Does Alexander Ludwig’s Bjorn Ironside Die On Vikings?

In 2020, Michael Hirst’s gripping historical drama series “Vikings” came to an end, rounding out the era of Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his kin after six seasons (which was all the more impressive given that Hirst didn’t think “Vikings” would make it past one). Few other shows have captured the realism and brutality of this era in history, with Northmen invading lands, quite like this one (although there are some good alternatives to “Vikings” out there). 

Of course, Ragnar himself didn’t make it past season 4, with the show pulling a “Game of Thrones” (as much as it tried to avoid comparisons to that series) and killing off one of its most important characters well before the end of the story. “And how the little piglets would grunt if they knew how the old boar suffered,” because from there, all that was left was for the father’s sons to battle over the remaining scraps of his kingdom. Chief among them was Ragnar’s eldest son Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig), who had to endure some intense family feuding to keep both the peace and what was rightfully his.

But just what became of Bjorn? How did he carry on his father’s legacy, and how much did Hirst’s beloved show veer away from the history books and the real version of the Viking prince (who spent so much time raiding, pillaging, and doing all kinds of other Viking, er, stuff)? Well, it might not come as a surprise to learn Hirst’s version of these events had a little more flair and pizazz. Indeed, by the end of “Vikings,” Bjorn had gone out like what well-educated and respected historians would call “an absolute boss.”

While it certainly did a good job of tying up loose ends to the show, the final two seasons of “Vikings,” although watchable, are primarily concerned with wrapping things up in the aftermath of Ragnar’s death, most of which involves his sons fighting for their place in the world left behind by their dear old dad. This leads to Bjorn going to war with his half-brother Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen), who by the end of the show joins forces with Rus’ forces to overpower Ragnar’s first born. He almost manages to do it too, stabbing King Bjorn and inflicting a near fatal wound that forces him to retreat back behind the gates of Kattegat as he finds himself close to meeting his end.

Valhalla can wait, though, as in one last act of defiance against the enemy, Bjorn dons his armor and, with his father’s sword, rides out alone to meet the enemy, who are confounded by the presumed-to-be-dead king being up and (barely) about but otherwise ready for another battle. Feared by the Rus’, who see him as being god-like, and even sending shivers down Ivar’s spine, the whispers of Bjorn’s godly presence are silenced when he’s given the Boromir treatment, taking three arrows to the chest. Bjorn has certainly reached his limit by this point, but not before pulling out the arrows, raising his sword, and signaling hidden Viking forces to attack, which allows him to overwhelm his enemies. In the end, he dies and is buried like a true hero, praised by his widow, Gunnhild, as “The King of Norway” and the “Man Who Could Not Die.”

Even after a brutal battle that wipes out the last remaining heirs to Ragnar Lothbrok, no time is wasted in filling the throne (which has barely gone cold following Bjorn’s passing). By the time “Vikings” has rolled credits, the show welcomes a new era, with Bjorn’s second wife, Ingrid (Lucy Martin), taking charge of things after the remaining players get taken off the board.

Thanks in part to a popularity contest and just a little sprinkle of magic (something which had played a prominent role through the entire series prior to this point), Ingrid parks herself on the throne of Kattegat, which is a commendable feat given her origins in the series. Having originally crossed Bjorn’s path while she was still enslaved, Ingrid ends the show pregnant, keeping the Lothbrok bloodline seemingly continuing on its royal path (even if it’s never fully confirmed), though we never really learn how long.

In “Vikings: Valhalla,” which is set 150 years after its parent show, Kattegat is ruled by Jarl Haakon (Jarl Estrid Haakon). It’s revealed that she took the throne after her husband was killed in battle, with no confirmation of whether or not her deceased other half was a descendant of Ragnar and Bjorn. However, just like the original show, “Valhalla” bends the truth just a little, and that extends to Bjorn’s birth and death from the history books (or lack thereof).

For all the creative liberties that “Vikings” takes, Hirst’s rich story of war and betrayal is still rooted in real-life Viking history. Ragnar Lothbrok was, in fact, a real Viking lord whose legend spanned centuries, dancing between myth and truth, as did the family he formed during his rule. In the case of Bjorn Ironside, however, the facts are perhaps even more skewed, particularly when it comes to his death (which was never detailed in any known historical texts).

Firstly, there’s his place in the Lothbrok bloodline. In the show, he’s Ragnar’s firstborn, which gives his character some understandable weight when it comes to the legacy his dad leaves behind and Bjorn’s fight to keep it alive. Historically though, Bjorn was not Ragnar’s eldest son. Moreover, contrary to the way “Vikings” depicts things, his mother was actually Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland), not Lagerta (Katheryn Winnick), which is something that would’ve changed the Lothbrok family dynamic drastically had Hirst stuck to the history books.

Bjorn’s death on the show is not only a graphic and great one, but it’s also far more detailed given that, again, we don’t really know what happened to the son of Ragnar at the end of his life. Historically, the last known reference to Ironside are in “Tale of Ragnar’s Sons,” which details how his pillaging days came to an end and he seemingly settled down in Uppsala and Sweden. It’s presumed he died of old age after that, which is patently less dramatic than the way he goes out on “Vikings.”

His time with the Vikings might’ve come to an end, but Alexander Ludwig’s acting career has only continued to take some interesting turns in the years since then. After laying down The Sword of Kings in the History Channel hit, Ludwig went on to appear in 2020’s “Bad Boys for Life” as AMMO member Dorn, a young upstart who served as yet another reminder that the franchise’s leads are getting too old for this s***. Thankfully, Dorn was deemed worthy enough to stick around and he returned four years later in “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” once again starring opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.

As for his television stint, Ludwig hit the ropes alongside Stephen Amell in “Heels,” the annoyingly short lived show that ran from 2021-2023 and followed a pair of wrestling brothers who find themselves on different sides of the ring. Most recently, Ludwig also showed up on MGM+ in “Earth Abides,” which sees him playing one of the last remaining survivors of a lethal disease that has taken out most of the world’s population. Going it alone, his character tries to restart civilization, which we can only assume he’s still working on given that a second season is set to premiere in 2025. Well, bringing the world back from the brink is a tough job, after all.

Like most of the “Vikings” cast, kinds, soldiers, and shieldmaidens were all a little heartbroken when Michael Hirst’s take on bloodthirsty goings on at Kattegat came to a close. In the case of Ludwig and his time as the King of Norway, while he might not have gotten weepy over giving his character an epic Viking funeral, he walked away having learned his fair share of valuable lessons.

Speaking to ET Online following his heroic exit from “Vikings,” Ludwig explained, “I learned so much on the show. But I will say that we reached a point for the character where I believe that I have shown and we have done all we could have done with that character, and any more would have been overkill. So yes, it was really sad, but it felt right.”

Thankfully, there’s more than just memories to hold onto for Ludwig, as he managed to walk away with his own historical artifact from the show. “Yeah, it’s actually a tradition on ‘Vikings’ — anybody who dies on the show gets a shield signed by the whole crew and cast, which I love, I think it’s so cool that we did that. So, I got that shield,” he explained. Being the “Man Who Would Not Die” came with some extra perks, too. “And Michael also gifted me with the producers, the Sword of Kings. It said, ‘Bjorn Ironside’ in Nordic engraved in the sword. So I’ve got that, and that was such an incredible gift,” Ludwig added.