Otto Hightower is House of the Dragon's biggest antagonist, here's why

As HBO Max's House of the Dragon heads towards the release of its second season, fans are eager to see things get more interesting. Season 1 featured glimpses of the great civil war that is known to Game of Thrones enthusiasts as the Dance of the Dragons.

The first installment concluded with arguably the most critical action taken by either of the two sides until now. Lucerys and Arrax were burnt to death by Aemond’s dragon Arrax, leading to a devastated Rhaenyra Targaryen calling for war against The Greens. That is exactly what her partner and uncle Daemon Targaryen wanted, and season 2 is set to give fans entertaining battles right from the start.

While Daemon, played by Matt Smith is arguably the biggest ally that Rhaenyra has, it will be fair to say that Queen Alicent Hightower, played by Olivia Cooke, also has her fair share of allies in the series, in addition to her army of sons.

This includes her father and former Hand of the King for King Viserys I Targaryen, Otto Hightower, one of the most evil characters introduced in the series thus far. Otto will play a remarkably huge role in the upcoming season and will be the one behind the majority of his daughter’s ploys.

With his character arc already complete in the books, readers will be aware of everything that Otto Hightower is set to achieve in the upcoming season of House of the Dragon.

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Otto Hightower and his ambitions make him the biggest antagonist in House of the Dragon

Portrayed by Rhys Ifans, Otto Hightower is bound to remind fans of Lord Varys, although he is much more evil and corrupt. While centuries later, Lord Varys does his best and makes use of his elaborate network of spies for the genuine good of the seven kingdoms, Otto Hightower is remarkably dangerous.

He has been plotting the rise of his family into power for decades and manipulated Queen Alicent’s marriage to Viserys. Now, following the death of King Viserys, Otto’s focus has solely been on ensuring that The Greens, headed by himself and his daughter, take over the crown of the seven kingdoms.

While Otto is well aware of the fact that Alicent herself is not fit to be the best queen, he hopes that Aegon ends up on the throne at the end of the Dance of the Dragons. To make this a reality, he does everything in his power and leaves a trail of destruction and deceit, which will most prominently be seen in season 2 of House of the Dragon.

Thus far, even the two queens, Rhaenyra and Alicent, are looking for a way to end the war with the least amount of destruction. However, that is not something Otto has appeared to be keen on, as he took several steps to ensure that the war in question takes place and escalates, which led to Lucerys' death in the season 1 finale.

Hence, in a bid to gain power, Otto ends up using his own daughters and grandchildren as pawns, as he continues to try and elevate his family’s status in the realm. Fans of the books are likely aware that Hightower ends up succeeding to a huge degree, eventually paving the way for Prince Aegon to ascend the throne.

In addition to his own aims, Otto’s actions are also governed by a hatred for Rhaenyra Targaryen. He was seen controlling the narrative against her in season 1 and has been successful in driving out her allies from the seven kingdoms until now.

Regardless, it is clear that Otto Hightower is the biggest foe for Rhaenyra and her supporters as they seek to wrest power from the Hightowers. He is arguably the biggest antagonist in the series, and this will only become more clear as House of the Dragon heads towards its conclusion.

Season 2 of the series is set to premiere on June 16, 2024.