WARNING: Potential SPOILERS for Game of Thrones season 7 ahead!
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Game of Thrones season 7 is already shaping up to be one of its best. The episodes thus far have had a deliberate but quickened pace, moving characters across Westeros like pieces on a chess board, setting the stage for major conflicts ahead.
With opposing sides getting ready for war, alliances will prove crucial for victory. Cersei has Randal Tarley and a few of the other southern houses not willing to joine with Olenna Tyrell in open rebellion. Daenerys, on the the hand, has the Tyrells and Dorne as well as Yara Greyjoy's portion of the Iron Fleet -- well, she did, until Yara's uncle Euron destroyed her fleet in an effort to win Cersei's favor (and possibly, her hand in marriage). Still, Daenerys has her forthcoming meeting with the King in the North, Jon Snow, and he may yet prove to be a most important ally (assuming he bends the knee).
The impending meeting between the Dragon Queen and the White Wolf is easily a moment fans have been anxious to see, but there's another moment coming this season that has fans excited -- the return of Gendry, formerly an apprentice blacksmith, then a brother of the Brotherhood Without Banners, but always a bastard son of King Robert Baratheon.
First spotted filming on location with the cast in October and later confirmed as returning thanks to GQ's first impressions of the premiere, Joe Dempsie is reprising the role of Gendry for Game of Thrones season 7. But knowing Gendry is coming back isn't the same as knowing why, so here are our guesses as to why now is the right time for him to return.
To begin with, let's recall where we left off with Gendry. As Robert's only known surviving bastard, Gendry was a prisoner of Stannis Baratheon and Melisandre. They used his "king's blood" for spells and rituals to kill Stannis' enemies, eventually planning to burn Gendry at the stake as a sacrifice to the Lord of Light. Ser Davos Seaworth, however, wasn't on board with any of this blood magic and freed Gendry from his cell, putting him in a small dingy and sending him rowing towards King's Landing. That was the last we saw of Gendry, all the way back in season 3, leaving us to either assume he died on the way (he does admit to Davos he can't swim) or arrived in King's Landing and assumed a life of anonymity.
It's possible, Gendry returned to the trade that first brought him to Ned's attention -- blacksmithing, either on his own or perhaps again under his old master, Tobho Mott. Though, it'd be pretty dumb to hide in the same place you were first discovered, so Gendry might be laying low in Flea Bottom -- the slums of King's Landing, where no one pays much attention to anything or anyone. As of now, it isn't known exactly how Gendry ends up back into the game of thrones he so narrowly escaped, but with a former king's blood in his veins, anonymity just isn't a luxury a royal bastard can have in these tumultuous times.
There's also the little fact that with Robert, Renly, Stannis, and Shireen all dead (plus Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen for good measure), Gendry is the last surviving Baratheon -- legitimate or not. That makes him not only a potential contender for the throne, but a candidate to inherit Storm's End, the seat of House Baratheon. The castle hasn't played too large of a role in Game of Thrones and it's currently unknown just who holds it, but as conflicts heat up, Storm's End is a perfect strategic position on the eastern coast just south of King's Landing which can't go unnoticed for much longer.
So for what purpose will Gendry return? There are two possibilities, either one of which make him an invaluable asset to whomever wins the Iron Throne. And since those early set photos caught Joe Dempsie in the company of Peter Dinklage (Tyrion) and Liam Cunningham (Davos), it appears that either Daenerys or Jon will have first dibs.
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Gendry Is Legitimized
It may seem unbelievable that Daenerys would want anything to do with the family most responsible for ending her family's reign over the Seven Kingdoms, but Gendry isn't a trueborn Baratheon and he holds no love for King Robert. He may be his son, but it isn't like the two were close. Being bastard-born, Gendry's life has been hard and he's played no part in politics or royal schemes, making him very much like the downtrodden for whom Daenerys has such a soft spot.
Legitimizing Gendry would strengthen her cause in two ways: it would reestablish one of the great houses of Westeros, as an ally no less, and allow them the use the fortified castle at Storm's End. (Assuming they can gain access to it, but then, it was Davos who found a way in before when he smuggled those onions to Stannis' forces held up inside, so if Daenerys and Jon are working together, the Onion Knight could come through again.) The return of House Baratheon with a son of Robert as its head might just be enough to win over more of the lesser houses, maybe even a few of those still loyal to Cersei. And all anyone need do is look at Gendry to know for certain he's Robert son (the seed is strong, remember?), so his claim to Storm's End and the Baratheon name would be tough to discredit.
Of course, this is all assuming it's Daenerys who legitimizes him. As King in the North, Jon has just as much authority to declare Gendry a Baratheon as she does. He may even be more compelled to do so given his own bastard status. Davos might also council him to do so, having taken a shine to Gendry when they were previously cellmates. And there's another reason Jon would be interested in Gendry -- his skill as a blacksmith.
Gendry Forges Valyrian Steel
Ned first came upon Gendry while following a lead from the deceased Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, which took him to the blacksmith shop of Tobho Mott. There, Gendry studied under Mott and became a talented blacksmith, with Ned and later Beric Dondarrion complementing his skill. Since we don't know for sure, we can only guess if Gendry resumed this trade once he was freed by Davos, but even if not, it's hopefully a skill set he hasn't lost.
What makes his tutelage under Mott so significant is that Mott is one of the few blacksmiths trained to work with Valyrian steel. In the books, Mott is the blacksmith Tywin orders to melt down Ned's Valyrian greatsword, Ice, forging from it Widow's Wail and Oathkeeper. (On the show, a Volantene blacksmith is brought in.) Mott mentions to Tywin that he tried to make the steel take on the crimson color of House Lannister, but his spells only created a mottling of red and grey. That suggests Mott uses magic in his handling of Valyrian steel, and while he may not know fully how to craft new Valyrian steel (that spellwork is likely well and truly lost), he may have still passed on whatever knowledge he possessed to his apprentice.
Currently, Sam is at The Citadel and using his free time to research all he can about dragonglass, just recently sending a raven to Jon informing him of Dragonstone's huge cache of dragonglass. That line of research could lead Sam to discover either a connection with Valyrian steel or a means of making it anew. And even if that were a stretch, he might simply come up with a way to combine the dragonglass with their regular steel weapons. (He did just read about how the Targaryens used the dragonglass to adorn their weapons, though their purpose was ornamental).
Either way, if Jon's plan is to eventually forge new weapons either with dragonglass or by rounding up all the Valyrian steel they can, then a blacksmith familiar with the material will be a huge asset. How fortunate, then, that Davos knows just the bastard for the job.
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Is Gendry returning to Game of Thrones to assume the mantle of Lord of Storm's End, new head of House Baratheon? Or will it be for his skill as a blacksmith and possible familiarity with Valyrian steel, making him indispensable in the coming war with the Night King? Either way, Gendry is back in season 7, but as GQ noted, we'll "have to wait until mid-way through to find out the significance of his role." With two episodes down and five more to go, that'll be much sooner than later.