House of the Dragon secretly introduced a villain you’re all going to hate

A seemingly innocuous act of violence in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6 may have introduced a major villain.

That’s not to say the rest of House of the Dragon’s characters are heroes. Alicent’s catastrophic misinterpretation of Viserys’ dying words led to a war between kin, and when Rhaenyra made her aware of her mistake… she did nothing!

After Lucerys’ untimely death at the hands (and jaw) of Aemond and Vhagar, Daemon sought revenge… and accidentally ordered the beheading and assassination of a toddler.

You can pick a side, but here’s a salient fact: the Greens and Blacks are terrible people, and neither deserve your allegiance. Nevertheless, this guy will take some of the heat off them. Spoilers to follow!

House of the Dragon may have just revealed the Shepherd

In Season 2 Episode 6, unrest breaks out on the streets of King’s Landing after Rhaenyra sends food to the city. As Helaena and Alicent run to safety, a man grabs Alicent’s arm – and one of the Gold Cloaks cuts his arm off.

This could be the Shepherd, a dangerous prophet who spearheads an infamous event during the civil war: the Storming of the Dragonpit.

HBO

According to George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, the Shepherd follows the Faith of the Seven. He was part of the Poor Fellows, a religious order later led by the High Sparrow in Game of Thrones. Crucially, he only has one hand.

In the book, he preaches against Rhaenyra after the fall of King’s Landing, demonizing dragons and claiming she was responsible for the death of… well, you can just wait for that part.

He eventually gathers a large mob and leads them into the Dragonpit, where five dragons (Shrykos, Morghul, Tyraxes, Dreamfyre, and Syrax) are killed, alongside others we won’t mention.

It’s a grueling, traumatic event, and the Shepherd’s presence has made fans very nervous. “That would be such a great motivation and introduction. That story is going to be brutal to watch,” one Redditor wrote.

“God the Storming of the Dragonpit is going to be so damn hard to watch,,” another wrote, while a third commented: “Idk if I can stomach it honestly. When Dany’s two dragons died in GoT, I bawled my eyes out like a little girl. It made me sick.”

“F**k the Shepherd. Religious nut,” a fourth commented, and a fifth added: “The Shepherd helped kill all those beautiful magnificent dragons. Worst of the worst.”

The old man is played by Terry Cade, a stunt performer. Many fans suspect the role will be recast if it’s the Shepherd.

Make sure you’re up to date with our House of the Dragon Season 2 release schedule, and check out our breakdowns of Silverwing and its riders, the wild dragon in the Vale, and the theory about Daeron Targaryen’s real father.