WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 1 and George R.R. Martin's book, Fire & Blood! A deleted scene from House of the Dragon explored Ser Criston Cole’s ascension to the Kingsguard, which would have made the character's negative changes even worse. While he began the series as Rhaenyra’s literal white knight, Criston Cole's loyalty took a sharp turn after breaking his Kingsguard vows by sleeping with the princess. Criston's shame, guilt, and jealousy upon Rhaenyra rejecting his proposal and marrying Laenor Velaryon led the knight to publicly kill Ser Joffrey Lonmouth and nearly take his own life. After becoming the sworn protector of Queen Alicent Hightower and embarking on a childishly embittered mission to ruin Rhaenyra, Criston has become one of House of the Dragon’s most widely-hated characters.
New images from House of the Dragon’s deleted scene reveal that Viserys and Rhaenyra Targaryen would have personally anointed her future lover Criston Cole a Kingsguard knight in a private ceremony. Had House of the Dragon included the scene, Criston’s villainous changes would have been even more pronounced, as the moment added more depth to their emotional relationship while strengthening Rhaenyra’s youthful infatuation with him. Rhaenyra never intended any malice when rejecting his proposal, which House of the Dragon’s deleted Kingsguard scene emphasizes through their mutual, heartfelt devotion. Becoming one’s sworn protector is an intimate choice that seals a bond between two people, so including this scene would have made Criston’s unjustifiable and vengeful turn on Rhaenyra far more dishonorable.
HOTD's Deleted Kingsguard Scene Would've Added To Criston Cole Hate
Criston Cole is already the most hated character in House of the Dragon, so a scene that greatly accentuates his abrupt changes would only exacerbate the criticisms against him. Criston’s new nickname, “Kingmaker,” is already going to increase hatred for the character in House of the Dragon season 2, with essentially every major decision he makes during the Dance of the Dragons contributing to his increasingly warped sense of self-righteousness. Any more scenes with young Rhaenyra and Criston being affectionate and kind to one another in House of the Dragon season 1’s early episodes would simply fuel the fire in regard to hatred for the character.
House Of The Dragon Was Right To Cut Its Criston Cole Kingsguard Scene
House of the Dragon’s deleted scene of Rhaenyra and Viserys anointing Ser Criston Cole would have been slated for episode 2, which was already packed with big moments for the characters. The 15-year-old Rhaenyra’s infatuation with Criston was quickly established when she defied order by choosing him for King Viserys' Kingsguard at the beginning of episode 2, whereas Criston sufficiently expressed his devotion to her in episode 3. The scene would have been unnecessary in an episode that already covered a lot of ground, with the showrunners rightfully cutting the moment to avoid undermining Rhaenyra’s big political “win” against Daemon at Dragonstone.
Criston’s actions at the hunt in House of the Dragon episode 3 effectively indicated that he would have killed others without question or died for the princess as her sworn protector, which is why it’s so devastating that he became dedicated to destroying her livelihood. Since Criston’s loyalty to Rhaenyra was originally positioned as dutiful and honorable, including an early scene of Rhaenyra intimately bestowing the Kingsguard armor on Criston would have too quickly undermined his faithfulness by weaving sexual infatuation into the very fabric of their initial bond. While they clearly had chemistry, House of the Dragon made the right choice by avoiding sexually suggestive interactions between Rhaenyra and Criston until episode 4.