Random Thought

[Steel Inquisitive he/him]

The Returned are given a massive influx of investiture when they are stapled back to their bodies. Cosmere healing works by restoring people to their perceived perfection via an influx of investiture. The Returned come back in a perfect body (or what they consider a perfect body). So my assumption is that it is the same principle being applied.

So if Kaladin became a Returned, would he still have the slave brands?

[RShara she/her]

Maybe. He wouldn't remember his previous life, since the Returned don't have memories of before they died, so he might not.

[Quantus he/him]

I dont think so.  He only has the Slave Brands because he thinks he should have them, they've become part of his personal identity.  But the Returned loose all their previous memories and transform into whatever they think a god should look like (usually huge and beautify and physically imposing, once old and wise, and I believe just extremely Lucky in Lightsong's case), not a perfected version of themselves.  If the new Returned (is it too on the nose to call him WindRunner?) thought that a god should have that sort of mark then maybe, but I dont think Kaladin's personal history and/or slavery baggage would dictate it the way it does with his Radiant Healing.  Unless his bond with Syl remained and was interacting with his Returned status in some unusual way.  

[Weltall]

Returned also appear to be influenced by not only their own perceptions but that of their society as a whole. So yeah, I suspect that unless something weird is going on Returned!Kaladin would not have his slave brands.

Unless maybe it happened on Roshar and by then he'd become some sort of demi-Herald in the popular consciousness, in which case he'd probably still have them because everyone would think that The Stormblessed storming well should have them.