House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6 might have introduced a major antagonist in a quick, gory moment

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Could that quick moment set up a major antagonist?

House of the Dragon
(Image credit: HBO)

House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6 might have set up a key antagonist in one quick, gory moment. 

The following will contain spoilers for the new episode, as well as light spoilers for George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood, so turn back now if you're not up to date! 

In the latest episode, after Rhaenyra sends food to the starving smallfolk, they revolt against Alicent and Helaena as mother and daughter are praying in the Sept. One person tries to grab hold of Alicent, though he seems to be trying to help her – and promptly gets his hand cut off by the Kingsguard. 

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"The Shepherd?" asks one fan, referring to a major character from Martin's book. 

In the book, the Shepherd is a religious preacher, who, crucially, has only one hand. He dresses simply and is a beggar in the novel, which is very similar to how this smallfolk character looks in the show. 

The Shepherd is also extremely anti-dragon and preaches against Rhaenyra in the book, ultimately inciting a devastating riot in King's Landing. 

Considering the amount of unrest in King's Landing in the show at the moment, and the fact that this random man is not only pro-Green but also loses his hand, it certainly looks like this could end up being the Shepherd himself. We'll just have to wait and see. 

House of the Dragon season 2 continues weekly on HBO in the US and Sky and NOW in the UK. For more on the show, check out our deep dives on: 

Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film section. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.

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