Who Is Alysanne Blackwood, the ‘House of the Dragon’ Warrior Who Killed Criston Cole
‘House of the Dragon’ fans finally got the moment many had been anticipating for years when Ser Criston Cole met his end in season 3, episode 6, and the character responsible for delivering the fatal arrows was not someone from the show’s established cast of lords and knights. Instead, it was Alysanne Blackwood, a relatively new face introduced only a few episodes earlier, who ended the arc of one of the series’ most controversial figures.
Known within the world of the show as Black Aly, this Riverlands archer has quickly become one of the most talked about additions to season 3, and her role in Cole’s death has sent fans searching for answers about who she actually is.
Who Is Black Aly in House of the Dragon
Alysanne Blackwood, played by Annie Shapero, was quietly worked into the season without much fanfare when she first appeared. The character was introduced early in episode 2, seen among Daemon’s warriors celebrating a victory over the Lannisters at the Battle by the Lakeshore, distinguished by the black eyeliner painted around her eyes.
Black Aly is the daughter of Lord Blackwood of the Riverlands, and the show did not initially name her on screen, choosing instead to let eagle eyed viewers spot her among the ranks of Daemon’s forces. Her formal introduction with more screen time came later, in the episode fans have since nicknamed the Butcher’s Ball.
In the world of ‘House of the Dragon,’ Alysanne carries the title Lady of Winterfell and was born in 113 AC, according to details compiled from the source material. She is the sibling of Lord Samwell Blackwood and supported the Blacks, the faction loyal to Rhaenyra Targaryen, throughout the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.
Black Aly’s Role in the Death of Ser Criston Cole
The show’s decision to have Alysanne kill Criston Cole marks a deliberate departure from George R.R. Martin’s source material, since she does not kill him in the books. It is a change that has generated plenty of discussion among longtime readers of ‘Fire & Blood.’
In the episode, Cole and his remaining men come across an abandoned military camp filled with what appear to be dead rivermen, only for the bodies to spring to life and attack the Green forces. Cole is left fighting without armor or a shield, cutting down attacker after attacker with a flail, sword, and dagger before Oscar Tully and Ser Roderick Dustin arrive with reinforcements.
Cole attempts to strike a bargain, asking if his men will be spared should he surrender his banners, without pleading for his own life. Rather than accepting a duel, Cole ties Alicent’s handkerchief around the hilt of his sword before a sniper puts an arrow into his torso, then another, then a final one through his face, killing him instantly. Fans quickly took to social media to confirm what many had suspected, with posts declaring that Alysanne Blackwood had killed Criston Cole.
The episode frames Cole’s death as one denied the grand, honorable ending he hoped for, cut down from a distance rather than in the glorious last stand he seemed to want. Longtime readers noted that the show skipped a well known line delivered to Cole during his death in the books, though the moment still landed as one of the season’s most anticipated beats.
House Blackwood and the Riverlands Connection
Alysanne earned her nickname because she was fierce, fearless, and far from ladylike, a reputation reinforced by her considerable skill as an archer. She is described as tall and lean, with thick curly black hair long enough to reach her waist when worn loose, and she was sixteen years old at the start of the Dance of the Dragons, the legal age of adulthood in Westeros.
Alysanne personally avenged the death of her brother, Lord Samwell Blackwood, during the Battle of the Burning Mill, a detail that underscores how personal the Riverlands conflict became for her family. The Blackwoods and their rivals, House Bracken, used the wider Dance of the Dragons conflict as an opportunity to reignite a long standing, generational feud, resulting in a bloody season 2 battle.
Individually, Aly emerged as a leader among the Riverlands forces, commanding three hundred archers during the Battle of the Kingsroad, one of the pivotal moments near the end of the war. She was also the aunt of Lord Benjicot Blackwood of Raventree Hall, tying her closely to the leadership of her house.
What Comes Next for Black Aly After the Dance of the Dragons
Beyond her role in the war, Alysanne Blackwood becomes an important figure in the show’s future timeline because she later marries Cregan Stark, becoming his second wife. Cregan Stark, introduced in the season 2 premiere, is Ned Stark’s great great great great grandfather, which makes him an ancestor of Arya Stark several generations removed.
Cregan and Alysanne go on to have four children together, all daughters, meaning the Starks audiences come to know in ‘Game of Thrones’ are not directly descended from her, though they do carry Blackwood blood through a later generation. The casting of Annie Shapero in the role reportedly led to early theories that the show would eventually make this specific creative change to her story.
Following the civil war, Alysanne also played a political role during the period remembered as the Hour of the Wolf, adding another chapter to her story beyond the battlefield. Her arc suggests the show intends to keep building out her presence well past Cole’s death, positioning Black Aly as more than a one episode standout.
Ser Criston Cole spent three seasons as one of the most polarizing figures in ‘House of the Dragon,’ and now that Black Aly has written the final chapter of his story, viewers are left wondering how much more of her own journey the show plans to tell.
