When History Channel's "Vikings" returns for the second half of season 4 in November, it may well be the end for Ragnar Lodbrok.
Based on the trailers released at the recently concluded San Diego Comic-Con, Ragnar Lodbrok (Travis Fimmel) is shown being ushered into a cage which strengthens the belief that he may have been captured by King Aelle of Northumbria. If historical accounts are to be followed, the King of Kattegat will be left to die in a pit of snakes.
Rumors have been circulating about Ragnar's impending death this season to make way for his sons who can take center stage in the show and continue the story. Now that the trailers have been released, fans also noticed that Ragnar was absent in the major battle scenes featuring his sons and his brother Rollo.
Based on the synopsis released, Ragnar will return to Kattegat after his defeat in Paris. The show will depict his sons as grown men who are already to take the mantle from their father, but before anything else, Ragnar wants to settle the score with King Ecbert (Linus Roache).
"Obviously, time has passed. Ragnar had lost a huge battle, and actually, normally, in Viking society at that time, if your leader, Earl or King had lost in that way, they would quickly have been killed and replaced, because it was a meritocracy. But Ragnar was different because he was the most famous Viking in Scandinavia. But for him, the shame of losing was too great to stay around. He absented himself. But he was too famous to immediately replace," showrunner Michael Hirst said to Entertainment Weekly.
However, he said that the king will not rest until he faces off with King Ecbert, which is bound to be epic.
In an interview, Fimmel shed some light on what is in store for his character 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," Fimmel said of his character's main challenge. Still, he admitted that the king is just about ready to pass on his legacy to his sons, the next generation of Vikings.
While it is likely that season 4B will be Ragnar's swan song, fans expect nothing less than an epic sendoff for the iconic character.
"Vikings" season 4B will return to the History Channel on Nov. 30.
