Warning! SPOILERS about An Offer from a Gentleman ahead.

Summary

• Bridgerton season 3's updates hint at Benedict's storyline mirroring the events of An Offer from a Gentleman.
• Benedict's uncertainty and conflicting desires will continue in season 3, setting up his potential role as the protagonist in season 4.
• Benedict is the most likely protagonist for Bridgerton season 4, as he will be the eldest Bridgerton sibling without a wife.

The Bridgerton season 3 stills and footage, but its creators and cast Q&A also indirectly shone a light on possible future protagonists. Held in person in London and live-streamed to sixty thousand fans all around the world on February 14, the Bridgerton season 3 fan event steered clear of actual spoilers, instead revealing the Bridgerton season 3 episode titles, among stills and new footage. However, the Q&A also provided more information on the starting points of many characters’ stories and their evolution, including Benedict.

Bridgerton season 2 ending with Benedict’s dreams to paint shattered after learning that Anthony’s donation had bought his place at the Academy clearly did a number on him, as he shared the choice to leave the Academy with Anthony in one of the season’s last scenes. Benedict packing his belongings and leaving the studio in season 2's ending already showed a different path for him in Bridgerton season 3. While the Bridgerton fan event hasn’t answered explicitly what that will be, the hints surrounding Benedict’s future course and mindset eerily mirrored a similar moment in time from the Bridgerton books.

Benedict's Bridgerton Season 3's Story Hints Set Up His Story From The Books

When asked about where the story of Bridgerton season 3 sees Benedict at the beginning, Benedict Bridgerton’s Luke Thompson paints a picture of a very uncertain Benedict, still asking himself who he is, what he wants, or where he fits. However, by sharing that Benedict’s freedom can be “paralyzing” and induce “a slight sense of loneliness,” prompting Benedict to “step in lots of different things,” Thompson all but confirmed that Bridgerton season 3 sets up Benedict’s story to mirror Benedict’s situation at the beginning of An Offer from a Gentleman, heavily hinting Bridgerton season 4 will be about Benedict.

Benedict being still unsure about who he is and taking some of Anthony’s responsibilities in Bridgerton season 3 lets him easily be pulled towards opposite directions. This causes the underlying question about what Benedict wants for his life to brew just like in An Offer from a Gentleman, which begins with Benedict generally ignoring the ton’s functions, instead spending time in his cottage away from London, and only socializing with fellow gentlemen. The freedom of not having to look for a wife leaves Benedict without an interest in marriage, especially as he couldn’t find Sophie after the masquerade ball.

Bridgerton can easily postpone Benedict and Sophie’s first meeting till the Bridgerton season about Benedict and introduce it in a flashback. However, Benedict’s state in Bridgerton season 3 as conflicted and with “pressure that’s been cooking on him since season 1” as Thompson described him in the sneak peek event firmly embodies Benedict’s attitude in An Offer from a Gentleman’s part two, just before Benedict gets to know Sophie and falls for her. This similarity establishes Benedict as the most likely protagonist for Bridgerton season 4, especially as he will be the eldest Bridgerton without a wife after season 3.

Benedict's Uncertainty From Bridgerton Season 2's Ending Continues In Season 3

Benedict’s doubts as Bridgerton season 2’s ending unveiled them will likely continue based on what the Bridgerton season 3 sneak peek Q&A revealed. Thompson hinted that Benedict will still be a free spirit, “ionate and impulsive” as he works himself out, highlighting how the choice to do anything he wants can be “a bit of a dilemma,” complicating the sense of who Benedict is. Wanting “a bit of both,” settling down or the freedom acquired by not doing so, can thus move Benedict closer to a path leading him to shine as the center of attention in Bridgerton season 4.

Bridgerton season 3's part 1 releases on Netflix on May 16, with part 2 following on June 13.