House of the Dragon fans may have spotted the live-action version of The Shepherd in season 2. Specifically, they were drawn to yet another major change of events in how this future villain may emerge in the HBO series.
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2, so proceed with caution.
One Key Season 2 Scene Introduces An Unlikely Ally To Alicent
In the middle of a riot in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 6, Alicent and Helaena were being mobbed by the smallfolk.
As the Kingsguard knights attempt to protect their Queens from the pheasants, one peculiar old man pleads to Alicent, chanting, "My Queen!" in search of food. This leads the knight to cut off the man's arm to take it off Alicent's.
Was cutting the man's arm off for righteous? No. But fans are convinced that this may be the HBO show's introduction to an upcoming villain coming into view.
As one fan pointed out, the showrunner Ryan Condal previously confirmed that The Shepherd may have been "out there" among the crowd in King's Landing, considering that Condal "loved" his story from George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood.
READ MORE: House of the Dragon: Why Did Rhaenyra Choose Steffon Darklyn To Mount Seasmoke in S2?
House of the Dragon May Have Changed The Shepherd's Fate in S2
Originally, in Fire & Blood (the novel House of the Dragon season 2 is based on), The Shepherd was believed to have lost his hand due to thievery, not for his attempt at harming Queen Alicent amid the chaos.
A similar character comparable to the heights The Shepherd achieved would be the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) from Game of Thrones.
Both are devout followers of the Seven who built their own cult followers on what is right for the people to reach the pinnacle of salvation and have one common foe: those who sit on the Iron Throne.
Although, in The Shepherd's case, it's Rhaenyra, the House Targaryen, and their dragons.
The Shepherd claims that Rhaenyra Targaryen's dragons as "demons" that were created to conspire in the murder of Queen Helaena Targaryen; a heresy that would eventually put him on the pedestal once the people from the slums find out what the Targaryens did to his arm.
Since the HBO series shakes things up according to its own flow of the story, this likely is how The Shepherd's origin story is being weaved to fruition, considering the similar stature and cloak they possess in Martin's novel series.
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