Who Is Gwayne Hightower in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2?

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 3.

The big picture

• 2nd season of
  House of the Dragon
  focuses on the civil war in Westeros and introduces new characters like Ser Gwayne Hightower.
• Ser Gwayne Hightower is the youngest son of Ser Otto Hightower and a skilled knight, initially introduced in season 1 although we never saw his face.
• The show changes Gwayne's role compared to the book, making him a sidekick to Ser Criston Cole and providing more character development.

After a slow start, season 2 of House of the Dragon is building towards a climactic showdown as Westeros is plunged into civil war. Based on the book Fire and Blood for George RR Martinserves as a prequel series to the beloved game of thrones, taking audiences to the continent of Westeros during the heyday of House Targaryen, the noble family known for their ability to ride dragons. With all attempts to find a peaceful solution to the war having failed, the armies of Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and his half-brother, King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), prepare to march under the wings of flying dragons. Regardless of which side wins, the Realm will burn and both men and dragons will die. Season 2 has wasted no time in bringing in new characters who will likely play a bigger role in the upcoming battles. Among these are Ser Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox), the younger brother of Queen Dowager Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). While he hasn't had a chance to accomplish much, he promises to be an intriguing new addition to the cast that could help expand House Hightower even further.

Who is Ser Gwayne Hightower?

Ser Gwayne Hightower is the youngest son of Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), who served as Hand of the King to King Jaehaerys I (Michael Carter) and Viserys I (Paddy Considine). As befits a young son who probably won't inherit, he was knighted. Audiences were first introduced to him in the first episode of Season 1, “Heirs of the Dragon,” when he participated in the tournament meant to celebrate the birth of Viserys' son. He was chosen to be the first opponent of Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), who defeated Gwayne by lowering his spear to trip his horse. This served as a decent visual narrative to highlight the rivalry between Daemon and Otto, but didn't tell us much about his character outside of the fact that he was skilled enough as a knight to attend the tournament.

Season 2 Episode 3, “The Burning Mill,” re-introduces him as a last-minute companion to the new Hand of the King, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), who is gathering troops to attack Rhaenyra's allies in the Crownlands. He arrives in King's Landing shortly after Otto is dismissed by Aegon, and his exchange with Cole indicates that the two have not met before. This means that he probably spent his time since the tournament in Oldtown. His sudden induction into the warband is probably a way for the Hightowers to keep an eye on Cole and make sure their interests are still being served.

Once outside the city, he proves to be the poster child of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) comments on the tournament knights in Season 1: He's brash, arrogant, and treats a military campaign like it's a hunting trip with his friends. While going to stay at an inn unlike Cole's fortified camp, he and his men were discovered by Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia) and his teenage dragon, Moondancer, and was only saved by Criston Cole. This led to Gwayne thanking Cole and saying that he owes him his life, which could imply that he has the makings of an honorable knight after all.

How has the show changed Gwayne's role compared to the book?

In Fire and BloodGwayne is little more than a supporting character mentioned only a handful of timesthat is, it provides a blank slate for writers of House of the Dragon to play with The first change came from the tournament. Instead of Daemon, he fights Ser Criston, who still dismantled him. Changing his opponent to Daemon helps visualize the rivalry between him and Gwayne's father. Although the book offers a greater connection between Cole and Gwayne early in the story, their connection in the show is made stronger by Gwayne's attitude towards Cole after he takes his father's job.

Changing it to Gwayne traveling with Cole to the Crown Lands is much preferable to his book counterpart's role. There, he was assigned to the Gold Cloaks as his second in command, primarily to control their leader, Luthor Largent, who Otto believes is still loyal to Daemon. He was also present when the terms of the Greens were given to Rhaenyra after Aegon's coronation. While it makes sense for the Hightowers to watch over the city, especially after the murder of Aegon's son by one of their members, removing Gwayne from that position gives Criston someone to talk to while he's away of the King's Landing court. . Makes Gwayne another interesting member of House Hightower.

House of the Dragon Season 2 is now streaming on Max in the US

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