First it was Daemon Targaryen. Then King Viserys Targaryen. Then Aemond Targaryen. And even Ser Criston Cole. Now fans believe House of the Dragon‘s Ser Otto Hightower could be the Night King or a White Walker in Game of Thrones.
The rich world of Westeros is full of unforeseen connections, mysteries, and enigmatic characters. A hundred more conundrums appear for every question that gets an answer, leaving even more legends in their wake.
Despite its rushed pace in the final season, Game of Thrones expanded the lore behind the White Walkers considerably just as the series reached its conclusion. Even so, there are still many unanswered questions regarding them, such as what exactly was their endgame, and where they came from.
A common misconception regarding the White Walkers is that they are mere zombies, just like we’d see in The Walking Dead or any George Romero film. They might be undead, but there’s a lot more nuance to George R.R. Martin’s mysterious hordes of the dead than that.
One popular fan theory online claims that Ser Otto Hightower, from House of the Dragon, would eventually become the dreaded Night King from Game of Thrones. As much as we’d like that this theory was true, there are some holes in the basic facts that would indicate that there’s just no way for Ser Otto to become the master of the undead hordes.
Be warned, though: from this point on, numerous House of the Dragon spoilers abound for non-readers.
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Otto Hightower has been the Hand of the King to three monarchs already. He’s served under King Jaehaerys I, Viserys I, and Aegon II. As one of the most notable members of the Greens, Ser Otto has drawn the attention of the political elite of King’s Landing, for better or for worse.
His ultimate fate in the show hasn’t been revealed yet, but if the books are anything to go by, he doesn’t get a happy ending. He gets beheaded by Rhaenyra Targaryen, as do most of the Greens for treason. This presents a problem for the theory that claims that he’s an undead warrior by the events of Game of Thrones. First, there was the theory that Daemon Targaryen was the Night King. Then fans questioned whether or not Viserys Targaryen could be the White Walker with the spear. If that wasn’t enough, Aemond Targaryen was also accused of being the Night King. Now fans are throwing Ser Criston Cole
We might not know much about the White Walkers, let alone the Night King, but Bran Stark’s visions in Game of Thrones paint a clear picture of who the Night King might be.
Although the character is completely different from his book counterpart, we know that the Night King – and the White Walkers – was created by the Children of the Forest. Even if we only got a small glimpse of the creation of the leader of the army of the dead, we can see that the Night King was alive when he was created – and had his head intact.
For these reasons, it’s highly unlikely that Ser Otto Hightower could be the Night King, let alone a White Walker. From what we know, the White Walkers that accompany the Night King have always been White Walkers – First Men turned into undead abominations by the Children of the Forest.
So, even though House of the Dragon is great for establishing events that happened a couple of hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, we’d have to travel further back into the history of Westeros if we’d hope to uncover the mysteries of the White Walkers.
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What do you think? Is House of the Dragon‘s Ser Otto Hightower the Night King or a White Walker in Game of Thrones? Read our full review of House of the Dragon Season 2.
