Are the Hightowers Really in ‘Game of Thrones’? Tracing House Hightower’s Quiet Presence in the Original Series

Fans who fell in love with House Hightower through ‘House of the Dragon’ often ask a simple but surprisingly complicated question. Are they actually there in ‘Game of Thrones’, the original series, or does their story end once the prequel wraps up.

The truth is that House Hightower does exist within the world of ‘Game of Thrones’, but their presence is so understated that casual viewers can easily miss it entirely. House Hightower plays a pivotal role in House of the Dragon, but they are not seen or heard from in a major capacity in Game of Thrones, which raises legitimate questions about where they actually stand in the main HBO series.

Where House Hightower Fits Into the World of ‘Game of Thrones’

House Hightower is one of the oldest noble families in Westeros, and their roots stretch back long before the Targaryen conquest. They are believed to be among the First Men who settled the region thousands of years ago, and their seat is the Hightower itself, a towering structure built on Battle Isle at the mouth of the Honeywine River, considered one of the tallest and oldest buildings in Westeros.

Their influence in Westerosi history runs deep even before Aegon’s Conquest. Before the conquest, the family existed as petty kings, and the sons of an ancient Hightower king were significant to the founding of the Citadel, while the family later joined the realm through marriage to the Kings of the Reach, House Gardener of Highgarden. The Hightowers were also among the first great lords in Westeros to embrace the Faith of the Seven, supporting the building of the Starry Sept and helping establish the position of the High Septon.

By the time the story of ‘Game of Thrones’ begins, the family has settled into a much quieter role. They are described as isolationists who held fealty to House Tyrell for roughly 300 years, and the family patriarch during the events of the show is Lord Leyton Hightower, though he barely factors into the plot. Lord Leyton never appears on screen during ‘Game of Thrones’ and is only ever mentioned in passing, which explains why so many viewers assume the family was invented purely for the prequel.

Their base of operations, Oldtown, does appear on screen even if the family itself largely does not. The Hightowers are based out of Oldtown, which is also home to the Citadel, the very location fans of the original show will recognize as the place where Samwell Tarly goes to study and train as a maester.

The Tower of Joy Connection That Ties Them to the Original Story

For all their absence from the main plot, House Hightower does have one genuinely memorable moment in ‘Game of Thrones’ canon. The only real glimpse of the family within the original series comes during a pivotal flashback in season six, in the episode titled Oathbreaker, when a younger Ned Stark arrives to rescue his sister Lyanna at the Tower of Joy.

That sequence connects directly to one of the most consequential events in the show’s backstory. During Robert’s Rebellion, House Hightower remained loyal to the Mad King, and as Ned attempts to enter the tower, he briefly duels and ultimately kills Ser Gerold Hightower.

Ser Gerold’s role within the Targaryen regime adds weight to that brief scene. Ser Gerold served as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and referred to Robert Baratheon as the usurper, and while he managed to defeat one of the opposing bannermen in the fight, he ultimately fell to Eddard Stark. The Hightowers also aligned themselves with the Iron Throne in the years surrounding that conflict, a detail that reinforces just how tied to the ruling order the family remained even while staying physically distant from the central drama of ‘Game of Thrones’.

House Hightower’s Much Bigger Role in ‘House of the Dragon’

Where ‘Game of Thrones’ offers only glimpses, ‘House of the Dragon’ places the family at the very center of the story. Ser Otto Hightower, played by Rhys Ifans, is a knight from House Hightower who serves as Hand of the King to King Viserys Targaryen, and the series itself is set roughly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones.

Otto’s ambitions for his family drive much of the show’s early conflict. Otto is the brother of the family patriarch and serves as Hand of the King to Viserys I, a role he first held two generations earlier under Jaehaerys I, and he later arranges the marriage of his daughter Alicent Hightower to Viserys after the death of the king’s first wife. Alicent gives Viserys a son, Aegon II, and Otto spends the bulk of his time maneuvering to secure a clear path to the throne for his grandson, even while operating under the authority of his older brother, Lord Hobert Hightower.

That scheming eventually ignites the show’s central war. House Hightower plays a crucial role in initiating the Dance of the Dragons, and after King Viserys’s death, Queen Alicent Hightower supports her son Aegon II’s claim to the throne over Viserys’s named heir, Rhaenyra, triggering a brutal succession struggle. As Hand of the King, Otto is portrayed as a shrewd and ambitious statesman whose machinations significantly shape the course of that civil war.

Even Otto’s public persona reflects the family’s political instincts. He conducts ceremonies and looks for mystical signs, at one point genuinely suggesting that Viserys marry his daughter off to her two year old brother, all while consistently crafting policy across Westeros under the guise of serving whichever royal he ostensibly answers to.

What Happens to the Hightowers Between the Two Shows

The gap between ‘House of the Dragon’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ covers nearly two centuries, and the family’s fortunes shift considerably during that stretch. During the events of House of the Dragon, the head of House Hightower is not Otto but his nephew, Lord Ormund Hightower, who resides in Oldtown, and after Ormund falls in the First Battle of Tumbleton, he is succeeded by his fifteen year old son, Lyonel Hightower.

Lyonel’s own choices further shape the family’s trajectory. Lyonel causes a stir by marrying his widowed stepmother, Lady Samantha Tarly, and the two go on to have six children together, while Samantha later founds the Bank of Oldtown, which helps the family accumulate significant wealth in the aftermath of the Dance of the Dragons. There is even a measure of reconciliation with the Targaryen line that once tore the family apart. Princess Rhaena Targaryen, daughter of Prince Daemon Targaryen, later marries Garmund Hightower, Lyonel’s younger brother, and the couple also has six children together.

By the time ‘Game of Thrones’ begins, the family has clearly weathered the storm. Despite the turmoil of the Dance of the Dragons, the Hightowers survive the events of House of the Dragon and go on to prosper in a post-Alicent world, even as details about their history in the intervening years remain sparse. The sigil of House Hightower, a stone white watchtower topped with fire, and their words, We Light the Way, endure as a reminder of just how long this family has quietly held its place in Westeros.

Given how much history separates the ambitious Otto and Alicent of ‘House of the Dragon’ from the reclusive Leyton of ‘Game of Thrones’, it is worth asking readers directly whether they think the Hightowers’ fall into the background was a fitting end for a family that once nearly controlled the Iron Throne.