Otto Hightower’s House of the Dragon ending is harsh, but his fate in the books is so different

*Spoilers for House of the Dragon season three ahead*

In the latest episode of House of the Dragon, we finally find out what happens to Otto Hightower, but his original ending in Fire & Blood is slightly different.

During the second season of House of the Dragon, we find out Otto Hightower is no longer Aegon Targaryen’s Hand, and his fate remains mysterious until the end of the season, where he’s shown in prison. Well, if you’re wondering what has happened to him since, we finally got our answer in last night’s episode. After Daemon finds him in the prison, we see Otto again in the throne room, where Rhaenyra executes him in a shocking spectacle.

In Fire & Blood, Otto is also beheaded – but it’s never said that it was by Rhaenyra. Instead, it’s written way more vaguely, saying he was the first of the traitors to be beheaded. There’s no mention of the throne room either, so it’s way more likely that this was just a typical traditional public execution.

Fans of the series will know that this isn’t the first time House of the Dragon has done things slightly differently to Fire & Blood. Showrunner Ryan Condal, who has repeatedly praised the book series, spoke with Slash Film on how he chose to adapt the fantasy series into TV.

“I think we’re trying to make an objective story, a version of the history that — it’s television, so we are not making ‘Rashomon’ here, so we have to pick a lane with it,” he explained.

“And what I think we’re really trying to do is keep the show in active conversation with the book. And I think my hope is, and has always been from the beginning, if you’ve read the book and then you watch the series, the series enriches your enjoyment of the book because you get to see how those things interact.”

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Featured image via HBO