Who Is Ormund Hightower, the Powerful New Player in ‘House of the Dragon’?
Ormund Hightower is positioned to become an important reinforcement of the story, but where has he been for the past two seasons?
Published June 22 2026, 7:54 a.m. ET
The Season 3 premiere of House of the Dragon wasted little time introducing new characters into Westerosi politics, chief among them Lord Ormund Hightower and the long-awaited arrival of Daeron Targaryen.
Ormund Hightower, played by British actor James Norton, commands a host of 15,000 men marching toward King's Landing to reinforce the Greens.
In his introductory scene, he receives a letter, sent by Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) without King Regent Aemond Targaryen's knowledge, ordering him to hold his position and wait for Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and his massive dragon, Vhagar.
Behind him, barely visible, stands his squire: Daeron Targaryen, played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, the youngest son of Alicent and Viserys (Paddy Considine).
Who is Ormund Hightower?
Ormund is the current Lord of Oldtown and Head of House Hightower. He is the son of Hobert Hightower (Steffan Rhodri), making him the nephew of Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and Alicent's first cousin.
With Otto now held prisoner by an unknown party entering Season 3, Ormund has effectively become the most powerful reinforcement on the Green side outside of King's Landing.
Showrunner Ryan Condal has described Ormund as "the Tywin Lannister of this world,” the wealthiest man in the realm who does not sit on a throne, according to SFX Magazine.
Daeron's presence in the camp also gave audiences their first proper look at Tessarion, also known as the Blue Queen. The blue dragon was briefly glimpsed flying over the Lannister army in the closing shots of the Season 2 finale, but the premiere marks the first time the dragon appears alongside her rider.
The Weeks Ahead trailer for Season 3 suggests Ormund will play a significantly larger role as the Greens and Blacks continue to fight for the Iron Throne.
With Aegon and Larys on the run and Alicent sidelined by Aemond, Ormund's army and Daeron's dragon represent a significant shift in the balance of power.
Is Ormund’s Story Different In The Show Than In the Books?
As with many adaptations of George R.R. Martin's work, some storylines have been condensed or cut.
In the source material, Fire and Blood, Ormund's host runs into a battle just outside Oldtown almost immediately.
The premiere implies that the sequence has either been skipped or may be explored in the coming episodes, as the army appears close to King's Landing.
Another significant departure involves the absence of Maelor Targaryen from the show.
In Martin's book, Maelor's death at Bittbridge triggers Daeron's destruction of the town as an act of vengeance, an event that leads to the city being awarded to Ulf the White.
Without Maelor in the show, that storyline cannot unfold as written, leaving Bittbridge largely inconsequential to the television narrative.