It’s confirmed! Bart Bass will return to Gossip Girl — but in what form?

Spotted: Robert John Burke on the set of Gossip Girl this past week, as mentioned by fans of the show on Twitter. But, regardless, there were no pictures to prove it — nor was it reliable enough of a source. Well, well, today during E! Online’s Spoiler Chat, Kristin Dos Santos confirmed what had been rumored: Bart Bass is returning to Gossip Girl by season’s end.

Bart Bass initially made a, sort-of, resurrection a few seasons ago when he popped up as a figment of Chuck’s imagination. However, now that Chuck has gone through therapy and has faced his demons head-on, a ghost-like return doesn’t seem very like. Or at least, that’s what Kristin argues.

“…If we had to guess,” she states, “we’d say he’ll be returning in a flashback capacity this time around.”

Those hoping for a true resurrection, as it seems, will be disappointed. Though, what exactly is the likelihood of not one but both of Chuck’s parents returning from the dead in the flesh? Precisely. Rumors circulated the Gossip Girl-o-sphere this week as well, stating that (maybe spoiler alert?) Gossip Girl was created by a secret league of UESiders, including Bart Bass and Diana Payne. And the Gossip Girl writers DID say that Gossip Girl as a character has not gone anywhere, that they would be ramping “her” up as we wind down the season. Then again, there were also rumors about someone committing suicide and that Penelope is Gossip Girl. So who the hell knows?

In which form do you think Bart Bass will return — and are you excited he’s back?