WARNING: This includes SPOILERS for Fire & Blood.

Ser Criston Cole may be my most hated House of the Dragon character, but he does have some qualities that put Game of Thrones’ greatest knight to shame. Although Game of Thrones’ most important moments and twists did not always have to do with battles or who had the bigger armies, the show did include a lot of action and valued the importance of strategy in combat. The series proved more than once that great fighters do not necessarily make for great leaders and vice versa, with Robert Baratheon being a great example of it.

House of the Dragon also explores the different challenges of being a warrior compared to being a leader, namely with the character of Ser Criston Cole. Even before Ser Criston was appointed as Aegon II’s new Hand of the King, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard was already playing the “game of thrones.” When Ser Criston crowned Aegon II, the Dornish knight positioned himself as a major player in the Dance of the Dragons. Criston Cole’s petty resentfulness toward Rhaenyra has made him a rather dislikeable character, but I can’t deny his skills as a knight.

Criston Cole Is Way Better At War Strategy & Battles Than Jaime Lannister

Criston Cole is a good commander and strategist.

Ser Criston Cole was one of the best knights of his generation, which House of the Dragon has shown in episodes such as “Fire in the Sky.” As Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and one of the most important characters on the show, it is difficult not to compare Criston Cole with Game of Thrones’ Jaime Lannister. As skillful as Jaime was – he joined the Kingsguard at 15 after all – Twyin Lannister’s firstborn son was not that great of a strategist. Jaime made a lot of tactical errors in Game of Thrones, including during the War of the Five Kings.

Jaime fell into Robb Stark’s trap and became a prisoner of the Starks. He also failed to mentor and protect both of his sons, not to mention how his daughter died on his watch. Tyrion was often referred to as “the smart one” when it came to Tywin Lannister’s heirs. Ser Criston Cole is great at single combat but is also a good strategist. Despite Aegon II’s reckless decision, I’m sure that bringing Aemond and Vhagar to Rook’s Rest is what gave the Greens one of their first major victories in the Dance of the Dragons.

Criston Cole & Jaime Lannister Have Polar Opposite Kingsguard Reputations

Criston “made a king,” Jaime slayed one.

The stories of Criston Cole and Jaime Lannister mirror each other in a lot of ways. Whereas Criston Cole is the “Kingmaker” who betrayed the arguably rightful heir and almost literally made Aegon II king, Jaime Lannister is the “Kingslayer” who murdered the man he was sworn to protect. There is a level of tragedy to Jaime’s story that cannot be compared to anything Criston went through, though. Still, both characters were part of a war larger than them and ended up becoming instruments of more powerful people.

I also find it interesting how Jaime starts as a “villain” and is slowly deconstructed to become a more complex character who even goes through a redemption arc. Criston Cole, on the other hand, starts House of the Dragon as Rhaenyra’s lover and protector and later becomes one of her worst enemies. Criston Cole will get a gruesome death in House of the Dragon if it follows Fire & Blood, whereas Jaime got a bittersweet ending in Game of Thrones in which he died alongside Cersei during the burning of King’s Landing.