House of the Dragon Season 4 Pushes Stark's Biggest Moment Back Two Years

Spoilers ahead for George R.R. Martin's 'Fire & Blood' and House of the Dragon.

If you were waiting for House of the Dragon to go full Stark this season, slow your roll. Tom Taylor's Cregan Stark popped up in Season 2 just long enough to make an impression, but the good stuff for him happens after the dragons stop tearing each other apart.

So where is Cregan in the show right now?

On screen, Cregan is the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. During the Targaryen civil war, the Blacks needed northern muscle, so Jacaerys Velaryon (Jace) went to Winterfell to lock things down. They struck a deal: an alliance now, and a future union between their children later. That 'Pact of Ice and Fire' is a big deal, even if the show only gave it a few minutes.

The Stark storyline you actually want is post-war

Here’s the part a lot of people don’t realize: Cregan’s defining moment isn’t in the middle of the Dance, it’s after Rhaenyra and Aegon II are both dead. That stretch is known as the 'Hour of the Wolf' — also called the 'Judgment of the Wolf' in Fire & Blood — when Cregan rides south, briefly serves as Hand of the King to young Aegon III (Rhaenyra’s eldest surviving son), and clears house in King’s Landing. Think of it as a northern audit of who did what during the war, with actual consequences. If Ned Stark becoming Robert’s Hand was your baseline, this is the harsher, icier version.

The show has already teased this. Daemon’s eerie time at Harrenhal in Season 2 quietly pointed toward that looming reckoning in the capital. But getting there on TV is going to take a minute.

Timing, episodes, and what likely lands where

• Season 3 is set for mid-2026 and will only run eight episodes.
• Because of that shorter order, some heavy hitters — including the Battle Above the Gods Eye and the Hour of the Wolf — may slide into Season 4.
• Season 4 is confirmed and targeting 2028, per Deadline.

What House Stark actually does during the Dance

Even if they aren’t chewing up screentime, the Starks matter in this war. After Cregan and Jace sealed their pact, the first host of Northmen marched south and helped the Blacks notch wins against the Greens in the Riverlands. When Jace was later killed at the Battle of the Gullet and Rhaenyra took King’s Landing, Cregan sent word that he’d send her ten thousand Northmen — she just had to wait for them to mobilize. Then, after Rhaenyra was murdered and Aegon II retook the city, Cregan still kept his promise and marched anyway. Classic Stark: honor first, schedule second.

The Hour/Judgment of the Wolf, explained

Once the war ends, Cregan arrives in King’s Landing, takes the Hand’s pin for Aegon III, and starts handing out justice to war traitors. It’s a natural capstone to the civil war and an icy reminder of what northern oaths actually mean. When he’s done, he resigns and heads home. No power grab, no grandstanding — just duty, finished. That throughline of Stark honor is the same one the franchise has been humming since Game of Thrones.

Will the show give the Starks more spotlight?

They didn’t dominate the battlefield chapters in Fire & Blood, but their choices echo. The series could beef up their presence in Season 3 because, let’s be honest, Starks are crowd-pleasers. Either way, the real showcase for Cregan is almost certainly in Season 4 when the Hour of the Wolf hits.

Quick stats

TV show: House of the Dragon
Showrunner: Ryan Condal
Based on: George R.R. Martin's 'Fire & Blood'
Number of seasons: 2 so far (Seasons 3 and 4 are confirmed)
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Streaming: HBO Max

Looking forward to the Hour of the Wolf in Season 4? Drop your predictions in the comments.