Rhaenyra’s Dragonriders: Ulf, Hugh Hammer, and Addam in ‘House of the Dragon’

One of the biggest surprises in House of the Dragon season 2 emerges in episode 7, when a seemingly random townsperson in King’s Landing named Ulf stakes a claim to a dragon. The character, portrayed by Tom Bennett (A.P. Bio), swiftly transitions from an unknown figure to a dragon-riding Targaryen. But how did he manage it? It appears those whispers about him being a bastard descendant of Baelon Targaryen were spot on. Astonishingly, he’s Daemon’s (Matt Smith) and the late Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) half-brother.

“Ulf is the bottom of the barrel,” Bennett told The Hollywood Reporter. “He’s Flea Bottom through and through. He’s poor folk and the oppressed. He’s the working-class man under the thumb of the ruling classes and lived with that his entire life. Suddenly, he’s sitting on a nuclear warhead. The power shift is huge.”

Let’s delve deeper into who Ulf is and what might be in store for his character in the future of House of the Dragon.

In George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Ulf the White is a lowborn man from Flea Bottom, uncertain about his parentage but suspected to be a Targaryen bastard. In the series, Ulf asserts he is a bastard son of Baelon the Brave. Baelon, the lone child of the late King Jaehaerys I to have offspring, was Viserys and Daemon’s father. However, House of the Dragon season 2 suggests Baelon had affairs outside his marriage, with men like Hugh Hammer, another dragon rider, claiming Baelon as their father too.

Before his dramatic moment at Dragonstone, Ulf appears sporadically in season 2, typically seen drinking in Flea Bottom. The bar’s patrons, all supporters of Rhaenyra, encourage Ulf to make the trip to Dragonstone. Upon arrival at Dragonstone, he’s among the bastards who face an attack by Vermithor. He narrowly escapes through the caverns and encounters Silverwing, the dragon of Queen Alysanne Targaryen. Since Alysanne’s death, Silverwing had been without a rider—until Ulf.

If you wish to avoid spoilers about Ulf during the Dance of the Dragons, it would be best to stop reading now. According to Fire & Blood, Ulf eventually betrays Rhaenyra.

After his inaugural battle and aiding Team Black in reclaiming King’s Landing, Ulf and Hugh’s ambitions grow. Their knighthood by Rhaenyra leaves them clamoring for more recognition, suggesting they become official Targaryen lords. While Daemon entertains the idea of marrying them into the widowed Stokeworth family or awarding them the title of Lord of Storm’s End, Rhaenyra and Corlys oppose the plan. Following Rhaenyra’s counsel, Ulf and Hugh are tasked with defeating Lord Ormund Hightower at Tumbleton, where both end up defecting to Team Green. Ulf is then named Lord of Bitterbridge by Daeron Targaryen, but he aspires for greater power, eyeing Highgarden. Daeron, feeling betrayed, regrets his decision.

In the second Battle of Tumbleton, Addam, riding Seasmoke, attacks and meets his end alongside Hugh, Vermithor, and Daeron. Ulf, having drunkenly slept through the entire battle, survives until the Hightowers awaken him to lethal poisoned wine, ultimately leading to his demise. Both factions grew weary of his tyrannical rule in the Reach. While House of the Dragon may not follow this exact path for Ulf, he is already on a dangerous trajectory now that he has a dragon.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter