Why is Otto Hightower after the Iron Throne?
Ser Otto Hightower is an important character in House of the Dragon. He was the right-hand man of the king who belonged to the Hightower clan. Otto had actually been the king’s right-hand man for generations. There have been three kings who have made Otto his right-hand man, even though two of them had fired him, including Viserys. With all his wisdom and advice, it was only natural for Otto to be the king’s right-hand man several times. But behind it all, there is a hidden mission from Otto Hightower, namely the mission to get the Iron Throne during the reign of Viserys. Interestingly, the throne is not intended for him, but his family. So what was Otto Hightower’s motive?
Otto Trigger Targaryen War
Among the many characters that appear in House of the Dragon, Otto Hightower is arguably the source of the problems that occur in the series. If Geeks note, is what actually sparked a bigger war between the Targaryens. Otto himself had been planning to make Aegon king since the third episode House of the Dragon. But apparently, Otto had those plans long before Aegon was born. From the start, Otto had always advised Viserys not to choose Rhaenyra as his heir because Rhaenyra was a woman.
The reason is, history records that female rulers are not allowed. Long ago, the Grand Council also elected Viserys as king, not her cousin Rhaenys. Otto Hightower’s evil intentions had actually started to be noticed when he started asking young Alicent to approach Viserys. Even though at that time, Viserys was still mourning the death of Queen Aemma. Otto hoped that Viserys would make his daughter his new wife, so that all his plans would go smoothly.
Just like Lord Corlys Velaryon, Otto actually wanted to elevate his clan in order to rule on the Iron Throne. Unfortunately Otto was dismissed as the king’s right-hand man for ten years, before he finally returned to King’s Landing and returned to being the king’s right-hand man when Viserys was sick. When he returned to being the king’s right-hand man, Otto gained more power and influence. He also never wavered from his initial desire to raise his grandson, Aegon as Viserys’ successor. That’s what ultimately makes the feud for the Iron Throne even more heated, to the point that it makes the Targaryens at odds.
Why Otto Rejects Rhaenyra As Queen?
Simply put, Otto Hightower is a patriarch. He has the belief that men are more worthy as holders of power and dominate in being leaders. That’s why Otto never accepted Rhaenyra as queen. Especially when he had prepared his own family to replace Viserys as King. Moreover, Aegon was Viserys’ eldest son and that was what Otto used to defeat Rhaenyra. When in fact Alicent wanted to make peace with Rhaenyra, even after years of feuding.
The point is that Otto doesn’t want to change anything about the work culture or system that has existed for generations. From the start Otto had never supported Viserys’s plan to appoint Rhaenyra as his heir, although Otto had never publicly stated his disapproval to Viserys. Otto uses a smarter way, namely by fighting Rhaenyra secretly, in which Otto is proven to be spying on Rhaenyra and looking for any way to get Rhaenyra off the throne. As mentioned above, apart from being a patriarch, Otto also wanted the Iron Throne to elevate his clan, Hightower.
Aegon Becomes King, What’s Otto’s Advantage?
*This article contains spoilers for the novel Fire & Blood!*
While Aegon was in power, Otto still wanted to be the king’s right-hand man. Now Otto will advise Aegon to prepare for war against Rhaenyra. Otto will continue to try to influence Aegon, especially considering Aegon’s young age, making it easy for him to be influenced. Otto’s single greatest obstacle was the kindness in Alicent. Alicent still believed that there was a better way for them not to kill Rhaenyra.
Regardless, Otto’s duty as the king’s right-hand man was to secure Aegon’s position in the upcoming war against Rhaenyra. Otto will eliminate anyone who opposes Aegon, and he is likely to forge a new alliance with Rhaenyra’s foes. In his novels, Otto will actually lose his support, power, and influence. And in the end Otto will be overthrown as the king’s right-hand man, and replaced by another character, Ser Criston Cole. Aegon will also be seriously injured, which requires Aemond to rise and become a protector.
Now when Otto is overthrown from the king’s right hand, he will return to the Old City and gather troops, after Rhaenyra and Daemon have captured King’s Landing. But in the end Otto was defeated in battle and beheaded by Rhaenyra. That’s what happened in the novel Fire and Blood by George R. R. Martin. But it is not impossible that the series will tell a completely different story.
