Editor’s note: This post contains spoilers for the current Game of Thrones season as well as the books.

By now we’ve all hopped aboard the ol’ hype train for the return of the Realm’s current best bastard (since Jon Snow is technically no longer one), Gendry Waters/Baratheon. After his long-anticipated return to Westeros in the season 7 episode “Eastwatch,” our minds began to race with theories as to why they would bring him back. Was it just fan service? A way for showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss to punish us obsessives by sending him north of The Wall to immediately die? Or is something much, much more important going on with this blacksmith bastard.

As for us, we think Gendry is going to bring the ancient art of forging Valyrian steel back to life in order to save the Realm from the impending invasion of White Walkers.

Want to know more? Allow us to break it down for you in this video (because we’ve always been ride or die for Gendry).

See, Gendry—one of Robert Baratheon’s many bastards—was born in King’s Landing and, until Ned Stark went a-snoopin’ for the late king’s illegitimate kids, he was blissfully unaware of his royal lineage, content to be an apprentice to the blacksmith Tobho Mott. But Mott wasn’t just any blacksmith; he was a master smith from Qohor in Essos, one of the few people in the ENTIRE REALM who still knows how to work with Valyrian steel. With Jon Snow’s new cache of dragonglass at his side, surely the combination of steel and dragonglass—and a little bit of magic—could bring about a new era of magically imbued steel to the realm, with Gendry at the heart of it.

Or he could also just be there to be Arya’s happily ever after, but we’d prefer the former (or at least have it be both).

But what you think? Let us know in the comments below, and never forget the Great Gendry Search of 2016:

Images/GIFs: HBO

Alicia Lutes is the Managing Editor, creator/co-host of Fangirling, and resident Khaleesi of House Nerdist. Find her on Twitter but only if you really want because, like—I’m not your boss.

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