Who is Ormund Hightower? James Norton's new 'House of the Dragon' character explained

House of the Dragon Season 3 introduces Ormund Hightower, a new figure in the Targaryen civil war whose arrival is expected to play a significant role in the episodes ahead.

The character is portrayed by James Norton and makes his first on-screen appearance in the Season 3 premiere.

Although his role is limited in the opening episode, comments from showrunner Ryan Condal suggest Ormund will become an increasingly important player as the conflict between the Greens and Blacks intensifies.

Viewers first meet Ormund on the battlefield after being referenced in Season 2 as a commander marching from Oldtown. During his introduction, he receives a message from King Aemond instructing him to await further orders. The scene also hints at his relative inexperience with the realities of warfare, while revealing his approval of Aemond's rise to power.

Within the House of the Dragon storyline, Ormund is Otto Hightower’s nephew and a cousin of Alicent and Gwayne Hightower. In George RR Martin’s Fire and Blood, the character is only briefly mentioned, but Condal said the television adaptation expands significantly on his role.

"He's the Lord of the Hightower, basically the Tywin Lannister of this world," Condal told SFX magazine. "He's the richest guy who's not sitting on a throne somewhere. Ormund has the largest standing army left in Westeros and a dragon, so he is going to introduce a big old wrinkle into this."

Condal added, "Ormund is really a sketch in the book and we don't have a sense of who he is, so it was really fun diving in and creating a really deep, complex and three-dimensional character out of him."

As House of the Dragon's war expands, Ormund appears set to become one of the most influential figures aligned with the Green faction.

The eight-episode season airs weekly on Sundays on HBO and Max.