Where Did Gendry Baratheon End Up in 'Game of Thrones'?

gendry baratheon
Helen Sloan/HBO
Helen Sloan/HBO

Gendry is one of those characters featured throughout HBO's Game of Thrones who is just impossible not to root for. And while he wasn't a main player in the ongoing saga as it played out on the small screen, Gendry Rivers… err, Waters… wait, we mean Gendry Baratheon -- thanks for the clarification on that one, Daenerys -- really left a lasting impression with fans.

Season 8 finally gave us the hookup we deserved between Arya Stark and Gendry Baratheon, providing one of the most satisfying ships -- Gendrya forever! -- the show has delivered in a while. But, as we saw, after Dany granted him the new title of Lord of Storm's End, Gendry's profession of love to Arya did not end up getting reciprocated. After all, Arya is not Lady material. She is a free murderous spirit who needs to quench her curiosity of what exactly lies west of Westeros.

gendry baratheon arya stark
Helen Sloan/HBO

Gendry's character arc in the show has followed a somewhat different trajectory than his journey in George R.R. Martin's books. It's worth noting that, instead of being kidnapped by Melisandre and Stannis Baratheon -- as he was in Season 3 of the HBO series -- the young man ended up getting knighted as Ser Gendry and joined the Brotherhood.

Also, one huge detail not really paid attention to in the series was the fact that, much like Jon Snow, Gendry was a bastard son of Robert Baratheon's. And since Baratheon had Targaryen blood, making Jon Snow Dany's nephew, Gendry here was related to them, as well. Talk about a confusing family bloodline! It's no wonder why D.B. Weiss and David Benioff chose to keep this muddled plotline out of the equation.

He may not have appeared in as many episodes as the other important characters in the series, but Gendry's role here mattered. After all, he was the man tasked with arming Winterfell ahead of the epic war against the Night King and his White Walker army in Episode 4 of Season 8, "The Long Night."

Once all was said and done, Game of Thrones revealed in its final episode that Gendry was enjoying a new position on Westeros's revised democracy council. While we're unsure if he will ever find a woman fitting enough to be the Lady to his Lord, it's good to see his voice and influence will be put to good use. And maybe, just maybe, his path will cross with Arya's in the ongoing saga's literary future. All we can do is wait and see.

Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email, get Streamail for more entertainment, and subscribe here for our YouTube channel to get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.

Aaron Pruner is a contributor to Thrillist.