‘The Last Kingdom’: Fans Weigh in on Uhtred’s Friend Leofric: ‘He Was a Loyal Friend’
In the hit series The Last Kingdom, the main character, Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon), has a good friend named Leofric (Adrian Bower) in season 1. What are fans saying about the interesting character from the series and from the novels the series is based on called The Saxon Stories? We have the details.
Leofric in ‘The Last Kingdom’
Leofric is a man loyal to the crown of Wessex. He’s also a sworn sword of Odda the Elder (Simon Kunz). Loyal and religious, Leofric forms a bond with Uhtred despite the two almost fighting the first time they meet. He gives Uhtred the nickname “Arseling,” which sticks with him. Over time, these two become great friends as they are both fierce warriors in a tumultuous time. They are by each other’s side in battle, and they spend a lot of time together in season 1 as Leofric is supposed to keep watch on Uhtred.
They even fight on one occasion when Leofric offers to kill Uhtred after they get into some trouble for their actions in Cornwalum when they raided, pretending to be Danes and killing a king of the Britons and others with a Danish warrior named Skorpa (Jonas Malmsjö). Leofric thinks he’s being a good friend in a way, offering to give Uhtred a “warrior’s death” since Odda the Younger (Brian Vernel) had people ready to testify against him. They fight one on one, and although it’s supposed to be to the death, it is cut short when the Danes invade. They escape together, teaming up with Alfred.
Leofric is killed during the battle at Edington (Ethandun) in season 1, episode 8, against the Danes. King Alfred leads a fight against Guthrum (Thomas W. Gabrielsson) with Young Ragnar (Tobias Santelmann) and Skorpa on the other side. Shield walls go up on both sides, and the Saxons hold their ground. The shields of each party are up against the other at one point, with blades coming through the openings. An ax cuts into Leofric’s neck, and he holds the wound as he leaves the front. Uhtred watches it happen, but keeps fighting. Leofric continues holding his neck, but he dies from his wound during the battle.
Fans weigh in on Uhtred’s friend, Leofric
With such an amazing character, fans obviously have a lot of opinions about Leofric. On Reddit, fans have been known to weigh in on Uhtred’s former friend who died in season 1. A fan posted about him, saying Leofric is Uhtred’s “perfect mate,” and we’d have to agree.
“Leofric is sensational,” a post is titled on Reddit. “Having read the first two books, I decided to watch season 1 of the show again. It’s great, but does omit some things. However, Leofric is utterly brilliant. He is the perfect mate to Uthred. Oh how I wish he was around longer.”
Some fans even like Leofric more than Uhtred. “I may even like him more than I like Uthred,” a fan admits in the comments.
In another Reddit post, a fan titled it, “Leofric is the original hype man.” Fans spoke about the character in the comments, and the love for this character is strong.
One fan thinks Leofric “deserved” to die “fighting” a “dragon.” He was an extremely talented swordsman, and it’s something to appreciate.
“Leofric is a straight-up beast, he deserved to go out fighting a f****** dragon or something,” they said.
Leofric ‘was a loyal friend’
Another fan mentions Leofric was “a loyal friend,” and that’s a true statement. Despite his differences with Uhtred, they still remained good friends despite their first encounter and almost getting in a fight.
“He was a loyal friend,” they said. “I like the scene when him an Uhtred first meet.”
A fan mentions Leofric’s contribution of the name “Arseling,” which Uhtred continues to use after Leofric’s death. It’s a nice nod to the important character.
“He gave us the affectionate name ‘Arseling’ too!!” the fan said.
Other fans said comments like, “Yes!! I miss him so much 😢,” and, “He was my fav character.”
In another post on Reddit, a fan titled it, “Leofric,” adding, “Just discovered this show and I just want to share how badass and funny Leofric is! Easily the best secondary character! Had a hard time getting into the story until there were Uthred and Leofric interactions.”
A fan of the series calls Leofric the “best supporting character” to come out of season 1, second only to Alfred. He always seems to be by Uhtred’s side, and he’s a memorable part of the series.
“Best supporting character in S1 (after Alfred),” the fan said. “Others come along in S2 and S3 that are as good, if not better.”
Fans seem to like Leofric, Uhtred’s friend from season 1 of The Last Kingdom.
