FULL SPOILERS ahead for House of the Dragon season 3's finale, "The Treasons at Tumbleton."
Tom Bennett's Ulf the White has been one of House of the Dragon's most compelling supporting characters since his introduction in season 2. While initially likeable and sympathetic, he ends season 3 in a morally gray position. I'm not even sure if I like him anymore, which I guess is sort of the point. While parts of his attitude are defensible, I obviously don't endorse his torching of the innocent smallfolk of Tumbleton with a dragon that was given to him in good faith. Regardless, while it would be very easy to slap a villain sticker on Ulf and be done with it, it's not quite that simple.
Besides, the word "villain" can have several different meanings in the Game of Thrones franchise. The same can also be said of the word "hero," which also doesn't really apply to Bennett's drunken character either. While he's introduced as a key player for Rhaenyra Targaryen's (Emma D'Arcy) army, his apparent defection to the Hightower campaign to make Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) king dissolves even faster than his tenure as one of Team Black's dragonriders. So, where do Ulf's loyalties lie when the Battle of Tumbleton is over?
Ulf the White is now a man without cause
After entering the story as a supposed Targaryen bastard, Ulf was swiftly given the chance to provide evidence when taken to Dragonstone. After claiming Silverwing as his dragon, an event that could have gone very wrong indeed, House of the Dragon softly implies that Ulf wasn't lying about his lineage after all. That being said, there is still just enough doubt surrounding his Targaryen connection that it's interesting.
While briefly elated that he's been given a title and a dragon, Ulf very quickly starts to miss his old, simple life of drinking with his friends in Flea Bottom taverns. There is, of course, a short time when he tries to carry on leaving the Red Keep to spend time in King's Landing, but that is quashed almost immediately by Rhaenyra and Daemon (Matt Smith) when they demand with increasing force that he remain in the Red Keep until called upon, given his and Silverwing's importance to Team Black's supremacy.
Not taking well to this, Ulf then defects to Team Green, meeting with Ormund Hightower (James Norton) and bartering for a better deal than the Targaryens gave him. In exchange, Ulf offers up himself and Silverwing to tip the scales in Team Green's favor at the Battle of Tumbleton, all without his former allies' knowledge. Ultimately, Ulf falls asleep drunk on the toilet in Tumbleton, causing him to miss his cue when Daemon leads the charge.
When Ormund finds him, he's understandably furious at the massive misstep and physically beats Ulf to get him to uphold his end of the bargain. While it initially seems like Ulf is doing as he's told, he's indiscriminate with who he uses Silverwing to torch. He's sick of being told what to do, when to do it, and what to care about. Maybe he should have been careful what he was trying to manifest back in the tavern in season 2. Regardless, he's quite literally burned all his bridges now. By the end of House of the Dragon season 3, his allegiance is only to himself.
What's ahead for Ulf in House of the Dragon season 4?
Ulf survives the Battle of Tumbleton in the season 3 finale, and Tom Bennett has been confirmed to be part of the season 4 cast. So, don't expect the rogue dragonlord to fly off to some dark corner of Westeros and live out the rest of his life peacefully. This is a George R.R. Martin story, after all. It wouldn't be right if that happened.
Without giving away too many spoilers for those who haven't read Fire & Blood, the book on which House of the Dragon is based, Ulf's story is far from over. If the source material is honored, then expect Ulf to take up residence in what remains of Tumbleton in season 4 as he slips even further into tyranny with the power of Silverwing at his command. He remains loosely allied with the Greens in the book, but given his betrayal of the Hightowers in the show, things are unlikely to play out exactly the same way. If you want to know more about Ulf's arc in Fire & Blood beyond his recent betrayal of both armies, then head here. If you'd rather wait, then House of the Dragon's fourth and final season is expected to drop in 2028.
House of the Dragon season 3 is streaming now on HBO Max.
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