After an intense and controversial end to the fifth season, the mysteries on Game of Thrones have only begun to unravel in preparation for season 6. Creator George R.R. Martin only deepened the intrigue when he mentioned the permeability of life and death in the realms of Westeros and Essos. Although Martin won’t be scripting any of season six, the next installment in the Game Of Thrones series will see the return of a few familiar faces.
During season 5, several notable characters turned up absent. In particular, viewers lost track of young Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), the psychically endowed scion of Lord Ned Stark of Winterfell, as he sought to harness his burgeoning abilities.
When we last left the young noble, he was on a journey of supernatural discovery. The Game of Thrones season 4 finale temporarily shelved his saga after he found the Three-Eyed Raven (Max Von Sydow). Although showrunner David Benioff excluded his training, feeling that it wouldn’t be “particularly cinematic,” the actor did confirm his continued involvement in the plot. Now, EW brings fans the first photographic evidence of Bran’s return.
Season 6 will bring us an older, wiser Bran. Not only has his character developed, but the now 16-year-old actor has sprouted himself, pushing six feet tall and sporting a smartly sculpted mop. The fully trained warg and seer is poised to reenter the show with abilities that could directly affect his kingdom. It also sounds as though his visions could be key to the unfurling plotlines of season 6 as well – assuming the show somewhat follows the book plot.
Clearly Bran Stark’s resurgence will play an important role in the upcoming sixth season. A recent teaser offered little information, but did hint at Bran’s abilities giving him an ominous insight into the future: “They have no idea what’s going to happen.” As a trained seer, it’s possible his gifts will be crucial to predicting the movements of the gathering White Walker forces and may tie into the whereabouts (or more so, what-abouts) of Jon Snow.
As the show begins to overtake George R.R. Martin’s source material, it will be interesting to see how the producers, writers, and Martin himself choose to proceed. Obviously the showrunners would prefer to honor Martin’s vision, but the popularity of the series and network pressures could push them to reveal crucial information before the book series finishes its run.
How do you think Bran Stark’s return and training will impact season 6?
Game of Thrones returns to HBO in April 2016.
Source: EW
