It's fitting for Cole to be robbed of the kind of heroic Kingsguard death he might've envisaged; this isn't the sort of fate songs are sung of, but it's the sort of fate his actions have earned.

It's fitting for Cole to be robbed of the kind of heroic Kingsguard death he might've envisaged; this isn't the sort of fate songs are sung of, but it's the sort of fate his actions have earned. While his speech about marching to oblivion in season 2's finale was a high point for his character, which gave him more depth than I expected, it will still be very satisfying to see him meet his end, and the carnage that comes next should be incredibly brutal and amazing to witness:

"The battle that followed was as one-sided as any in the Dance. Lord Roderick raised a warhorn to his lips and sounded the charge, and the queen’s men came screaming down the ridge, led by the Winter Wolves on their shaggy northern horses and the knights on their armored destriers. With Ser Criston dead upon the ground, the men who had followed him from Harrenhal lost heart. They broke and fled, casting aside their shields as they ran. Their foes came after, cutting them down by the hundreds. Afterward Ser Garibald was heard to say, “Today was butchery, not battle.” Mushroom, upon hearing a report of his words, dubbed the fight the Butcher’s Ball, and so it has been known ever since."

House Stark Itself May Not Return Until House Of The Dragon Season 4

Cregan Returns For The Hour Of The Wolf

The Northmen do a lot of the fighting without Cregan Stark, but he will have a part to play in House of the Dragon's future... just more likely in season 4, which is currently expected to be the show's final outing. Cregan and his men march on King's Landing, but arrive at the end of the civil war, at which point Rhaenyra and Aegon II are both dead.

House of the Dragon season 3 is now filming, and expected to release on HBO and Max sometime in 2026.

Cregan sets about cleaning up the mess that's been left behind in the capital of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and trying to restore order to the realm. He serves as Hand of the King to Aegon III Targaryen, and spends almost a week doling out justice, including executing of Team Green or having them sent to the Wall, in what's known as the Hour of the Wolf. Eventually, though, he leaves the south behind, and is able to return to the north.

The Starks may not have as big a role in House of the Dragon as they did in Game of Thrones, but they'll still be an important presence in the show. And, much like in Thrones, the Starks and the Northmen who represent them - like Roddy the Ruin in season 3 - will absolutely be characters we root for, which should be great to watch when it comes around. The North re, and we're unlikely to forget them.