WARNING! This post contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 1, episode 5 and George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood!Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) makes a scarily accurate assessment of House of the Dragon’s future, which goes beyond his typical scheming motivations. House of the Dragon season 1 has already set up Otto as a significant antagonist, with his calculated plots eventually leading to Viserys firing him as Hand of the King. Despite making himself particularly untrustworthy by forcing his teenage daughter to seduce the King, persistently pressing his grandson Aegon’s claim over Rhaenyra’s, and finding any way to ruin Rhaenyra’s position as heir to the Iron Throne, Otto is unfortunately right when it comes to the inevitable future of the succession.
As he departs from King’s Landing in House of the Dragon episode 5, Otto is stopped by his daughter Alicent, who regrets that her actions influenced his dismissal. Otto warns Alicent that defending Rhaenyra was naive, and that it’s simply slowing down the actions that need to be taken to place Aegon on the Iron Throne. The former Hand of the King explains matter-of-factly that Viserys will die, with war certain to follow if Rhaenyra is crowned as Queen. Since the realm will not accept her, Rhaenyra will have no choice but to kill Alicent’s children in order to procure her claim. Alicent chooses not to see it, but she must make the decision of whether to prepare Aegon to rule or risk the deaths of her children and herself.
While Otto’s intentions are still undoubtedly self-serving, he’s more correct than he knows in his assessment of what will happen after Viserys’ reign. House of the Dragon episode 5 makes Viserys’ death not only inevitable, but imminent; the fact that he’s able to survive the 10-year time jump to episode 6 is utterly shocking. Otto is also right in that the realm will not accept a woman on the Iron Throne, which is an unfortunate point that Rhaenys has been making to Rhaenyra for several years now. Viserys is naive if he believes Rhaenyra will ascend the Iron Throne with little resistance, meaning a Targaryen civil war is the only answer when the time comes to crown his successor. Rhaenyra won’t give up her crown to her brother, which indicates that she’ll have to kill Alicent’s children in order to assure her claim. As such, Otto isn’t exaggerating when saying that Alicent’s only options are to ensure Aegon becomes king or pray for Rhaenyra’s mercy. The most frightening part about Otto’s speech isn’t that he’s manipulating Alicent into betraying Rhaenyra and Viserys, but that he’s telling the unwanted truth.
Otto Hightower’s Future In House Of The Dragon’s Story
Alongside Alicent and Criston Cole, Otto Hightower will be one of the foremost advocates for placing Aegon on the Iron Throne. Being fired as Hand of the King now gives him ample time to rally more Great Houses to Aegon’s cause, with many already showing their true colors in House of the Dragon episode 3’s hunt for the white stag. As Rhaenyra’s personal life continues to be subject to speculation after House of the Dragon episode 5, Otto is also given further ammunition to destroy her reputation in favor of Aegon. However, this doesn’t change the fact that Otto’s plan is a strict usurpation from the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, with such treachery becoming even more dangerous once Viserys told Rhaenyra the secret of Aegon’s prophecy.
Otto’s future involves playing an integral in the formation of the Targaryen “green” party, which consists of the powerful lords, houses, and knights loyal to Queen Alicent and her children. The party is named after the green dress that Alicent wears to Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding in House of the Dragon episode 5, which symbolizes the green flame lit on the beacon of Hightower when Oldtown calls its banners to war. Just as Otto had predicted (and manipulated), Alicent’s symbolic dress marks the true emergence of the Dance of the Dragons. When the King’s death arrives in House of the Dragon, Otto will be a key figure responsible for crowning Aegon in defiance of Viserys’ will.
New episodes of House of the Dragon release Sundays on HBO/HBO Max.
