In the upcoming "Vikings" Season 4B finale, viewers will get to see an older-looking Ragnar Lothbrok as the show takes on a massive time jump. These time jumps have been an essential part of the show and creator Michael Hirst has used them wisely. But this may be the most dramatic yet, especially with respect to an ageing Ragnar.
In one of the first photos released for the second half of Season 4, Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) and Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård) are sporting greyed beard and more wrinkled facial features. They nevertheless look dashing still, but it is evident that age has begun to kick in.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about Ragnar's narrative in "Vikings" Season 4B, Hirst said, "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."
With the time jump essentially follows the growth of his sons, who are vying to succeed Ragnar as king. Although Hirst previously stated that Ragnar's reign is far from over, it is expected that his sons will begin training and grooming to become their father's successor.
"Ragnar's story is the story of the Vikings. It's going from small beginnings as a farmer to an earl to a king," Hirst stated at Comic Con 2016, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "From very small beginnings to fighting for kingdoms and the legacy. And for the future."
Other than Ragnar, many of the key characters in the show will undergo profound changes as well, especially Floki who is "reevaluating his life, his relationships."
Lagertha (Kathryn Winnick) also finds new love in the upcoming season. She has a new a love interest-a woman named Astrid (Josefin Asplund). Unlike her past troublesome relationships with men, Lagertha has finally found someone she can trust.
"Vikings" Season 4 will resume later this year on History.