House of the Dragon fans were not pleased after they were introduced to the character of Ser Davos Blackwood in the recent episode 3 titled The Burning Mill.
Viewers thought this character originally to be Bloody Ben aka Benjicot Blackwood from the promos. However after the episode aired, and the confusion between Benjicot Blackwood and Davos Blackwood was cleared, fans didn’t seem happy.
Although the show doesn’t follow all the events in the book, the fans were left confused if the showmakers and writers had skipped Bloody Ben or replaced his character with Davos Blackwood, a character who is made for the show only.
After The Burning Mill aired on June 30, 2024, which marked the beginning of the Targaryen Civil War, fans expressed their disappointment on Reddit. A user posted about the new character of Davos Blackwood as they had anticipated him to be Benjicot Blackwood.
Several other users questioned why a new character was introduced when there was already a character in place, as per the books. Here is what some of the user comments read:
"Why the hell is he not Bloody Ben," one person said.
"Davos eh? Did he spot some fermented crab?," another netizen commented.
"What's the point of creating a new character when you already have one from the source material who is perfect?," another fan wrote on Reddit.
"I'm so confused, davos isnt even a character in the books?? i’m assuming that davos and ben are gonna be all mixed together into one character, because the actor has been talking about him being blood ben (indirectly)," another person said.
Other users also stormed the same Reddit thread and did not step back to express their disappointment after they saw Davos Blackwood fight on the side of the Blacks in The Battle of the Burning Mill.
The battle initially begins when Davos Blackwood and Aeron Bracken are seen near the border, moving boundary stones. Their quarrel transforms into a full-length battle with thousands being killed later on the show, which marks the first battle on The Dance of the Dragons in House of the Dragon.
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The latest House of the Dragon episode also shows the fall of the first castle.
"What's point of these invented characters why do they not just cast Bloody ben? we got Davos Blackwood," a user commented.
"They should just take an L on this one and bring the actor back as Bloody Ben, I loved that dudes intro and craziness. Or just have some forgettable character start the battle. But really liked that actors style," another user commented.
"Why would they keep Amos, but cut out Benjicot? That’s wild," another netizen wrote.
Other users who wanted to know about Davos Blackwood's fate on House of the Dragon and what happened to his character after the battle, commented on the same thread for answers.
"wait did davos blackwood die???, one person wrote.
To which another user replied:
"He died too when they zoom out you see Davos Blackwood dead by an arrow :/," another person commented.
Another Netizen who did not seem convinced by the above comments started speculating about Davos's death in House of the Dragon.
"Where in the frame do you see Davos Blackwoods body? Once it zooms out from the Bracken in the stream it's nearly impossible to pick out any other faces," one person said.
Who was Bloody Ben aka Benjicot Blackwood in House of the Dragon?
Benjicot was originally the head of House Blackwood and also the Lord of Raventree Hall. He was one of Rhaenyra's strongest allies and played a crucial role in The Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war.
As a member of the Blacks, he became head of the house when he was just 11 years old. Benjicot won many major battles throughout his reign. After the Battle of the Kingsroad, he got the name Bloody Ben because of his impeccable strategies and war skills in House of the Dragon.
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Ben is an important character in the book and especially with The Dance of the Dragons approaching on the show House of the Dragon, replacing his character in the previous episode diverts the original story to a new course, which will unfold in the upcoming episodes.
It's likely that his character can be introduced later on in the show as many speculated that Davos could be Benjicot's elder brother. However, it remains to be seen if the show makers decide to bring his character or not. So far, no official announcement has been made about the same.
House of the Dragon is now streaming on Max.