When Vikings returns on History for its fifth season, it is going to look quite a bit different from its previous seasons, as the main character Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) was killed in the back half of Season Four. While the remaining Season Four episodes started to deal with Ragnar's death and what that means for his sons and other family members, Season Five is going to see Ragnar's sons out for full-on revenge for their father's death.
In a new video on the Vikings France Facebook page, cast and crew members talk about the importance of Ragnar's sons in the actual history and how that will come into play on the show.
"One thing that actually ends up Ragnar's demise is his sons because he becomes very jealous of their accomplishments," says Danielle Turner, consultant, and author of Change in Northern Winds: A Modern Review of the Viking Siege of Paris 845.
Vikings creator Michael Hirst adds, "Several of the sons went on to do things as famous, if not more famous than he did. In fact, it is reported that the only thing that scared Ragnar was that his sons would become more famous than he was."
Ragnar wasn't the only main cast member to die in Season Four. Alyssa Sutherland's Aslaug was usurped and killed by Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick). But Sutherland says that Aslaug's legacy is secure.
"[The sons] were important to Aslaug as well. She was going to leave behind a legacy. She wants them to be the most famous of all of the Vikings," says Sutherland.
Additionally, in a new teaser released on Twitter, the Seer (John Kavanagh) promises, "The consequences of Ragnar's death are not yet played out. You have only seen the beginning of the end."
What does this mean for Ragnar's four surviving sons, Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig), Ubbe (Jordan Smith), Hvitserk (Marco Ilso) and Ivar (Alex Hogh Andersen)? Well, Bjorn is headed for the Mediterranean Sea, while Ivar is trying to avoid a civil war after he killed his brother Sigurd (David Lindstrom).
"He screwed up big time and he knows it," Andersen told TV Guide at San Diego Comic-Con. "At the beginning of Season 5, he really hates himself for [killing Sigurd], because he hates the fact that he lost control of himself and his feelings."
So can Bjorn and Ivar come together to fight for a common cause? In the history, Ragnar's sons invaded Northumbria two years after their father's death, eventually invading and pillaging England, Wales, France and Italy before returning to Scandinavia. Which most certainly makes them more famous than their father. It is not yet known how far Vikings Season Five will get into the brothers' European conquests, but the show has been renewed for a 20-episode sixth season, so that's 40 episodes (at least) to follow the exploits of Ragnar's offspring.
Vikings Season Five premieres Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on History.
