Criston Cole’s Fate Explained: Is the Kingsguard Finally Dead? Here’s What Really Happened in ‘House of the Dragon’

‘House of the Dragon’ has never been shy about testing how much heartbreak its audience can take, and season three has leaned into that reputation more than ever. Between the loss of Jaecerys early in the run and the brutal fate that befell the Gold Cloaks just last week, Westeros has felt especially unforgiving this year.

That pattern of devastating losses set the stage for one of the most anticipated character deaths in the show’s history. Ser Criston Cole has spent seasons cementing himself as one of the most despised figures in the entire franchise, thanks to a string of betrayals, cruelty, and blind loyalty to the Green faction.

So yes, Criston Cole is finally dead, and it happened within the first ten minutes of episode six. After spending the previous episode declaring his intention to die a warrior’s death by leading his remaining men into what he believed would be one final, honorable battle, Cole got his wish in the most anticlimactic way imaginable.

The episode opens with Cole and his men stumbling upon what looks like an abandoned battlefield littered with dead Rivermen. It quickly becomes clear that the corpses are not actually dead at all, as Winter Wolves and Riverlands soldiers spring into action in an ambush orchestrated by young Lord Oscar Tully and Lord Roderick Dustin, also known as Roddy the Ruin.

Cole and his forces manage to win the initial skirmish through sheer brutality, but the victory is short lived. The Greens soon realize they are completely surrounded by the full strength of the Black army, leaving Cole with no real path forward.

Rather than surrender, Cole pulls out a handkerchief given to him by Alicent Hightower, wraps it around the hilt of his sword, and challenges Dustin and Tully to a two-on-one duel. Before the fight can even begin, an unseen archer puts several arrows into Cole, ending his life before he can go out on his own terms.

For a character who spent years insisting he was the realm’s greatest warrior, the death lands as something closer to humiliation than heroism. It closely mirrors a sequence from George R.R. Martin’s source material known as the Butcher’s Ball, a moment written specifically to deny Cole the glorious death he believed he deserved.

Fabien Frankel, who has played Cole since the series began, spoke with Variety ahead of the episode about his character’s final arc and the decision to send him on a suicide mission. He explained that he could only understand why people feel how they feel about Cole as a character, and that it becomes tricky as an actor because he does not see the character that way himself, adding that he feels the bastion of Criston Cole very much, in an interview with Variety.

Cole’s death has already become one of the most talked-about moments of the season, with reactions ranging from satisfaction to genuine sympathy for how thoroughly he was denied any dignity in his final moments. Alicent, meanwhile, remains unaware of his fate for the entirety of the episode, trapped inside the Red Keep and cut off from the outside world.

With Cole gone, one of the show’s most polarizing rivalries has officially come to a close, though the war for the Iron Throne is nowhere near finished. New alliances and new threats continue to emerge across the Riverlands, and Team Black’s momentum shows no signs of slowing down.

‘House of the Dragon’ continues its third season weekly on HBO and HBO Max.

What did you think of how ‘House of the Dragon’ finally ended Criston Cole’s story? Share your thoughts in the comments.