House of the Dragon Season 3 Has Undermined One Major Book Character

"I'm the realm's greatest warrior," Ser Criston Cole declares in the latest episode of House of the Dragon, right before outlining his simple plan for the rest of the bloody civil war central to HBO's hit TV series. The line, however, may not have landed as the show intended, quickly becoming meme material among parts of the House of the Dragon fandom.

Full spoilers for House of the Dragon (up to S3E5) and Fire and Blood ahead.

As it turns out, some vocal viewers are under the impression that Cole had wildly overestimated his abilities. In many cases, such opinions come from show-only fans, which makes them more understandable. Although the very first episode of House of the Dragon Season 1 already introduced Cole as a formidable warrior, the show gradually stripped away many of the accomplishments that made his reputation more convincing in George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood.

House of the Dragon Has Taken Away Many of Criston Cole's Victories

Fire and Blood introduces Criston Cole as a relatively unknown fighter who defeats Daemon Targaryen at the tourney celebrating King Viserys I's accession, immediately establishing himself as a formidable warrior. The show preserves that plot point but adds a caveat: Daemon appears to have won before turning away to celebrate, allowing Cole to resume the fight and capitalize on his mistake. From the outset, then, Cole is not portrayed as clearly superior, and his victories become even less decisive as the series progresses.

The biggest omissions involve the tourney surrounding Rhaenyra and Laenor's wedding. In Fire and Blood, Cole breaks Ser Harwin Strong's collarbone and shatters his elbow, prompting Mushroom to mockingly rename him Brokenbones. He also mortally wounds Joffrey Lonmouth by cracking his helm with a morningstar, leaving him unconscious until his death six days later. Fire and Blood states Harwin was regarded as the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms in his day, whereas Joffrey was Laenor's favored champion at the tourney.

The show rewrites both encounters. Harwin attacks and pummels Cole in the training yard after Cole deliberately provokes him into publicly revealing his paternal attachment to Rhaenyra’s sons. Cole still kills Joffrey, but beats him to death during the wedding feast rather than mortally wounding him in a sanctioned tourney. The scenes emphasize Cole’s manipulation and capacity for violence without giving him the same clear demonstrations of martial superiority.

House of the Dragon Also Diminished Cole's 'Kingmaker' Status

Cole's reputation in Fire and Blood goes beyond his martial skill. He is eventually elevated to the Kingsguard, its command, and considerable political influence. George R.R. Martin captures that rise by describing him as a champion, a favorite of the commons, and "a breaker of hearts and a maker of kings." The final label is especially important; Cole supports Aegon II during the Green Council, persuades him to accept the crown, and personally crowns him before the people of King's Landing. His role in the coup is so prominent that history remembers him as the Kingmaker.

House of the Dragon preserves the nickname but reduces its importance. Otto has already planned Aegon's accession, while Alicent believes Viserys changed his mind about the succession and wanted Aegon to be kind in his dying moments. Cole finds Aegon and crowns him, but does not drive the movement that places him on the throne. That reduced agency continues during the resulting war for succession. Cole becomes Hand and commands the Green army, yet Aemond increasingly dictates its military direction in House of the Dragon. He retains his book counterpart's titles and positions without consistently displaying the qualities that earned them.

All of That Potentially Weakens the Conclusion of Criston Cole's Arc

Criston Cole's death in Fire and Blood is memorable because it deliberately refuses to celebrate him. Surrounded by a much larger Black force during the so-called Butcher's Ball south of Harrenhal, Cole offers to surrender himself if his remaining soldiers are spared. When that proposal fails, he challenges three enemy commanders to face him together in single combat, but never gets the chance. He is instead cut down by arrows, with one of the enemy commanders specifically remarking, "I'll have no songs about how brave you died, Kingmaker" because of how much death and carnage he has caused.

I'll have no songs about how brave you died, Kingmaker. There's tens o' thousands dead on your account.

House of the Dragon Episode 6 may finally give Cole the major ground battle his portrayal has lacked, with the preview teasing extended combat around the Butcher's Ball. Such a sequence could restore some of his stature before his expected death, although a heroic last stand would risk weakening the deliberate anticlimax of Martin's version. The Butcher's Ball is one of Fire and Blood's most effective rejections of the romanticized image of medieval warfare. Cole expects a glorious warrior's death after spending his life becoming one of Westeros' greatest fighters. History denies him that ending, creating a tragedy that works because readers understand exactly what has been taken from him.

To its credit, House of the Dragon has arguably given Criston Cole more emotional depth than Fire and Blood could. His guilt after Rook's Rest, growing disillusionment with the war, and visible exhaustion have made him more human than he appears in a book structured as a collection of unreliable histories. At the same time, the adaptation has steadily stripped away the qualities that once made him intimidating. The fan ridicule that followed his S3E5 declaration that he was the realm's greatest warrior underscored that change.

By reducing both Cole's victories and his political influence, the show has made him more complex but less convincing as the legendary Kingmaker whose final defeat is meant to carry weight. It thus remains to be seen just how well this moment will work in House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 6, which premieres July 26 at 9pm ET.