'Game of Thrones' season 6 spoilers, plot rumors: Benjen Stark returns; Is Hodor still alive?
Benjen Stark (Joseph Mawle), former First Ranger of the Night's Watch and younger brother of the late Ned Stark (Sean Bean), reappeared in HBO's "Game of Thrones" season 6 on Sunday after having been gone for the last five seasons.
In "Blood of My Blood," Benjen arrived just in time to save his nephew, Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright), and Bran's companion Meera (Ellie Kendrick) from the army of the dead.
Later, while sharing a meal of rabbit's blood, Benjen removed his scarf and revealed his identity. Bran's uncle, long thought dead, had disappeared north of The Wall during season 1. This new version of Benjen, permanently disfigured after a fight with the White Walkers, is known in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of novels as Coldhands, the mysterious and possibly undead stranger who saved Bran's life and helped him and his companions cross The Wall.
Coldhands had been noticeably absent in the TV adaptation, leaving fans to speculate that the producers had decided to do away with the character altogether. Nevertheless, the Benjen/Coldhands reveal was exciting for both show watchers and book readers, as the true identity of Coldhands has yet to be revealed in the books.
While the show may have delayed introducing Coldhands, Hempstead-Wright says that the approach worked out just fine. According to the actor, Coldhands wasn't really needed during the part where Bran was making his way to the cave, as the young Stark already had Meera, Jojen (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), Hodor (Kristian Nairn), and the direwolf Summer to guide him.
"Instead he's there to help pick up the pieces when their safe haven is destroyed and to give Bran to have that family connection again [after Hodor dies]," Hempstead-Wright told Entertainment Weekly.
Meanwhile, "Game of Thrones" co-executive producer Bryan Cogman spoke to EW about the fan reaction to Hodor's death in the previous episode and about the chances of the gentle giant's return.
According to Cogman, while he can't speak for showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, he had anticipated the reaction to the Hodor sequence.
"First, simply because the character is so beloved by the fans," he explained. "And second because the sequence moves the story and mythology into such a new and mind-bending direction."
"As for whether or not we'll see Hodor again... As you know, I can't comment on anything that may or may not happen in the future," he said.
"Game of Thrones" season 6 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
