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Aside from all of the Greens vs Blacks drama and neverending war preparations, the House of the Dragon season 2 finale included a quick scene featuring the return of a series-long character - Otto Hightower. But after that, you may be asking yourself, where is the former Hand of the King, and what happened to him?
Warning, major spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 episode 8 follow, so make sure you are all caught up before reading on.
During The House of the Dragon season 2 ending, after we see multiple armies belonging to both Rhaenyra and Aegon (or rather Aemond) suiting up to march onto Harrenhal, we get a blink-and-you-’ll-miss-it look at Viserys’ past Hand Otto, in what looks to be a dirty prison cell of some sort.
This marks the first time we have seen Otto, played by Rhys Ifans, since Aegon removed him as Hand of the King in episode 3, giving the pin to Ser Criston Cole. Although his whereabouts were never confirmed, we presumed that the Hightower Lord simply went back to his home in Oldtown to be with his grandson Daeron Targaryen. After his firing, Otto tells his daughter Alicent "I'll return to Oldtown,” adding, "Daeron may yet help us in the weeks to come." But then Alicent suggested he go to Highgarden to see if The Tyrells plan to stay loyal to Aegon.
However, now we have seen that the Ex-Hand was actually imprisoned all this time, we wonder what actually happened to him when he left King's Landing.
Where is Otto Hightower, and what happened to him?
From the quick flash scene, it is hard to tell where exactly Otto is. But, by the looks of his clothing and appearance, it is fair to assume he has been jailed for quite some time, probably since we last saw him. Since his daughter told him to go to Highgarden, he may be jailed there, or maybe he has been imprisoned in his hometown. It is also highly possible he was captured en route to either of these places, by an opposing house such as House Beesbury, or perhaps he never made it out of King's Landing at all.
So, who could be behind his jailing? Well, it is highly likely Otto was captured by a rival house of some kind. However, as we know, House of the Dragon tends to focus on family conflicts within the Targaryen house. We can eliminate his daughter Alicent, as it was revealed later in season 2 that she had been trying to get in contact with her father for quite some time, but her letters went unanswered. As for Prince Regent Aemond, we doubt he is behind his grandfather's capture either as soon after he took his brother's place, he asked Lord Larys to track Otto down to name him Hand again.
So that just leaves Aegon. Otto embarrassed his grandson pretty badly at the start of season 2, so it wouldn't be a huge shock to learn that the young King threw his grandad in the dungeons in the Red Keep. If he did indeed imprison Otto, Aegon would have probably had help from someone such as Lord Larys in keeping the secret from Aemond and Alicent.
What part will Otto play in House of the Dragon season 3?
Despite who captured Otto, his appearance in the finale tells us that the Hightower Lord will likely be back for season 3. In terms of what kind of role he will play, we know that Aemond, who is now gunning for the throne, wants Otto to be The Hand again. If Otto takes the pin again, he could play a pivotal role in guiding Aemond in the upcoming war, who, let's be honest. Needs all the help he can get facing Rhaenyra and her many, many dragons. Or perhaps, Otto will take a leaf out of his daughter Alicent’s book and make amends with Team Black. We will just have to wait and see when House of the Dragon season 3 rolls around.
House of the Dragon seasons 1 and 2 are now avaliable to stream on HBO Max in the US and Sky NOW in the UK.
