Gendry Baratheon

"When I hit that steel it sings. Are you gonna sing when I hit you?"

- Gendry to Hot Pie

Gendry is a major character in the third season. He initially appeared as a recurring character in the first season and second seasons. He is played by starring cast member Joe Dempsie and debuts in "Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things." Gendry is an unacknowledged bastard son of King Robert Baratheon. He is a skilled blacksmith who is traveling with Yoren to the Wall to join the Night's Watch when he is taken prisoner at Harrenhal. He later escaped with Arya and Hot Pie.

Background
Gendry is a bastard son of King Robert Baratheon, but is unacknowledged and unaware of his lineage. Gendry did not receive the bastard surname used in the Crownlands (Waters) because he was not openly acknowledged by Robert.

His mother worked in a tavern and died when he was very young. When he was old enough, an unknown lord paid his apprentice fee so he could learn to be a blacksmith. He spent his whole life in the capital city of King's Landing working as an apprentice blacksmith under his master, Tobho Mott, to forge armor and weapons for the nobility.

Season 1
Investigating the death of Jon Arryn, Lord Eddard Stark learns that he was seen visiting Tobho Mott's smithy in the city shortly before his death. Eddard also inspects the smithy. Mott tells him that Jon Arryn came to ask about new armor, but he also wanted to talk to the young man, Gendry. Eddard admires a helm that Gendry has made. Mott offers to sell it to him, but Gendry insists that it is not for sale as he made it for himself. Eddard learns that Jon wanted to know about Gendry's mother and realizes that Gendry is the bastard son of King Robert Baratheon. Eddard is at a loss as to why Jon Arryn was trying to track down Robert's bastards.

After King Robert died, the secret payments to Mott stopped so he kicked Gendry out. With no other options, Gendry decides to join the Night's Watch, and is one of the latest batch of Yoren's recruits for the Wall. He meets Arya Stark (disguised as the boy "Arry") when some of the other boys harass her about her sword. When Hot Pie bumps into him, he scares the boys off saying "When I hit that steel it sings, are you gonna sing when I hit you?"

Season 2

 * Main: Gendry Season 2

Gendry travels north on the Kingsroad with Yoren and his recruits, befriending Arya on the journey. He is targeted by the City Watch of King's Landing because of his status as a bastard of King Robert Baratheon but remains unaware of his lineage. Yoren intimidates a pair of goldcloaks who come looking for Gendry into leaving empty handed. Gendry sees through Arya's disguise and recognizes her as a girl. She confides her identity and swears him to secrecy. The goldcloaks return with Ser Amory Lorch and a force of Lannister soldiers. They kill Yoren and capture Arya and Gendry. Arya manages to convince them that Lommy Greenhands was Gendry because he was carrying the bull's head helm Gendry made.

The prisoners are taken to Harrenhal. They are brutally tortured by Ser Gregor Clegane's men while being questioned by the Tickler. Gendry is selected as his next victim but is saved when Lord Tywin Lannister arrives and asserts that the prisoners are more useful alive.

Gendry is put to work at the castle's forge. Both the Tickler and Ser Amory are killed in suspicious circumstances. The deaths prompt Tywin to launch an investigation and he ultimately blames the Brotherhood Without Banners. Tywin leaves Harrenhal to march on the Westerlands. Arya arranges for Jaqen H'ghar to help them to escape the castle.

Quotes
"You've heard the awful rumors about my brother and sister?...I suppose people who do believe that filth consider Robert's bastards to be better claimants to the throne than Cersei's children."

- Tyrion Lannister

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels Gendry is also apprenticed to master blacksmith Tobho Mott. Gendry's mother worked at an alehouse and died when he was very young. An unknown person - presumably Varys - paid for his apprenticeship to Mott. Gendry is in his mid-teens, a powerfully-built and strong lad who shows great promise as a blacksmith. He knows very little about his mother; she worked in an alehouse and died when he was little. She had yellow hair, and sometimes she used to sing to him. He doesn't bear the bastard surname of Waters, traditionally employed in the Crownlands, because he was not openly acknowledged by Robert.

The books clearly explain that it was actually Varys who stopped the secret payments to Tobho Mott, resulting in Gendry losing his job as the blacksmith's apprentice. Varys explains to Tyrion that he purposefully did this to force Gendry to leave King's Landing, in order to save him from the eventual purge in which all of Robert's other bastard children in the city are killed, such as the baby Barra.

In the books, Gendry is said to resemble King Robert so closely that it is blatantly obvious to anyone who knew Robert that he is Robert's son. Due to the fact that Renly Baratheon is also said to greatly resemble his older brother Robert in his youth, Gendry also bears a striking resemblance to Renly.

Gendry was one of the bastards whom Jon Arryn and Stannis Baratheon inquired about. When asked by Eddard Stark, Gendry mentions that Arryn came to see him, and asked him about his work and his mother. He also remembers that Stannis accompanied Arryn, but did not ask him any questions, only glared at him. In the TV series, Gendry mentions only Arryn.