‘House of the Dragon’ Showrunner Ryan Condal Explains Why Ormund Hightower Might Be the Show’s Smartest Villain Yet
‘House of the Dragon’ has never been short on scheming Hightowers, but Season 3 has introduced a new one who might outsmart them all. James Norton’s Ormund Hightower arrived in the premiere as a seemingly reasonable head of his house, only to reveal a far more calculating nature once the war for the Iron Throne reached his doorstep. In just a few episodes, Alicent’s cousin and the Lord of House Hightower has established himself as a worthy successor to Otto as a schemer.
The character’s rise has been especially notable because he barely exists on the page. Ormund is in a very interesting position because he didn’t have a big role in George R. R. Martin’s novel Fire and Blood, which means the adaptation can take creative liberties with his character, making him all the more unpredictable. That freedom has let the writers turn him into one of the season’s most dangerous new pieces on the board, particularly once he seized the town of ‘Tumbleton’.
Speaking about the character’s motives, showrunner Ryan Condal broke down exactly why Ormund’s move on ‘Tumbleton’ was so shrewd. As shown in the viral post from Thrones Updates, Condal explained that Ormund calculated Rhaenyra could not attack the town without destroying a city loyal to her own cause, effectively turning her into a villain in the eyes of the realm if she tried. He called Ormund a “major player of the chess game of this world,” a line that has since spread widely among fans dissecting the season’s political maneuvering.
That trap is already playing out on screen. The Season 3 Episode 4 trailer opens with Rhaenyra asking why Ormund decided to seize ‘Tumbleton’, believing he is provoking her into attacking a region that supported her while she wonders whether he is instead trying to win their support. It is a bind with no clean exit, and that is precisely the point.
The show has also used the ‘Tumbleton’ occupation to explore just how ugly Ormund’s brand of control can get. Green forces took over homes in the town, and after one of Ormund’s soldiers attempted to assault a woman in a household viewers had just been introduced to, Ormund had the man gelded as punishment. It is a brutal reminder that his strategic brilliance does not make him merciful.
Executive producer and director Clare Kilner also weighed in on the dynamic between Ormund and his ward Daeron, describing their bond as something far darker than it appears. She called their relationship “really dysfunctional and horrible to watch, but brilliant and fun to direct,” adding that Daeron has only known the kind of love Ormund gives, which isn’t real love at all, in comments made to GoldDerby. That manipulation is central to understanding why Ormund has become such a formidable threat to Rhaenyra’s fragile new reign.
With Aegon missing, Aemond’s whereabouts uncertain, and Otto Hightower dead, Ormund has effectively stepped into the power vacuum left behind by the Green faction’s collapse. Whether Rhaenyra can outmaneuver a man showrunner Ryan Condal himself considers one of the season’s most brilliant players remains to be seen. How do you think Rhaenyra should handle Ormund’s ‘Tumbleton’ gambit without losing the realm’s trust in the process?
