And you thought the Baratheons were dead and gone. Not quite, as it turns out. Remember Gendry, the long-lost bastard son of Robert Baratheon who bonded with Arya in the early seasons of Game of Thrones? Of course you do. The internet has never forgotten the young blacksmith, even if most of the show's characters probably have. A few choice hints and leaked set footage indicate (Season 7 spoilers!) that actor Joe Dempsie might finally be returning to Game Of Thrones, and fans everywhere are wondering: will Gendry and Arya finally reunite? While we don't yet have any evidence that will happen, I think fans are probably going to be getting a big more Gendry this season.
Gendry was last seen rowing away from Dragonstone towards King's Landing, and his long absence has made fans' hearts grow ever fonder. "It's a bit of a loose end, and they don't make a habit of leaving them untied," actor Joe Dempsie told Digital Spy. "The more 'forgotten' characters that have returned, the more Gendry sticks out like a sore thumb." The fansite Winteriscoming.net has been hard at work trying to figure out what's going on with him, pondering whether Daenerys and Gendry might team up or if Cersei is his mother (which is actually more probable than it sounds).
But it's not just wild theories and hints dropped by actors that suggest Gendry's final return. Last October, the fansite WatchersOnTheWall released set footage depicting an interesting group of characters: Daenerys, Tyrion, Jorah (guess he's not dead yet), Davos, Jon, and — you guessed it — Gendry, who may have never stopped rowing since fans last saw him. It is possible the show brought him back only to kill him off (as they did with Osha and Rickon, sigh). But Melisandre's line to him in Season 2 — "There is power in a king's blood" — could suggest he has a larger role to play.
Gendry's return isn't necessarily the only thing fans want. Will he ever see m'lady again? With Arya finally making her return to the Westeros mainland, that reunion is ever so slightly more likely. George R. R. Martin has promised that Gendry and Arya will meet again somehow in the books, but that doesn't necessarily mean viewers will see it happen on the show.
But with Game of Thrones in its final stretch and its pace starting to pick up (as actor Nikolai Coster-Waldau indicated to Entertainment Weekly), it looks like the numerous storylines are going to start converging. It had already started happening in Season 6, with Daenerys meeting Yara and Theon and Jon reuniting with Sansa. So if there was ever a time for Gendry and Arya to cross paths again, it would be now, and I for one have high hopes about it.
Season 7 of Game of Thrones will premiere July 16 on HBO.
