Meg Walters
Let’s face it — being a House of the Dragon fan isn’t exactly an easy gig. Simply keeping track of the horde of platinum blonde Targaryens is a major task. And then there are all of the other characters. The Sers, the Hands, the Maesters — let’s put it this way: the lore goes deep. Unless you’ve read (and studied) all of the George R. R. Martin books, chances are, you sometimes get just a little confused about who everyone is.
We hate to break it to you, but as House of the Dragon continues, it’s only going to get more convoluted — in fact, there are still a number of key players who haven’t even been introduced yet. One of the most anticipated major characters that may be making his first appearance soon is Benjicot Blackwood, also known to book fans as “Bloody Ben” thanks to his wild, unpredictability in battles.
Ready for some serious spoilers? Here is everything we know about Benjicot Blackwood’s rumoured upcoming appearance in House of the Dragon.
Who is Benjicot Blackwood in the books?
Ok, so who is this Bloody Ben, anyway?
In the books, Benjicot first appears a few years ahead of where we currently are in the series. Right now, House of the Dragon is setting the scene for a big, bloody civil war between Rhaenyra and her followers (the blacks) and Alicent’s son, King Aegon II and his followers (the greens). In the books, this civil war is known as the Dance of the Dragons and it rages on between 129-131 AC. It seems likely that this war will take place this season.
Benjicot’s first appearance in the books is as an 11-year-old. When his father, Lord Samwell Blackwood, is killed in a battle during Dance of the Dragons, Benjicot becomes the Head of the Blackwell House and Lord of Raventree Hall. Benjicot, like his father, supports Rhaeyra’s claim to the Iron Throne and fights alongside the blacks throughout the civil war.
Even though Benjicot is a literal child, he quickly becomes a powerful military leader and eventually earns himself the nickname Bloody Ben thanks to his successes for the blacks.
When might Benjicot Blackwood appear in House of the Dragon?
In a word, soon. In fact, some fans believe that we might have actually already met him.
As some Reddit fans pointed out, there was a Blackwood “madlad” who appeared in season 1. Fans guessed that he could either be Benjicot or his father Samwell.
In the third episode of season 2, which is due to drop later this week, we will meet a new unnamed Blackwood lad. In the trailer, we see him grinning wildly as someone draws a sword on him.
In another Reddit thread, some fans spotted that the actor who plays this Blackwood lad, Kieron Burton, reposted an image of the moment in which someone asked if he was playing Benjicot. He later deleted the Instagram story — it kind of seems like he was confirming that his character would be Benjicot? But we’ll have to wait and see.