How Ragnar was supposed to die in the first season of Vikings

Spoiler alert!

Vikings began with Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), but it was never just his story. There was shield maiden Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick), and Ragnar’s brother Rollo (Clive Standen), and, later, his sons. Yet Ragnar bound all threads together. And now, Ragnar is dead, cast into a snake pit by the vengeance-seeking King Aelle of Northumbria (Ivan Kaye) after being handed over by his friend and enemy King Ecbert of Wessex (Linus Roache).

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Vikings show runner Michael Hirst talked to Variety about putting Ragnar and Fimmel through hell, and what comes next. “Travis came to the show late because I was very unhappy about the people they were trying to cast. I didn’t want a loud Viking, I wanted an intelligent, quiet, thoughtful Viking, and it took Travis quite a long time to come forward. So actually all he had was the first few scripts and the bible for the first season. Now, at the end of the bible for the first season, Ragnar dies,” he says. “So as far as Travis knew, this was just a one-season job. But as soon as we saw the potential, the great actors, it became clear that Ragnar was needed for much longer.”



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Hirst feels shooting the final scenes was a memorable experience. The final death scene was shot in Ireland in freezing winter. “It was bitter and pouring rain, and they’d been in that part of the forest shooting for days. It was a terrible mud bath,” Hirst adds.

“Travis is a very laid-back Australian, and when I asked him how he felt about shooting his own death, he said, ‘I’m not worried about it, mate’,” Hirst mentions. “But, when the time came, he was deeply invested in it. We spent a long time working on the script. When he was in the cage and screaming out those words, it was really him.”



When asked who will be hit the hardest by Ranger’s death, Hirst revealed it will have a profound effect on Ecbert. “They were so close despite being so different — they felt a kinship. I always felt the two prior episodes were part of the death, really, the two-hander with Ragnar and Ecbert. But of course, it hits all the sons,” he says.

“I’ve always said this was going to be the story of Ragnar and his sons. Ragnar never goes away. We’ve shot nearly 25 episodes after the death of Ragnar, and we’re following the sons still. But Ragnar never goes away, because his presence is still there, as long as Lagertha and Floki and Bjorn are alive.”



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One of the most striking things about Ragnar, just before his death, is just how much older he looks than when we met him, even though in the real world it’s only been a few years since we first saw Travis as Ragnar. Speaking about this Hirst says, “He’s certainly weathered. He’s got all his experiences written on his face. It was very important to me — there are some shows where people never get old and nothing ever changes. When I look myself back at that first season, my God, he looks like a young guy! But these are huge changes that he’s gone through. We’ve been on this huge journey with him.”

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