While Ragnar Lothbrok's (Travis Fimmel) sons are poised to take over the mantle of leadership from their father when History Channel's "Vikings" returns for the second half of season 4, Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) should not be overlooked as Ragnar's ex-wife has more than once proved her mettle in battle and in leadership.
According to a report by Movie News Guide, the leadership of Kattegat will be determined between two of the strongest women in the series, both of whom have had romantic ties to Ragnar as Queen Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland) is expected to fight Lagertha for the throne.
Based on the trailer released at Comic Con, it is likely that the animosity between the two women will continue even after a six-year time jump at the series' return. Winnick herself promised that the two women will finally go head to head in an epic battle and most fans are hedging their bets on Lagertha to be the next queen of Kattegat.
Meanwhile, Ragnar's sons Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersson) and Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig) will forge their own places in history as they set out for different paths.
Ragnar's sons — who are being groomed to continue the legacy of the show after Ragnar's expected death at the hands of King Aelle of Northcumbria (Ivan Kaye) — will go off on separate journeys.
Bjorn will travel to the Mediterranean with Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard), while Ivar is expected to follow in his father's footsteps.
In an interview with Fimmel, he revealed that his character may undergo some personal challenges when the show returns.
"Everything's changed around him, including him. Changed for the worst... He doesn't know who to trust. The reasons is not what he thought he was doing it for," he said, hinting that Ragnar may be ready to pass the throne to the next generation of Vikings.
"Vikings" Season 4B returns to History on Wednesday, Nov. 30.
