Delving into the ending of The Last Kingdom movie on Netflix
Seven Kings Must Die's ending left fans with a major question after wrapping up The Last Kingdom series on Netflix: what happened to Uhtred? Is he dead?
Following the successful medieval action series, the movie continued the story of Uhtred after he was acknowledged as the leader of Northumbria at the end of the TV show run.
Of course, it was never going to be smooth sailing and he didn't seem in the best shape at the end of the movie.
Lead star Alexander Dreymon certainly has his thoughts on what the ending scene meant for Uhtred, but in order to go into them, we have to delve into some major spoilers for The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die.
The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die ending explained
The movie continues The Last Kingdom story with more turmoil for Uhtred from the offset as King Edward dies and his widow Eadgifu and youngest son Edmund are forced to flee to him in Northumbria for help.
Ingrith, the seer wife of Uhtred's pal Finan, darkens the mood even more by revealing a dream she has had that "seven kings must die, and the woman you love". Uhtred brushes it off – after all, he hasn't got a woman at the moment, and he isn't a king – but since the prophecy is the same as the movie's title, even we know that is going to be important later on.
Meanwhile, Edward's older sons Aethelstan and Aelfweard both vie for the throne, and Uhtred volunteers to broker a meeting between the pair that doesn't go very well – Aelfweard steps forward to yield to his brother, only for Aethelstan to stab his sibling to death and take the throne.
Now king of Mercia, Wessex and East Anglia – and guided/manipulated by his lover, Lord Ingilmundr – Aethelstan gets rid of anyone in his way, hanging former friends, capturing Edmund and Osbert, sending Eadgifu off to a nunnery, and banishing Uhtred to the Shetlands. Not bad for a day's evil plotting.
Little does Aethelstan know that Ingilmundr is only pretending to be a good Christian servant to his king, and he is in fact secretly working on behalf of Anlaf, a Norse leader who has gathered chieftains and kings – including those from Orkney, Shetland and Scotland – with the aim of defeating Aethelstan on the battlefield.
There's a bit of housekeeping to be done before we get to that. Osbert and Edmund are found safe, Uhtred finds his beloved sword that he lost in battle, he and Aethelstan sort out their differences, and Finan’s wife and the residents of Bebbanburg are found murdered by Anlaf's men, an act that fulfils the "and the woman you love" part of the prophecy for poor old Finan.
It all leads up to the AD 937 battle of Brunanburh, where Uhtred, his friends, Aethelstan and his men join forces against Anlaf and his allies. Do seven kings die on the battlefield, and most importantly, is Uhtred one of them?
Is Uhtred dead at the end of Seven Kings Must Die?
Fiery arrows fly through the sky, spikes are scattered on the ground ready to pierce the flimsy shoes of Saxon warriors in particularly nasty ways, and swords are drawn as Anlaf's men and Aethelstan's followers meet on the battlefield.
Father Pyrlig, the priest, former warrior and Uthred's friend, appears mortally wounded, and many men fall in the most grisly ways you can imagine.
As Uhtred springs a surprise on his enemies, bringing in more forces on horseback, some of the Scottish men run away, and Ingilmundr and Aethelstan finally come to blows, before men come to Aethelstan's aid and capture Ingilmundr and drag him away. (Don't worry, the traitor gets his just rewards – a sword in the back of his head – a few moments later.)
Uhtred is badly wounded and sees Pyrlig at the edge of the field as he falls to his knees.
While five kings fighting against Aethelstan flee the field realising the battle is lost, it's revealed that their sons – of Orkney, [the Isle of] Man, Shetland, Strathclyde and Scotland – have all been killed, meaning that there are no heirs to carry on the family names. That means five kings (or would-be kings) have died, and if you include King Edward's death at the start, a total of six kings are dead. Will Uhtred be the seventh?
No. Or at least, not yet. Pals Sihtric and Finan find a very bloody Uhtred close to death on the battlefield, and prepare to take him back to Bebbanburg in Northumbria.
When they arrive, Uhtred is well enough to pledge his own Northumbria to Aethelstan, thus forming England. He has one condition: that Aethelstan must not marry or produce any heirs, therefore his half-brother Edmund will inherit the throne when he dies.
(Uhtred previously spotted Aethelstan in an embrace with the late, and now presumably decapitated, Ingilmundr, so he's aware the new king is gay – perhaps this condition is also his way of saving Aethelstan from having to commit to a miserable marriage of convenience. Awwww.)
Looking dreadfully pale and weak, Uhtred hears cheers and merriment in the distance, and walks to the end of the hall and opens the door. While everyone behind him can only see empty space, Uhtred sees a fire-lit room filled with the many people from his past who have died, all laughing and drinking and welcoming him on to the next life.
The seventh king has died, and as the end titles reveal, King Aethelstan went on to unite the land. Historians now view him as the first and greatest medieval king of England. He ruled until his death in AD 939 and was indeed succeeded by his brother Edmund.
However, the movie itself might not be as clear-cut as you think, as Alexander Dreymon told RadioTimes.com that he's happy there's "ambiguity" in Uhtred's final moments.
"You see everything that he's fought for his whole life and he's believed in… because the idea of Valhalla and heaven has been such a big character in the show in a way," he explained.
"And that he has the option of going to the feast hall – that he aches for so much – is beautiful to see.
"It's such a big thing for him to have that choice. To be able to decide: 'Do I stay with the people that I love here or do I stay with the people that I love there?' And ultimately, it's all going to be okay. So, I think the life that he's led is going to be very rewarding for him in the end – so I'm very happy for him."
The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die is available to watch now on Netflix.
You Might Also Like
