Gavinor A Back Half Villain?

[StripesGus]

I have been thinking about the back five books, and thinking who some of the big players may be. I could see Gavinor Kholin being a main character POV, especially with the time passing between the first 5 and back 5 making Gavinor 18ish?. If so, what would you theorize his role could be?

Here is a fun one:

After the death of his Dad and Grandfather and then Dalinar (what is Dalinar to him? Second Grandfather?), Gavinor learns to fight under Adolin and is a very promising duelist. But does not attract a Spren (maybe due to the anger and hatred in his heart). But with an early book 6 death of his grandmother (Navani) it becomes too much for Gavinor and he ends up leaving Urithiru turning his back on everything he previously knew. A blind Moash finds him in the wilderness and they end up helping each other! Poisoning his mind and forming Gavinor into a misguided teenager, growing the hatred and leading Gavinor to be a villain figure. (posible redemption arc for Gavinor in the end books, with the betrayal of and death of Moash) lol.

Obviously this is extremely farfetched... but hey! that's the fun in it! and It's fun to think about haha.

What are some of your fun theories for Gavinor? 

[Toaster Retribution he/him]

I doubt Gavinor will be a villain. I do however think that he will have a role to play in the back half, and he might even be on the throne of Alethkar at the series end (I think Jasnah will either die or go worldhopping). Hopefully we get to see him and Kaladin do stuff together, and I’d love to see how he remembers his father. Having him take out Moash would be amazing as well. 

[StripesGus]

7 hours ago, Toaster Retribution said:

I doubt Gavinor will be a villain. I do however think that he will have a role to play in the back half, and he might even be on the throne of Alethkar at the series end (I think Jasnah will either die or go worldhopping). Hopefully we get to see him and Kaladin do stuff together, and I’d love to see how he remembers his father. Having him take out Moash would be amazing as well. 

Ooouh yeah! Killing the man who killed his father, would be interesting. But it's also something common that we have seen in Moash already (revenge for his parents). And I do agree, I don't think Gavinor will be a villain either, but its a fun theory haha. But honestly I think that I will be surprised if Kaladin makes it past the next book. Or If he does, I think it would be in a vary different role (like not fighting anymore). 

[teknopathetic he/him]

Something seems profoundly off with Gavinor. To me it seemed clear there are going to be major issues with that child going forward. 

Edited March 9, 2022 by teknopathetic

[Olmund]

Yeah, I actually wouldn't be surprised to see Gavinor as a back-half villain; he lived through hellishly traumatic circumstances where his mother literally became a monster and tortured him with voidspren, then his father died during his rescue. He gives me major (spoilers for 20-year-old Fire Emblem games)

Spoiler

Zephiel vibes -- the villain of Binding Blade who you see as an innocent child in similarly twisted circumstances in the prequel Blazing Sword -- his own father ordered his assassination iirc, and Zephiel eventually decided that humanity deserved to be wiped out.

At any rate, it's almost certain that the shadows of Gavinor's past will haunt him, and that he will have a major role in the back half.

Edited February 28, 2022 by Olmund

[Morningtide she/her]

I can see Gavinor being a villain, but I think he'd go more the route of the antihero. It seems to me like he'd go bitter and dark, turning vengeful because of his childhood. I don't think he'll actually be evil, more like he does questionable things that kind of help the heroes.

[KaladinWorldsinger]

Isn't it much more like Brandon to take this character and make him one of the protagonists of second half? Like maybe the stoneward radiant main guy? He would be like 19 years i think

[StripesGus]

21 hours ago, Ookla the Theoretical said:

I can see Gavinor being a villain, but I think he'd go more the route of the antihero. It seems to me like he'd go bitter and dark, turning vengeful because of his childhood. I don't think he'll actually be evil, more like he does questionable things that kind of help the heroes.

I completely forgot about his time with is mom too. But yeah that would be interesting! Kind of like an anti hero type? explore the whole does "the ends justify the means" theme. could cause some major conflicts with it too within the radients, even though they are all on the same team. I would be down for that!

[Humble_Knight]

This is where my head is at as well. I think I thought of it during the Moash shardcast episode, where I think their stories could be an interesting intersection, especially with the theme of second chances. I also like the idea of Jasnah's assassination being the inciting event for the back half, thrusting Gavinor onto the throne, similar to Elhokar. Before anyone says Jasnah is a POV, there are several WoBs that someone doesn't need to be alive to be a PoV, and of the PoVs the most plausible are Jasnah and Ash.

[Pathfinder]

41 minutes ago, Humble_Knight said:

This is where my head is at as well. I think I thought of it during the Moash shardcast episode, where I think their stories could be an interesting intersection, especially with the theme of second chances. I also like the idea of Jasnah's assassination being the inciting event for the back half, thrusting Gavinor onto the throne, similar to Elhokar. Before anyone says Jasnah is a POV, there are several WoBs that someone doesn't need to be alive to be a PoV, and of the PoVs the most plausible are Jasnah and Ash.

Although it is true characters with their own book and flash backs can be dead at the time of their novel, Brandon has gone on record saying that Jasnah is a main character of the back 5 if not THE main character of the back 5. Kind of find it hard for her to have that much prominence and be dead.

[EmulatonStromenkiin he/him]

11 minutes ago, Pathfinder said:

Although it is true characters with their own book and flash backs can be dead at the time of their novel, Brandon has gone on record saying that Jasnah is a main character of the back 5 if not THE main character of the back 5. Kind of find it hard for her to have that much prominence and be dead.

Kelsier. we have hints that kelsier will be an important character in the cosmere.

[Frustration]

17 minutes ago, EmulatonStromenkiin said:

Kelsier. we have hints that kelsier will be an important character in the cosmere.

He's not really dead though.

[Pathfinder]

28 minutes ago, EmulatonStromenkiin said:

Kelsier. we have hints that kelsier will be an important character in the cosmere.

Kinda confused on what you mean. When Kelsier died, we didn't see him in book two or three, nor directly in the Wax and Wayne trilogy. Brandon specifically confirmed Jasnah is the main show in the remaining five stormlight books.

[LopenCousin91]

I don't really have any support for this theory but I always assumed that Odium would be defeated by book 5 and the back half main villain would be the equivalent of the Christian Devil in the Cosmere if Adonalsium is the equivalent of Judeo-Christian God.