Warning: spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon season 3 episode 5.
House of the Dragon has killed off Ser Luthor Largent, and viewers are not taking it quietly. The HBO fantasy drama introduced the character, played by Tom Cullen, only a few episodes ago, then killed him off in season 3 episode 5 with a table display that suggests Westeros still has no functioning workplace safety policy.
What happened to Ser Luthor Largent?
In the latest episode, Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith, discovers that Ser Luthor Largent has been murdered alongside other members of the City Watch.
The scene makes sure nobody misses the message. The bodies are propped up on chairs around a table in a grim echo of The Last Supper, with their intestines spilling out in front of them. Behind them is a warning written plainly enough: “A Feast for Traitors.”
Luthor first appeared in episode two of the season. Alicent Hightower, played by Olivia Cooke, asks him and the City Watch to allow Rhaenyra Targaryen, played by Emma D’Arcy, into King’s Landing.
He does, and then aligns himself with Daemon, whom he had served before. Luthor swears loyalty to Rhaenyra as she takes the Iron Throne and begins her rule.
Why fans think Tom Cullen was wasted
For many viewers, the frustration is less about Luthor being pure-hearted, since that is not usually a hiring requirement in this franchise, and more about the speed of his exit.
After Rhaenyra takes power, Luthor is shown hunting down smallfolk in Flea Bottom who have been painting slurs about her. His methods are brutal: he kills suspected offenders before they even confess.
Soon after, members of the City Watch start being targeted and killed. By the end of the episode, Luthor has joined them.
That short arc has left fans questioning why the show brought in Tom Cullen for such a brief run. Cullen is known for roles including Anthony Foyle in Downton Abbey, as well as appearances in The Gold, Becoming Elizabeth, Weekend, Black Mirror, Knightfall, and the recent Channel 4 drama Trespasses.
One viewer named Mel wrote on X: “Why did they waste Tom Cullen for this?”
Another, Cinnamon Girl, said: “My mood got ruined QUICK,” while Lulabeans posted: “The way I’m PERSONALLY devastated by this one.”
How Luthor’s death differs from Fire & Blood
The reaction has been intensified by the fact that George R.R. Martin’s source material gives Luthor a different timeline.
In Fire & Blood, Luthor does die, but later in the story. His death comes during the Riots of King’s Landing, a major event expected to unfold either later in season three or possibly in season four.
That change has made the TV version feel abrupt to some book-aware viewers. It is one thing for House of the Dragon to move pieces around. It is another to introduce a capable actor, give him a sharp, morally ugly role, then wipe him off the board after four episodes.
Of course, this is still Westeros. Long-term employment has never been the brand.
Viewers would rather Criston Cole had gone
A number of fans were also quick to point out that Ser Criston Cole, played by Fabien Frankel, remains very much alive.
Criston has become one of the most disliked characters in the wider Game of Thrones universe, which is no small achievement in a franchise full of murderers, schemers, and people with very selective family values. Frankel’s performance, to be clear, is doing exactly what it needs to do.
Still, viewers had thoughts.
May wrote on X: “RIP Ser Luthor Largent it should’ve been Cristin Cole.”
Nora added: “They killed off Ser Luthor Largent so early on meanwhile that bum Criston Cole is still alive.”
Another viewer, tkwhynot, joked: “Criston Cole had the audacity to say he’s the best knight knowing damn well Luthor and Daemon exist.”
Season 3 is already deep in tragedy
Luthor’s death is not the first major blow of the season. Season three opened with the shock death of Rhaenyra’s firstborn son, Jacaerys, played by Harry Collett, at the Battle of the Gullet.
The series is now pushing further into the Targaryen civil war, and viewers already know the broad shape of the tragedy ahead. The conflict will eventually help bring about the end of the dragons, which means the story is unlikely to become gentler from here.
House of the Dragon is available to watch on HBO Max, Sky, and NOW, with new episodes released on Mondays.
