Vikings have left his viewer wanting to see more with every passing episode seven years and six successful seasons. Travis Fimmel played Ragnar Lothbrok in the series for four seasons. His character was assumed to be a descendant of Norse God Odin himself.
According to the series, Viking Age started with the Lindisfarne raid shown in season one. Lothbrok was depicted as a fearless king of Denmark. Along with victory and glory, he also left a trail of fire and death in his wake across the North Sea.
Lothbrok’s character came to an end when Kings Ecbert and Aelle captured him in the fourth season. The kings were on a path to avenging the death of Aelle’s Brother Aethelwulf. Aethelwulf died because of Lothbrok in the first season.
Along with the death of his character, Travis fimmel left the series. Though logical, it was still a shock to the fans of Vikings as Travis was the one who set the stage in the first season for his sons to continue. It is still a burning question in follower’s minds that why did Travis Fimmel leave vikings.
Why, How, and When it Happened?
For the first season, Ragnar Lothbrok was the main character and focus of the series. His adventures across the north sea were the main depiction of the season. But in later seasons, the series focused on his sons’ adventures: Bjorn, Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, and Ivar – and their journeys.
Vikings were introduced as miniseries. The main character’s death was fixed from the start; even Travis himself knew it was necessary. Though Ragnar Lothbrok was supposed to die in the first season itself, the popularity of the series kept it alive. Instead of dying at the hands of Aelle in the first season, Ragnar died in the fourth season.
Apart from this being necessary, Travis was ready to leave; he did not think that the series will go this long. But due to the potential of the script and his acting, it went on and on. Due to high demand and popularity, the stage was being set up to stay the execution of Ragnar in the first season and keep continuing as long as they can.
How he died was also shocking as none of the series follows such gruesome death for their protagonists. Director Hirst believed that he wanted this part to be monumental, so he followed what history books told him. Ragnar was captured and put in a cage in the forest and then thrown in a pit filled with venomous snakes, and he ascended to Valhalla.
According to history, Ragnar died somewhere between 852 to 856 BCE, at the hand of King Aelle and his creative venomous snake pit, as he went to avenge the death of his brother Aethelwulf. Travis and Hirst both were ready for this, and the audience also knew about it, but this still became one of the most shocking scenes of Vikings.
After that, in the series, he made a surprise guest appearance as he came to his son Bjorn in a dream. He explained what he fought for all his life and how his descent to Valhalla was inevitable, and now Bjorn needs to continue carrying his legacy.
It was a treat for the viewers as we would not have gotten to see those thrill, adventure, and humour-filled scenes. Ragnar was the one who gave the series so much popularity that a miniseries turned into a six-season series, which became one of the most popular historical dramas of all time.
What is next for Travis Fimmel?
Travis fans were still in fear that this might be the last time they saw him on the screen, but the fear proved wrong very soon. If you are still wondering why did Travis Fimmel leave vikings and what would happen to him now, check this out. Though it was an excellent project, Travis Fimmel did a lot of movies and tv series after he retired from Vikings.
He appeared in films like Lean on Pete, Finding Steve McQueen (opposite Forest Whitaker), recently Dreamland, alongside Margot Robbie and Garrett Hedlund. He also appeared in the bounty hunting drama Dreamland (opposite Margot Robbie), and the Australian military actioner Danger Close, and Ridley Scott’s drama series Raised by Wolves, which will premiere on the upcoming HBO Max streamer, and a scripted anthology focusing on legendary lawman Wyatt Earp (whom he will portray) for history.
He has appeared in various stages of production as well. He also appears in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Charlie Day’s comedy El Tonto. He has also been said to be filming the creatively-titled Die in a Gunfight for director Collin Schiffli (All Creatures Here Below). Sources also say that he is slated to appear in Tau Ceti Four for action veteran John McTiernan (Die Hard).
On top of all that and many other projects that are still lined up for him, Calvin Klein signed up as the star model, and maybe the hottest one Calvin has ever hired. Who can now question that what Travis has been doing since he left Vikings? Hard work pays off, and we have seen it in Travis Fimmel’s many endeavours.
Whenever we watch a character play out as realistically as Travis has played Ragnar, it becomes a part of our life and memory. It is hard for fans to see the actor separate from the character. This gives birth to such concerning questions people want to have answers to.
It also raises the question of accountability for the actors and directors towards the audience.
The audience deserves to know what happens to their favourite actors after they leave the screen. What goes into their screen lives? Though it can become a little problematic for actors as not everything can be shared with the fans, it requires little patience. If both parties do their part, it will remain a coherent relationship.