‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 7 Theories: 7 Characters We Need To See Return To The HBO Series

With the “Game of Thrones” Season 7 premiere months away, fans of the HBO original series have been forced to scour the web for any information they can find about what’s to come. A number of spoilers have been released to date, though only time will tell how accurate those details really are.

Spoiler blog Watchers on the Wall revealed earlier this week that David Bradley, known for playing the notorious Walder Frey on “Game of Thrones,” will appear in Season 7. This came as a surprise to fans because, for one, Bradley’s character’s throat was slit in the Season 6 finale by Arya Stark (Maisie Williams). Frey had been high on her kill list for some time for orchestrating the Red Wedding, during which both her mother Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) and brother Robb Stark (Richard Madden) were killed.

Bradley’s return to “Game of Thrones” has given way to an interesting — and very viable — theory. Arya, who came to the Riverlands after fleeing the Many Faced God in Braavos, may be using his body as a disguise. If this is the case, it’s not clear whether she’ll be using his body to get close to someone else on her list and kill them or to move through the Seven Kingdoms unnoticed.

While we won’t know for sure whether Bradley is coming back until Season 7 of “Game of Thrones” kicks off, it’s got us thinking about a few other characters we want to see come back. Below are seven characters that need to return to the HBO series:

Gendry

It has been widely reported that after disappearing in Season 3, Gendry (Joe Dempsie) will return to “Game of Thrones.” It’s not clear whether his return will take place in Season 7 or 8, but fans would like to see it sooner than later. A popular theory, posted on Reddit by user Sethg119, suggests that Gendry will be a major player in the show when we cross paths with him next. The avid Thronie suggested that viewers will see him turn up in Oldtown, where Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) is studying to be a maester.

The Red Woman

The Red Woman (Carice van Houten) was one character we loved to hate. While she has her flaws — like, for example, teaming up with Stannis (Stephen Dillane) in the hopes of taking over the Seven Kindgoms and/or that time she ordered that young Princess Shireen (Kerry Ingram) be burned at the stake — she did bring Jon Snow (Kit Harington) back to life.

Her ties to the reigning Warden of the North lead us to believe there’s more to her story than meets the eye. Although he cast her away in Season 6 after learning what she’d done to the princess, it’s unlikely we’ve seen the last of her. After all, every “Game of Thrones” fan knows that no one’s really done on the show until their death is featured in an episode.

Syrio Forel

Syrio (Miltos Yerolemou) was Arya’s trainer in Season 1 of “Game of Thrones.” He was a wiz with a sword, although when last we saw him he was dueling with Meryn Trant (Ian Beattie) and was never seen again. His disappearance lands Trant on Arya’s kill list. She exacts her revenge on him in Season 5, but we remain hopeful that he’ll pop back up in Season 7 and surprise her. There is a theory among “Game of Thrones” fans that Jaqen H’ghar (Thomas Wlaschiha) is Syrio, but that has yet to be seen.

Jaqen H’ghar

Jaqen is not technically gone, as he appeared in Season 7 to train Arya in the ways of the Many Faced God. After some time in his facility in Braavos, Arya grew tired of the complex rules and rigorous training she had been undergoing. She decided to flee, but took a few tricks of the trade with her.

With Arya out of Braavos there’s a good chance Arya and Jaqen, who were close prior to this training in Season 6, will never cross paths again. We are hopeful, however, that he will reemerge in some capacity — and maybe be less of a jerk — when the show returns.

Catelyn Stark

“Game of Thrones” fans were shocked in Season 3 when Catelyn and her son were killed during the Red Wedding. Since then, Thronies have been holding onto a glimmer of hope that Catelyn will return in some way. There is a long-standing theory that Catelyn is Lady Stoneheart, meaning she could return to the show. There are several theories about how this could be possible, which you can find here.

Ghost & Nymeria

Ah, the direwolves. When “Game of Thrones” started each of the Stark children had one — even Jon Snow who, at the time, had little to no idea about his true lineage. Four of the six direwolves have been killed. Nymeria, who belongs to Arya, was sent away in Season 1. She has not been seen since, but many “Game of Thrones” fans believe she’s still alive. Similarly, Jon’s direwolf, Ghost, was missing from much of Season 6. This has worried fans, but if he’s anything like his owner, we’re sure he’ll be back soon.

Ilyn Payne

Ilyn Payne (Wilko Johnson) is not a central character on “Game of Thrones,” though his name may sound familiar to some. For starters, he’s responsible for lopping off Eddard Stark’s head in Season 1. He’s also one of many people on the youngest Stark girl’s infamous kill list. She’s been hard at work checking names off said list, but it won’t be complete until she’s able to kill the man who took her father’s life before a crowd of people for a crime he didn’t commit.