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“She’s taking a huge risk”
As always, if you’re not up to date with the most recent Game of Thrones episode, consider this to be your spoiler alert warning.
With just two episodes remaining, the battle for the Iron Throne is heating up and we’re not just talking about the very real prospect of King’s Landing being burned to the ground.
At present, Cersei Lannister is the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms but with the joint forces of Daenerys and Jon Snow prepared for battle, a Targareyn could end up sitting on the Iron Throne – if it’s still remaining.
The big question though is will it be Daenerys or Aegon Targareyn (Jon Snow) that will rule the Seven Kingdoms? However, Game of Thrones has consistently subverted expectations so we could be about to get a huge surprise.
Emilia Clarke has been vocal about the “destructive and pretty dark” mindset that her character currently has and with the prospect of The Mad Queen growing larger, it appears that Dany might not be the most suitable candidate for the Iron Throne.
Varys and Tyrion have openly been speaking about that very subject.
In terms of the other potential successors to Cersei, Jon Snow has made it abundantly clear that he’s not interested in being the King of the Seven Kingdoms but if Daenerys doesn’t take the throne – something that’s heavily foreshadowed as you can see in her vision below – the Mother of Dragons may have accidentally helped the reputation of a potential rival for the throne, Gendry.
In the last episode, we saw Daenerys appoint Robert Baratheon’s bastard as the Lord of Storm’s End. In Game of Thrones, bastards are not allowed to inherit their father’s lands or titles, and have no claims to the privileges of their father’s house.
However, now that Gendry is a legitimate Lord, he could make a claim to the Iron Throne.
Granted, Gendry came from nothing and lived most of his life without even knowing that he was Robert’s son. In the last episode, he also said that he has no idea how to be a Lord and Dany’s act of kindness is likely to make him a loyal and honourable ally.
As the last Baratheon that the show has focused on – Robert has loads of bastards – Gendry could also lay claim to the throne.
After the Mad King was defeated and House Targaryen lost the throne, House Baratheon took control of the Seven Kingdoms with Robert succeeded by his sons, Joffrey and Tommen.
Of course, the biological father of these two princes and their sister, Myrcella, is Jaime Lannister but they all have the Baratheon name.
After Princess Myrcella Baratheon was poisoned by Ellaria Sand, Cersei Lannister (Robert’s wife) claimed the throne unopposed.
It should also be noted that Joffrey and Tommen were anointed by the High Septon while Cersei had Qyburn perform her coronation ritual.
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Joe Dempsie (Gendry) was asked if his character would like to rule the Seven Kingdoms. He also explained why he thinks Daenerys took this risk in making Gendry the Lord of Storm’s End.
“So he’s the linear heir to the throne, now that he’s been legitimised. I think by recognising the potential threat he causes, Dany’s attempting to neutralise it. What none of us really know yet is how much does Dany know about Gendry? Did she do any research? Because she’s taking a huge risk.”
Every since Ser Davos helped Gendry escape the clutches of Stannis in Melisandre on Dragonstone, fans have always wanted to see the blacksmith return.
Well, he came back in Season 7 and made quite an impact after travelling with Jon’s suicide squad beyond The Wall to capture a wight. Gendry was also instrumental in the Battle of Winterfell because the weapons that he forged from dragonglass proved to be vital in defeating the dead.
Of course, his relationship with Arya could finally sees House Stark and Baratheon join together, however, his marriage proposal wasn’t something that interested Arya.
Now that he’s the Lord of Storm’s End, could Gendry be about to add a few more important titles to his name?
All hail Gendry Baratheon, King of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Realm.
It has a nice sound to it but Dempsie doesn’t think that this level of power would suit his character. However, he did give an insight into the type of king that he could be.
“My instinct tells me no. Varys said in the episode this week that maybe the person best suited to rule might be someone who doesn’t actually want to. I think Gendry has spent such a large part of his life being kind of passed around as a pawn, and control over others isn’t something he’s ever craved.
“Maybe he’s not quite bright enough to rule, but he certainly understands the plight of common folk in a way that not many past leaders of Westeros have. So I think he would be a very compassionate leader.”
Will Gendry take the Iron Throne? If Jon Snow or Daenerys don’t get it, he does have a very strong claim to it.
We’ll have to wait and see.
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