Vikings: 5 Characters Who Were Gone Too Soon (& 5 Who Overstayed Their Welcome)

Few characters survive every season of Vikings. Some go too soon, while others should leave much earlier. Aslaug certainly fits into the latter group.

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Vikings’ main cast of colorful characters changed regularly throughout the entire run of the show. In fact, Floki was the only major character to appear in both the pilot and the finale. Everyone else either died or disappeared at some point during the series.

Naturally, for a show that had so many exits, not every departure was perfectly timed. Several goodbyes happened too soon when a character still had stories to tell. In contrast, some other people stuck around long after they’d served their narrative purpose.

10 Gone Too Soon: Siggy

Siggy’s last moments in the show came when she jumped into a frozen lake to save young Ubbe and Hvitserk. As Harbard lifted the boys to safety, Siggy let herself drown. The demise felt a bit sudden and not the natural end for the character.

Siggy had always been an ambitious and cunning woman. And in season two, she was using her talents to try to improve her standing in Kattegat once again. The narrative should’ve continued in season three, but instead, she became a glorified babysitter before being killed off. This premature end was nobody’s fault, though, as the actress’s real-life got in the way.

9 Overstayed Their Welcome: Aslaug

Partway through season four, Lagertha takes over Kattegat and ousts Aslaug from her position as ruler. The Queen accepted her defeat but got shot in the back as she made her leave. Her death served a purpose as it sparked tension between the Sons of Ragnar.

However, Aslaug should’ve left the show a lot sooner. The character had not done much besides watching over her kids and occasionally fraternizing with Harbard for several seasons before she was taken out. In many ways, the writers seemingly ran out of things for her to do after she had Ragnar’s children.

8 Gone Too Soon: Gyda

The daughter of Ragnar and Lagertha didn’t even make it past the first season as she succumbed to the plague. Her passing was premature not because of who she was but who she could’ve become.

As so much of the later seasons were about Ragnar’s children, she could’ve played a big role. And while Bjorn takes on a lot of his father’s traits, perhaps she could’ve been more like Lagertha. Plus, it would’ve been interesting to see how a girl grows up in a Viking world, as that wasn’t really depicted in detail in the show.

7 Overstayed Their Welcome: Magnus

During the Siege of Kattegat, White Hair kills Magnus by shooting him with an arrow. Despite not being in the show a whole lot, Magnus’ exit still should’ve come sooner.

When he was a child, the mystery surrounding whether he was Ragnar’s son was intriguing. Yet once his possible father completely dismissed the claim with no evidence to suggest he was lying, the character became pointless. As an adult, he tried to convince everyone that he was indeed one of the powerful Sons of Ragnar, which didn’t make for a compelling story.

6 Gone Too Soon: Siegfried

The giant Siegfried was executed offscreen after being captured by French soldiers. He was only in a few episodes before he died, but he made an impression.

The Viking was a juggernaut in combat, as shown during the attack on Paris. And like The Mountain from Game Of Thrones, his almost superhuman power could’ve made for some cool fight scenes. Plus, while he didn’t get much chance to show his personality, he proved his entertainment value in what was supposed to be his execution scene.

5 Overstayed Their Welcome: Erlendur

Among Vikings’ least surprising deaths was Erlendur, who perished when Torvi shot him with a crossbow after he ordered her to kill Bjorn. For most of his time in the show, the son of King Horik was plotting to avenge his father.

However, he didn’t make many actual attempts to kill Ragnar or Bjorn. Instead, he would often just look menacingly towards them, and over time, it grew tiresome. It didn’t help that every fan knew Erlendur wasn’t going to be the one to murder either of his high-value targets as he wasn’t important enough.

4 Gone Too Soon: Halfdan

In season five, Halfdan joined forces with Bjorn, which meant he was on the opposing side to his brother Harald. The two siblings then met on the battlefield, and Harold proceeded to cut down his younger brother.

It was a shame as Halfdan developed a lot in the season, particularly during his travels with Bjorn. He proved that there was more to him than killing and fighting. If he’d have stayed around longer, the show could’ve further explored the character’s newfound outlook. For instance, he could’ve focused more on discovering new worlds, instead of murdering people.

3 Overstayed Their Welcome: Judith

Judith is one of the few characters in the show not to be killed by a blade or arrow. Instead, she had a (seemingly cancerous) lump in her chest and died in bed.

The character’s transformation throughout the show from a relatively noble person to a cruel and manipulative individual was a compelling one. But her story dragged on too long. Once Ecbert and Aethelwulf were out of the picture, the England arc felt like it had run its course.

2 Gone Too Soon: Ragnar

Ragnar’s end came in an incredible scene where he delivered a rousing final speech before being thrown into a pit of deadly snakes. The entire multi-season build-up to the main protagonist’s demise was brilliantly done. Yet, the one issue is the series continued for 45 more episodes.

Following the Sons of Ragnar for a while was a good idea, but two full seasons was too much. Vikings felt like a different show without the charismatic leader, even though some good characters were introduced after Ragnar’s passing.

1 Overstayed Their Welcome: Lagertha

In the sixth season, Hvitserk accidentally murdered Lagertha when he was hallucinating. While it was a well-executed scene, it was sudden for a character as important as Lagertha. She’d been one of the main characters for the entire series, so she deserved a better send-off. And the show nearly gave her one as at the start of the season, when she retired to a homestead, leaving Bjorn as King.

Her being one of the few characters not to die in the series would’ve been nice for someone as popular as Lagertha – even if she wasn’t quite as beloved in the later years. Her scenes following retirement felt unnecessary.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/vikings-characters-gone-too-soon-stay-too-long/