‘House Of The Dragon’ Introduces Ormund Hightower As Team Green’s New Power Player

‘House of the Dragon’ has spent three seasons slowly filling out the ranks of House Hightower, and its newest addition is proving to be one of the more consequential figures in the war for the Iron Throne. Lord Ormund Hightower arrived with little fanfare but has quickly become central to the fighting between the Greens and the Blacks.

For viewers wondering exactly who this armored newcomer is and why he suddenly matters so much, the answer involves a mix of book history, a shrewd casting choice, and a storyline that has already diverged from George R.R. Martin’s source material.

James Norton Steps Into The Role Of Ormund Hightower

Ormund Hightower is played by James Norton, who was tapped for the part ahead of the show’s third season. Deadline was the outlet that first reported the casting news, describing Ormund as Otto Hightower’s nephew, cousin to both Alicent and Gwayne, and the current Lord of Oldtown.

In the story, Ormund leads the Hightower forces on a march toward King’s Landing to defend his house against Rhaenyra Targaryen. His army had been referenced in earlier seasons but never actually shown on screen until this run of episodes.

Norton previously appeared in ‘Happy Valley,’ and his casting introduced a new face expected to help shape the remainder of the war. Fans of the show may recall Hobert Hightower, Ormund’s father, who briefly appeared in the first season before his death, after which Ormund inherited leadership of the family.

Ormund made his debut in the season three premiere, arriving with gleaming armor, a green cape, and an imposing presence that recalled Otto Hightower, who has been absent from the show since his death. The introduction set the tone for a character who commands attention even before he speaks.

Ormund’s Rise As Lord Of Oldtown And Head Of House Hightower

Ormund Hightower is the head of House Hightower and Lord of Oldtown during the Dance of the Dragons, having succeeded his father Hobert in the role. After his father’s death, Ormund also took over as guardian of Daeron Targaryen, Alicent Hightower’s youngest son, who had been Hobert’s ward.

Otto Hightower references his nephew during a meeting of the Green Council, noting that Lord Ormund was mustering his forces to march out from Oldtown. Lord Jasper Wylde later reveals to the council that Ormund has begun that march, with his cousin Ser Gwayne Hightower arriving in King’s Landing ahead of the main army to reinforce Ser Criston Cole.

Ormund leads a Hightower army of fifteen thousand men through the Reach, aiming to reinforce the defense of King’s Landing alongside the arrival of the Triarchy fleet from Essos. That scale of force is part of why his arrival on screen carries so much weight for the Greens’ position in the war.

Unlike many of the characters introduced across the show’s run, Ormund isn’t fighting for the throne on his own behalf, instead commanding the Hightower army in service of Team Green. His arrival significantly strengthens King Aemond’s position as both sides prepare for the larger battles that readers of ‘Fire & Blood’ have anticipated seeing dramatized.

The Complicated Bond Between Ormund And Daeron Targaryen

Season three, episode three opens with Ormund forced to surrender to Daemon Targaryen, who also demands that Ormund hand over his squire Daeron, the youngest child of Alicent Hightower and Viserys Targaryen. Ormund appears to comply, but the episode’s ending reveals a twist.

The boy Ormund handed over was not actually Daeron at all, and the real Daeron remained under Ormund’s control as the Hightower host moved to seize the town of Tumbleton, taking its people hostage. The decoy child was reportedly told by Ormund that his mother would be killed if he refused to pretend to be Daeron, a detail that paints Ormund as a far more ruthless operator than his composed demeanor suggests.

This deception has been described as classic Hightower duplicity, positioning Ormund as a worthy successor to Otto as a schemer within the family. He was first introduced in the season premiere and immediately signaled that he would be a major player, reacting with little concern to news of King Aegon II’s death and Aemond’s ascension.

Prince Daeron Targaryen, King Viserys’s youngest child, has been fostered at Oldtown since childhood and continues to serve as Ormund’s squire in the show, riding the dragon Tessarion. Daeron’s dragon was only briefly glimpsed as a messenger arrived during the season premiere, hinting at a larger role for the young prince as the season progresses.

How The Show Reworks Ormund’s Story From Fire And Blood

Ormund has already received considerably more screen time than he gets in Martin’s ‘Fire & Blood,’ where he is a comparatively minor figure described mostly through the movements of his army and the battles it fought. In the book, Ormund’s host is far from King’s Landing when these events occur, meaning his meeting with Daemon and the handover of a fake Daeron have no direct textual basis.

The novel describes the Reach as bitterly divided during the war, with the Hightowers backing Aegon while other regional houses such as Tarly, Caswell, Costayne, Rowan, and Beesbury support Rhaenyra instead. When Ormund marches from Oldtown in the book, those rival houses surround his forces and push them back to the Honeywine River, where defeat looks certain until Daeron arrives on his dragon and turns the battle in the Hightowers’ favor.

The show has also reversed who takes control of Tumbleton first, with Ormund’s forces seizing the town rather than Rhaenyra’s allies defending it as they do in the book. In ‘Fire & Blood,’ Tumbleton is the site of two major battles during the Dance of the Dragons, and the town’s strategic location near the crownlands makes it a key piece on the board for whichever side controls it.

In the book, Daeron actually grew up in King’s Landing alongside his siblings and was only sent to Oldtown to serve as Ormund’s cupbearer and squire at the age of twelve. That change gives the show’s version of Ormund far more influence over Daeron’s upbringing than his literary counterpart ever had.

Between the fake surrender, the seizure of Tumbleton, and his tightening grip over Daeron’s fate, Ormund Hightower has turned into one of the more unpredictable figures on the Green side of this war, and it’s worth asking readers where they think his gamble leaves the Hightower cause once Rhaenyra learns the full truth.