Though Gawain appeared to die in the Cursed season 1 finale, season 2 could see him come back to life and become the Green Knight in a more literal sense. Cursed originally began life as an illustrated book by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler. Reimagining the characters from Arthurian legend, Miller and Wheeler signed on to adapt their source material for Netflix. Commissioned for a 10-episode first season, Cursed premiered to a warm audience reception on July 17, 2020.
Played by Matt Stokoe, Gawain first appears in Cursed season 1, episode 5, "The Joining." As many will know, Gawain is a knight of King Arthur's round table in the original stories. In Cursed, however, he is revised to be a childhood friend of Nimue (Katherine Langford). Fey-born, Gawain serves as a leader in the rebellion against the Red Paladins — a group of religious zealots eager to see the Fey tribes made extinct. Reuniting with Nimue at Nemos, he becomes acquainted and forms a bond with Arthur (Devon Terrell) on the battlefield. Unfortunately, soon after he is captured by The Weeping Monk (Daniel Sharman). While he is being tortured by a member of the Paladins called Brother Salt (Terence Maynard), Nimue attempts to negotiate his release. Though he is turned over to her, it's revealed that he has already succumbed to his many injuries. Immediately grief-stricken, Nimue tearfully attempts to perform a spell over his body.
At first, it appears to be unsuccessful. After Nimue is dragged away by the Paladins, however, the spell began to take effect. As grass comes out of the ground to cover him, what exactly the spell will do was one of the many questions left unanswered in Cursed season 1. Having thought of Gawain as an older brother, it's no doubt a safe bet that Nimue was trying to resurrect him. The Fey Queen having such power was teased earlier in the season when she brought a dead apple tree back to life. Should he return for the as-yet unconfirmed second season, it would be the perfect opportunity to give him a mystical upgrade and make "The Green Knight" more than just a nickname he carried.
In Arthurian legend, the Green Knight is a completely separate figure from Gawain. The details of his character varied from story to story. In some incarnations, the Green Knight is named Bertilak de Hautdesert and transformed by Morgan le Fay to test King Arthur's knights — most notably Gawain — and frighten Arthur's wife: Guinevere. In others, he is himself one of Arthur's knights and named Bredbeddle. Though Cursed drew some criticism for not adhering to Arthurian canon, there is no set continuity within the legends; Miller and Wheeler actually honor a long-standing tradition of combining and remixing disparate elements from several tales. As such, rather than being tested by the Green Knight, Gawain could actually become him after enduring the test of torture and not giving up Nimue and the Fey. Rather than one version of the character, he will embody them all, developing the green skin that is synonymous with the character and also becoming one of Arthur's most trusted knights.
That could mean that audiences will see a very different version of Gawain in future episodes — and not just because he will be green. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the latter is able to survive a beheading at the very start of the story. As a result, Nimue might have not just resurrected him, but also made him similarly immortal. Such beings have already been established in the world of Cursed, with Merlin said have lived for millennia and the brief introduction of such shadow lords as Rugen. If this is what Nimue's spell did to Gawain, immortality would certainly be useful against the lingering threats of the church, Iris, and the Trinity guard. Plus, Gawain's conflict with the Green Knight could manifest not with an external foe but him having to come to terms with new aspects of his nature and sense of self. Whatever the case, all will become definitively clear when Cursed season 2 is eventually released.