Vikings: Valhalla creator Jeb Stuart has opened up about the season’s most shocking moment.
The Netflix drama is a spinoff of History’s Vikings. It released its first season on 25 February.
Vikings: Valhalla follows the adventures of famous Vikings as they forge new paths in a constantly evolving Europe.
In an interview with Games Radar, Stuart broke down the shocking moment that left viewers rattled at the end of the first season’s eighth episode.
Spoilers follow for the first season finale of Vikings: Valhalla...
The first season concludes with an epic showdown that leaves Jarl Kåre (Asbjørn Krogh Nissen) dead.
Admitting that he had questioned his decision to kill off the character, Stuart explained: “When I was pitching this show, years ago, one of the things that I said was the only thing scarier than a pagan Viking is a Christian Viking.”
“Part of that reason is because suddenly you’ve got these zealous Christians, they believe, with every pore in their body, that they have to get rid of all of those totems and the false gods,” he added.
“I think Kåre just feels driven by that in every part of his Christianity. It’s every part of his belief. It may be scary and it may be disturbing, but it’s because it’s driven on such a recognizable platform.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Stuart discussed the direction the show would take in the future. Season two has already been filmed.
“What I like about the launchpad for season two is that we’re not going to return to Kattegat and everything’s going to be great,” he said.
He added: “The neat thing about this particular time in history, for me, was the Vikings blew out of Scandinavia. It was a period where they were going down routes… and ending up in Constantinople. We also know about my characters that we end up hitting points further West.”
He hinted that his plans for Valhalla will take “more than three seasons” if they come to fruition.
Vikings: Valhalla can be streamed now on Netflix.
