Rhiannon Fish. If you spent any time on the CW corner of the internet back in 2016, that name probably conjures up a very specific, very bloody image. Specifically, the image of Ontari, the Azgeda powerhouse who walked into Polis and basically set the entire Grounder political structure on fire.
She wasn't just a villain. She was a lightning rod.
Coming into a show like The 100 during its third season is basically like walking into a hurricane while wearing a suit made of feathers. The fan base was already reeling from the death of Lexa—one of the most controversial TV moments of the decade—and then here comes this Ice Nation warrior wearing Lexa’s gear and sitting on her throne. It was a recipe for chaos. Rhiannon Fish didn't just play the role; she survived it.
Who was Ontari, anyway?
Let’s be real: Ontari was a mess. But she was a fascinating, tragic, and deeply dangerous mess. Raised by Queen Nia to be a weapon, she was essentially a "fake" Commander. She didn't have the Spirit of the Commander; she just had the Nightblood and a willingness to gouge out eyes to keep people quiet.
Most people remember her for the brutal stuff. Like, remember when she murdered a room full of sleeping children during the Conclave? Yeah. Hard to come back from that one. But if you look closer at what Rhiannon Fish actually brought to the screen, there was this weird vulnerability there.
She was a girl playing dress-up in a world that wanted her dead.
Honestly, the way she interacted with Murphy (Richard Harmon) was some of the most underrated chemistry in the series. It was toxic, sure. It was weirdly manipulative and fraught with power imbalances. But it also showed a side of Ontari that wasn't just "Ice Nation Psycho." She was lonely. She was out of her depth. She was, as Fish herself has said in interviews, "young and a little bit stupid."
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The Rhiannon Fish The 100 Backlash
You can't talk about Rhiannon Fish in The 100 without talking about the fans.
The "Clexa" fandom was—and is—intense. When Ontari showed up wearing the Commander’s cape, some people couldn't separate the character from the actress. It's a classic TV problem. You hate the person on screen so much that you forget there's a human being behind the face paint.
Rhiannon actually handled it with a ton of grace. She’s gone on record saying she totally understood why people were "coming for her" with pitchforks. She even admitted to cringing when she saw herself in Lexa’s shoulder cape in the mirror. She knew it was going to be a problem.
But here’s the thing: that’s exactly what the show needed.
The 100 thrived on making you uncomfortable. It thrived on showing you that the "rightful" leader is often replaced by the most ruthless one. Ontari was the physical embodiment of the world falling apart after Lexa’s death. If the fans didn't hate her, she wouldn't have been doing her job.
The Most Metal Death in Sci-Fi History?
Okay, maybe "metal" isn't the right word. "Traumatic" is probably better.
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Ontari's ending was... a lot. After being brain-dead thanks to a head injury from Jaha, she became a literal blood bag for Clarke.
Think about that for a second.
We’ve seen some wild stuff on TV, but watching Abby Griffin literally reach into Ontari’s open chest cavity to manually pump her heart so Clarke could survive the Flame? That is some top-tier body horror. It was a dark, poetic end for a character who spent her whole life being used by other people for her blood. Even in death, she was just a tool for the "heroes" to win.
It’s one of those scenes that sticks with you. It makes you realize that even though Ontari was a "villain," her life was basically a series of people taking things from her until there was literally nothing left but a heartbeat maintained by a stranger's hand.
From Polis to Hallmark: The Great Pivot
If you only know Rhiannon Fish from her days as a blood-soaked Grounder, her current career will give you whiplash.
She is basically the Queen of Hallmark now.
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We’re talking My Norwegian Holiday, A Picture of Her, When Love Springs. It’s all cozy sweaters, small-town romance, and "will-they-won't-they" tension over cups of cocoa. It is the polar opposite of the Ice Nation.
It’s actually a testament to her range. Going from a character who gouges eyes out to a character who finds love in a bakery is a wild career move. Fans of The 100 often stumble upon her Hallmark movies and have a mini-crisis. "Wait, is that the girl who killed the novices? Why is she so sweet now?"
Why Ontari Still Matters
Even years later, the character of Ontari is a talking point in the fandom. Why? Because she represents the "what if."
- What if she hadn't taken the chip?
- What if she had actually been trained by Titus instead of Nia?
- What if she and Roan had actually teamed up to lead the Grounders?
She was a wasted opportunity in the best way possible. She was a character you wanted to see more of, even if you wanted to see her get punched in the face.
The nuance Rhiannon Fish brought to a character that could have been a one-dimensional "big bad" is why we’re still talking about her. She made Ontari feel like a victim of her own upbringing, even when she was doing the most unforgivable things.
Next Steps for the Superfan:
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of Azgeda or Rhiannon's work, here is what you should actually do:
- Watch the "Perverse Instantiation" Behind-the-Scenes: Specifically, look for the interviews where the cast discusses the "heart pumping" scene. It’s fascinating to see how they handled the practical effects of Ontari's death.
- Check out Rhiannon’s early Aussie work: If you want to see where the acting chops came from, look for her episodes in Home and Away. She played April Scott for years, and it's a great look at her "pre-villain" era.
- Contrast the Genre: Watch an episode of The 100 Season 3 (specifically 3x10 "Fallen") and then immediately watch A Splash of Love. The "acting 180" is one of the most entertaining things you can experience as a fan of the craft.
Ontari was never meant to be the hero, but Rhiannon Fish made sure she was impossible to forget. Whether you loved to hate her or just plain hated her, she was a vital piece of the puzzle that made The 100 one of the most intense shows on television.