WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for GRRM's Fire & Blood book and House of the Dragon season 1, episode 9!Otto Hightower’s brutal plan to kill Rhaenyra and Daemon completely reverses his one redeeming political moment in crown Aegon II Targaryen as King. In a nonchalant manner, Otto devises that they must kill both Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen to prevent any significant contest to Aegon’s reign. Not coincidentally, this murderous plan was the same fear tactic Otto originally used to convince his daughter Alicent to betray Rhaenyra.
Once Aegon was born in House of the Dragon, the self-serving and scheming Otto laid secret plans to place his grandson on the throne over Rhaenyra. To finally persuade young Alicent of the necessity of this plan, Otto reasoned that the realm would not accept Rhaenyra as Queen, so she would inevitably kill Alicent’s children to secure her claim. This tense moment between Otto and Alicent appeared to be a surprisingly heartfelt, fearful, and relatively reasonable assessment of the succession problem, but his future plan to kill Rhaenyra and Daemon in cold blood proves it was all a desperate and manipulative deception. In reality, Otto knew he would have to kill Rhaenyra’s family in order to secure Aegon’s ascension.
HOTD Proves Rhaenyra Never Wanted To Kill Alicent’s Family
Otto’s conclusion that Rhaenyra needed to kill Alicent’s children in order to ascend the Iron Throne was completely false, as Rhaenyra spares the family when she finally takes the Iron Throne in House of the Dragon. In fact, Rhaenyra doesn’t kill any of Alicent’s family except for Otto Hightower himself, which is understandable considering he was the biggest traitor of all. While Aegon’s son Jaehaerys is killed as revenge for Aemond murdering Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys, Fire & Blood reveals that it was Daemon who organized the murder, not Rhaenyra. When Rhaenyra takes King’s Landing from the greens, she’s merciful to her half-siblings, their children, and even Alicent herself.
Rhaenyra sparing Alicent’s children is also largely based on Viserys’ insistence that the Targaryen line needs to be strengthened in order to fulfill Aegon’s dream. Rhaenyra likely would have executed Aegon had he not escaped from the Red Keep, but in House of the Dragon’s future, Aegon is the one who cruelly kills Rhaenyra. By the end of the Dance of the Dragons, nearly every Targaryen is killed, leaving only Rhaenyra and Daemon’s sons Aegon and Viserys, Daemon’s daughters Baela and Rhaena, and (briefly) Aegon II’s daughter Jaehaera. Unlike Otto’s plan to murder Daemon and Rhaenyra in cold blood, the Targaryen greens were primarily killed in battle, by their own hand, or by their own men.
Is Otto Hightower HOTD’s Big Villain? What Happens To Him In The War
Although House of the Dragon’s heroes and villains are more subjective and gray than in Otto isn’t House of the Dragon’s big villain, but he’s certainly one of the most despicable characters. He's ultimately responsible for the civil war, and he’ll pay the ultimate price for it through the extinction of his direct line. Due to his patience being interpreted as inaction, Otto Hightower is fired as Aegon’s Hand and is later the first traitor beheaded by Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen at King’s Landing.
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