This story contains spoilers for House of the Dragon.
In a series where there are dragons, murderers, and bloodthirsty ratcatchers who don't shy from killing children, you might be a little surprised to learn that the worst villain in the series is the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. The white-cloaked soldiers of Westeros are supposed to be the most noble and honorable of all, but one of their number, Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), is a two-faced misogynist snake who has used his considerable charm and good looks to maneuver himself into the bed of two queens who are both way out of his league. And now he's utilized his clearly impressive skills in the bedchamber to weasel his way into one of the most powerful positions in the entirety of the Seven Kingdoms: the Hand of the King.
Criston Cole's rise to villainy — and my deep hatred — began in Season 1 of House of the Dragon when he decided to seduce the young heir to the throne, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock). While she may have seemed headstrong and independent in the canon of the series, she was 15 and he was 23. While you may imagine that the least mature of the two was the teenage girl, you are in fact incorrect as Criston proved when he suggested that Rhaenyra run away with him to Dorne to sell oranges instead of taking her rightful place as the first female heir to the Iron Throne.
It's that arrogance which defines Criston Cole and his insufferable impact on Westeros and the Dance of the Dragons. He was known as the Kingmaker in Fire & Blood — the fictional historical texts the series is based on — for his support of Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), and in both that canon and the TV series he's rewarded by his role as Hand of the King. But the series has wisely expanded what we know about Criston, revealing him to be a conniving and petty soul whose life is defined by being rejected by Rhaenyra. While their relationship was only rumored in the often unreliable pages of Fire & Blood, in House of the Dragon it's made clear and sets him up as a misogynistic, homophobic, and pathetic foe whose obsession with Rhaenyra is one of the main reasons that the kingdom is on the cusp of a war that will kill thousands of people.
His Season 1 arc was a smart play on the realities of "chivalry" versus the expectations of the trope. At first he was presented as a dashing, charming, and useful addition to Rhaenyra's life, someone who could keep her counsel and entertain her away from the drudgery of court life. But once she refused his legitimately deranged proposal to run away with him and become fruit merchants, he became consumed with rage,infuriated that he "broke his vow of chastity" that is key to the Kingsguard role for nothing but a fling. Then, when Rhaenyra dared to suggest they continue their affair, he insulted her and claimed he would never be her "whore," which of course is deeply ironic to anyone who has watched Season 2 of House of the Dragon where he is now happy to play paramour to Alicent (Olivia Cooke), something he's now been doing for a solid decade and a half.
That connection to Alicent began when he spilled his secret to her, revealing that he and Rhaenyra had been sleeping together, sowing the seeds for one of TV's most toxic and petty couples. His true heel turn began in that moment and was cemented when he murdered the male lover of Rhaenyra's fiance, Laenor Velaryon (John MacMillan), at their pre-wedding feast simply because he was so angry that they'd found a bit of happiness in the suffocating Targaryen Court.
After betraying Rhaenyra and joining the Green faction alongside Alicent, Criston Cole has spent his days slut-shaming Rhaenyra, hypocritically sleeping with another Queen while hiding behind the heavy wooden doors of Red Keep. He's encouraging the worst tendencies of the already deranged Targaryan boys, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and Aegon, though they'd likely be less receptive if they knew he was slipping their mother his long sword every night. The pair's most recent escapades haven't been dampened despite the fact Alicent and Cole were getting busy as Helaena (Phia Saban) and her children were attacked by assassins. Seeing as Cole's job is actually not about giving the Dowager Queen pleasure — although good for her — and is instead meant to be centered on protecting the royals, this is a rather large oversight. But rather than being punished, he is rewarded with Aegon giving him the role of Hand of the King.
Bitter and unhappy people are dangerous even without immense power. Seeing as Cole and Alicent are both so obsessed with Rhaenyra that the latter has taken her bedroom in the Red Keep, this can’t bode well for everyone involved. And just in case he hadn't made his cruelty and thoughtlessness clear enough Episode 2 ends with another example of just how dangerous he really is.Two more bodies fall on his proverbial sword after he sends Ser Arryk Cargyll (Luke Tittensor) to do a little Prince and the Pauper scam, taking the place of his twin brother, Ser Erryk Cargyll (Elliot Tittensor), in order to kill Rhaenyra in revenge for the murder of young Prince (Jaehaerys). Did he ask Alicent? No. Did he do this solely to deflect from the fact he wasn't around to protect Helaena? Yes. Are both twins now dead while Rhaenyra lives with the knowledge that Alicent presumably sent an assassin after her? Yes. So, once again, the war will move another deadly step forward thanks to the actions of Criston Cole.
Crafting particularly despicable characters has always been something that Game of Thrones has excelled at, but Criston Cole doesn't fit into the mold of a maniacal serial murderer like Joffrey or a brash and cruel would-be child killer like Season 1 Jamie Lannister. Instead, he's a much more interesting and awful character who feels terribly recognizable: a liar who hates women and yet can't stay away from them, who will do whatever it takes to hold on to the little bit of power he has, especially if it allows him to continue to take his revenge on Rhaenyra who dared to scorn him all those years ago. So, as House of the Dragon continues to successfully center the two women at the heart of the story, of course one of the biggest villains is an arrogant and desperate man who can't deal with the fact he's just a side character in the ongoing war between the Team Green, Team Black, and the women leading both.
Rosie Knight is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything from anime to comic books to kaiju to kids movies to horror flicks. She has over half a decade of experience in entertainment journalism with bylines at Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and more.
