‘The Last Kingdom’: Why Ragnar the Younger’s Fate Still Bothers Fans

In The Last Kingdom, there are a number of interesting characters that fans can’t get enough of, and Ragnar the Younger (Tobias Santelmann) is certainly one of them. He is Uhtred’s (Alexander Dreymon) brother and close friend, though they have been known to bump heads. Read on to learn why the fate of Ragnar the Younger still bothers fans.

Ragnar and Uhtred are brothers

Ragnar’s family adopts Uhtred as his own and they become brothers. They have been known to have their disagreements, but they always manage to come through for each other. When Uhtred is being held as a slave, Ragnar goes to find him and rescue him, saving his life in the process. It’s something Uhtred always remembers.

Ragnar is killed and Uhtred must avenge him

While Ragnar sleeps, Aethelwold (Harry McEntire) stabs him to death. He dies without his sword in his hand, and the Danes believe that he will be unable to go to Valhalla now. Uhtred and Brida (Emily Cox) work together diligently to break the curse by killing Aethelwold. They walk away at peace believing they have saved Ragnar’s soul and that he is now in Valhalla.

Why Ragnar the Younger’s fate still bothers fans

Fans of the series still discuss the death of Ragnar and how it all played out. He was a proud Dane warrior and was meant for more than to be stabbed to death while sleeping. Fans have been known to discuss the unexpected loss on Reddit.

One fan commented on Reddit about Ragnar wondering why he didn’t have guards posted outside his tent. “Was it not common practice even back then for generals to be surrounded day and night by a personal guard?” a fan wondered on Reddit.

A fan doesn’t think Ragnar needed guards since he was so well-liked

A fan believes since Ragnar is the leader, he has the “respect” of the men, so he doesn’t need a guard for personal protection. But if he had one, he might still be alive. It also might have led others to challenge him though.

“My thinking is that as a leader of Danes, one would have the full respect and following of his men with no need for a guard,” a fan said. “If guards were needed then he’d be unfit to lead which would mean someone would have challenged him by now.”

No one thought Aethelwold was capable of killing Ragnar

One fan doesn’t believe another Dane would have killed Ragnar like that and no one suspected Aethelwold of being a real threat. That was everyone’s first mistake.

“No self-respecting Dane would have done it. Not even a weasel like Cnut. It could only have been an outsider and no one saw Aethelwold as a threat,” a fan suggested.

Ragnar might still be alive if he had a guard that night

However, another Reddit user believes there is a lot of mistrust among the Danes and it would have been a good idea to have some sort of guard on Ragnar the Younger during such a time. He might still be alive if that were the case.

“I still would have had guards, because there was tension between the various leaders. Yes, they agreed Ragnar would lead them all, but it was clear they didn’t trust each other,” a fan pointed out.

There are a number of issues with the circumstances surrounding Ragnar’s death that really bother fans. Some fans believe a guard was necessary to keep Ragnar alive and no one thought Aethelwold could do such a thing.