House Of The Dragon: 9 Things Only Book Fans Know About Otto Hightower

6 min readSep 4, 2022

Just like its predecessor, Game of Thrones, HBO’s House of the Dragon features a large ensemble of characters. The show has no clear lead; instead, it juggles multiple viewpoints, creating a sprawling story that includes many crucial players. Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, is one such figure.

Played by beloved Welsh actor Rhys Ifans, Otto is a scheming and intelligent man. He is one of the architects behind the show’s central conflict, the Dance of the Dragons, manipulating events from behind the scenes. Book fans will know just how crucial he is to the story, standing as one of George R. R. Martin’s finest creations.

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon.

Otto Is A Knight

Knights are among the most respected figures in the Seven Kingdoms. Most warriors want to become knights, hoping to achieve honor and fight for a just cause. Furthermore, knights require a considerable degree of fighting capabilities: even sons of respected Lords can fail to achieve knighthood if their abilities are not on par with the title’s demands.

Otto Hightower is a knight, hence why other characters refer to him as “Ser;” however, his days as a knight are long past by the time House of the Dragon begins. As a second-born, Otto never had any expectations, which explains why his family allowed him to pursue a knighthood.

Otto Is Not The Head Of His House

Otto Hightower is a second-born son and younger brother of Lord Hightower, known across the Seven Kingdoms as the Lord of the Hightower. Otto never had any expectations of inheriting his family’s seat, the massive Hightower in Oldtown; thus, he pursued a scholarly career and achieved his knighthood.

Second-borns have a difficult position in the Seven Kingdoms. Because they don’t inherit any titles or lands, it’s hard for them to find advantageous matches. For example, Eddard Stark only married Catelyn Tully and became Lord of Winterfell because his older brother, Brandon, died at the Mad King’s hands. Similarly, Otto had to find his own place in the world since his family had none for him.

Otto Has Several Children

House of the Dragon portrays Otto as having one daughter, Alicent, whom he uses to play the game of thrones. However, he has several other sons, although only one plays a major role in the Dance of the Dragons.

Ser Gwayne Hightower becomes the City Watch’s second-in-command, acting as a spy of sorts and looking for any signs of disloyalty towards his nephew, King Aegon II. Gwayne died at the hands of the City Watch’s commander, Luthor Largent, who remained loyal to his former commander, Daemon Targaryen, the Rogue Prince.

Otto Serves As Hand To Three Kings

The Hand of the King is a place of honor, or so the realm thinks. In reality, it’s a difficult and thankless position that often goes unsung. Few people understand this unfortunate fact better than Otto Hightower, who served as Hand for three different Kings.

To his luck, Otto was Hand of the King to two of the least villainous Targaryen rulers in A Song of Ice and Fire. Jahaerys I entered a deep depression following the death of his wife and son, Prince Baelon. He died and named his grandson, Viserys, as his heir. House of the Dragon depicts Viserys as a gentle but weak ruler, afraid of conflict and lacking the spine to rule a continent as violent as Westeros. Otto serves a third and final king, his grandson, Aegon II, during the Dance of the Dragons, but things don’t end up well for either of them.

Otto Was Once The De-Facto Ruler Of The Seven Kingdoms

House Targaryen makes several dumb decisions throughout their rule. Many Kings have no interest in ruling, while others abuse their power. King Jahaerys I, also known as the Conciliator, was one of the best Targaryen rulers for a while and the longest-reigning one, sitting on the Iron Throne for fifty-five years. However, the deaths of his wife and son left him broken, sending him to a deep depression from which he could not escape.

Thus, Otto became Westeros’ de-facto ruler from his place as Hand of the King. It’s not unheard of for a Hand to effectively rule the Seven Kingdoms; during the Mad King’s rule, Tywin Lannister acted as Westeros’ King in all but name. Otto was equally capable of handling the duties, and the kingdom remained stable and even prosperous throughout his tenure under the increasingly sick Jahaerys.

Viserys Removed Otto As Hand Of The King

For all his knowledge and experience, Otto was also very vain and arrogant. He believed in his and his family’s superiority, which brought him considerable problems with Viserys I. Following Viserys’ marriage to Alicent and the birth of their first son, Aegon II, Otto insisted that the King disavowed Rhaenyra and named Aegon his heir. Viserys refused and expelled Otto, who returned to Oldtown.

Although one of the least evil Kings in A Song of Ice and Fire, Viserys had a temper and did not like when others challenged him. Still, he maintained a close relationship with Otto, mainly out of duty, since he was the Queen’s father. Eleven years after Viserys removed him from office, Otto returned to serve as Hand of the King and held the position for the next nine years.

Otto Is Arguably The Cause For The Dance Of The Dragons

During Otto’s absence from court, Alicent secures a group of loyal Lords who support her son’s place as Viserys’ rightful heir. Once he returns to the capital, he begins to actively plot Aegon II’s coronation once Viserys finally dies. Otto, Alicent, and Ser Criston Cole are the plot’s main perpetrators, crowning Aegon after Viserys’ death, effectively starting the Dance of the Dragons.

Alicent Hightower is one of the best characters in House of the Dragon. She is very much her own woman, but Otto’s influence on her is undeniable. He is the one that insists on Aegon II’s claim to the Throne, although Alicent is happy to follow suit. The show also reveals Otto manipulated his daughter and Viserys into forming a bond so she could become Queen, proving he is as manipulative as he is dangerous.

Otto Dies At Rhaenyra’s Hands

Otto doesn’t live long enough to see the ending of the war he began. Benefitting from Criston Cole and Prince Aemond Targaryen’s absence from King’s Landing, Rhaenyra and Daemon fly to the capital and take control of the Iron Throne. Proclaiming herself Queen, Rhaenyra declares Otto a traitor and beheads him; he is the first of her executions.

RELATED: 10 Greatest Kingsguard Of All Time In Game Of Thrones As one of the main architects in the Dance, it makes sense that Rhaenyra would execute him first. She never had any love for Otto and probably wanted to be rid of him as quickly as possible. However, Otto wasn’t as influential in the conflict by that point, so his loss didn’t hit the Greens as much as Rhaenyra wanted.

Otto Has A Dubious Reputation In The Seven Kingdoms

Like most scheming and treacherous characters, history has not been kind to Otto Hightower. Most people remember him as a cunning but ultimately ineffective Hand, more famous for his knowledge than his worth as a ruler. Pylos, Stannis Baratheon’s Maester, speaks about Otto with disappointment and even contempt, describing him as a failure despite his considerable knowledge.

Being Hand of the King is the most thankless job in the realm. The saying goes, “The King eats, and the Hand takes the sh*t.” Indeed, the Hand seldom gets any recognition if they succeed at their job; however, the masses are cruel if the Hand fails, and that’s the case with Otto. His expulsion from the Small Council by two Kings and role in the Dance of the Dragons cemented his place as one of the worst Hands in Westerosi history.

NEXT: 10 Biggest Difference In House Of The Dragon’s Westeros Compared To Game Of Thrones

Originally published at https://screenrant.com on September 4, 2022.