In 2020, Michael Hirst's historical drama series Vikings came to an end, bringing the era of Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his kin to a close after six seasons. (which was even more impressive considering Hirst didn't think the Vikings would get past one). Few other shows have captured the realism and brutality of this era in history, with northerners 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 a Game of Thrones drag (as much as he tried to avoid comparisons to that show) and killing off one of its most important characters well before the end of the story. "And how the little pigs would squeal if they knew how the old pig was suffering," for from there only the father's sons were left to fight for the remaining remnants of his kingdom. Chief among them was Ragnar's eldest son, Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig), who had to endure an intense family feud to keep the peace and what was rightfully his.

But what happened to Bjorn? How did he carry on his father's legacy, and how far has Hirst's beloved strayed from the history books and the real-life version of the Viking prince (who spent so much time raiding, pillaging, and doing all sorts of other Viking, right. things)? Well, it might come as no surprise to learn that Hirst's version of these events has a little more flair and pizzazz. Indeed, by the end of Vikings, Bjorn has emerged as what well-educated and respected historians would call "the absolute boss."

While it certainly did a good job of tying up the show's loose ends, the last two seasons of "Vikings," while watchable, are primarily concerned with wrapping things up after Ragnar's death, most of which involve his sons fighting back. about their place in the world that their dear old father had left behind. This leads to Bjorn going to war with his half-brother Ivar the Boneless (Alex Hogg Andersen), who by the end of the show joins forces with the forces of Russia to defeat Ragnar's firstborn. He almost succeeds in doing so, stabbing King Bjorn and inflicting a near-fatal wound that forces him to retreat behind the gates of Kattegat as he nears his end.

But Valhalla can wait, as in a final act of defiance against the enemy, Bjorn dons his armor and, with his father's sword, rides alone to meet the enemy, who is bewildered by the supposedly dead king. up and (barely) about, but otherwise ready for another battle. Frightened by the Rus, who see him as a god and even send shivers down Ivar's spine, whispers of Bjorn's godly presence are silenced when he is healed by Boromir, taking three arrows to the chest. Björn has certainly reached his limit by this point, but not before drawing his arrows, raising his sword, and signaling the hidden Viking forces to attack, allowing him to overwhelm his enemies. In the end, he dies and is buried as a true hero, praised by his widow Gunhild as "The King of Norway" and "The Man Who Could Not Die".

Even after a brutal battle that wiped out the last remaining heirs of Ragnar Lothbrok, no time was wasted in filling the throne (which had barely grown cold after Bjorn's death). By the time Vikings rolls the credits, the show has ushered in a new era, with Bjorn's second wife, Ingrid (Lucy Martin), taking charge of things after the rest of the players are taken off the board.

Thanks in part to a popularity contest and just a little bit of magic (something that has played a significant role throughout the series before this point), Ingrid parks herself on the throne of Kattegat, which is commendable given her background in the series. After initially crossing Bjorn's path while 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 find out for how long.

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

For all the creative liberties "Vikings" takes, Hirst's rich story of war and betrayal is still rooted in real-life Viking history. Ragnar Lothbrok was, in fact, a true Viking lord whose legend spanned centuries, dancing between myth and truth, as did the family he formed during his reign. However, in the case of Bjorn Ironside, the facts are perhaps even more skewed, especially when it comes to his death (which has never been detailed in any known historical text).

First, there is his place in Lothbrok's bloodline. In the show, he's Ragnar's firstborn, which gives his character understandable weight when it comes to the legacy his father leaves behind and Bjorn's struggle to keep him alive. However, historically speaking, Bjorn was not Ragnar's eldest son. Also, contrary to the way "Vikings" portrays things, his mother was actually Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland), not Lagertha (Katherine Winnick), which is something that would drastically change the Lothbrok family dynamic if Hirst stuck with the history books.

Bjorn's death in the show is not only graphic and awesome, but also much more detailed since, again, we don't really know what happened to Ragnar's son at the end of his life. Historically, the last known reference to Ironside is in The Tale of Ragnar's Sons, which details how his marauding days ended and he seemingly settled in Uppsala and Sweden. He's supposed to have died of old age after that, which is obviously less dramatic than the way he goes out on Vikings.

His time with Vikings may have come to an end, but Alexander Ludwig's acting career has continued to take interesting turns in the years since. After leaving Clash 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 old man who served as yet another reminder that the franchise's leads are becoming too much. old for this. s***. Fortunately, Dorn was deemed worthy enough to stick around and returned four years later in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, again starring alongside Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.

As for his television stint, Ludwig hit the ropes alongside Stephen Amell on The Heels, the boringly short-lived show that ran from 2021-2023 and followed a pair of wrestling brothers who found themselves on opposite sides of the ring. Ludwig also recently appeared on MGM+ in Earth Abides, which sees him as one of the last remaining survivors of a deadly disease that has wiped out most of the world's population. Going it alone, his character tries to reboot 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 hard work, after all.

Like most of the Vikings cast, the genders, soldiers and maids were a bit broken when Michael Hirst finished the bloodthirsty goings-on in the Kattegat. In the case of Ludwig and his time as King of Norway, while he may not have cried for giving his character an epic Viking burial, he walked away having learned his valuable lessons.

Talking to ET online After his heroic exit from Vikings, Ludwig explained, “I learned so much on the show. But I will say that we got to a point with the character where I believe I showed and did everything we could do with that character, and any more would have been overkill, so yeah, it was really sad, but it felt right.

Luckily, there's more than just memories to keep for Ludwig, as he managed to walk away with his historical artifact from the show. “Yeah, it's actually a Vikings tradition — everyone who dies on the show gets a shield signed by the whole cast and crew, which I love, I think it's so cool that we did that. So I got that shield. he explained. Being "The Man Who Wouldn't Die" comes with some added perks, too. "And Michael also gave me the Sword of Kings producers." It read "Bjorn Ironside" in Norse carved into the sword. So I got that, and it was such an amazing gift," Ludwig added.