Ser Criston Cole meets his end in the opening moments of House of the Dragon's third season, struck down by arrows without securing the legendary battlefield death he had desperately pursued. Rather than winning the glory and songs of valor he desired, Cole dies an unremarkable death, still clutching a handkerchief from Queen Alicent. The show's adaptation closely follows the source novel Fire & Blood, though it changes the identity of his killers to reflect the broader narrative.

Cole's death serves as the narrative conclusion to a character whose actions stemmed from wounded pride and personal rejection rather than duty or principle. His trajectory began with his failed affair with Princess Rhaenyra, which sparked a vindictive turn toward her enemies, followed by further violations of his Kingsguard oaths through involvement with Alicent. This pattern of selfish, petty choices cascaded into broader tragedy for others, making his unremarkable end—devoid of the heroic legacy he so desperately wanted—a fitting culmination to an arc defined by spite and hypocrisy.