Vikings fans were on the edge of their seats as they watched the brutal battle of Kattegat play out in the season five finale, leaving many to meet their brutal end before the winners were finally declared.
With the ending seeing Bjorn Ironside (played by Alexander Ludwig) crowned king by his mother, many fans anticipated the Viking would make a fair and noble ruler.
However, his haunting vision of a disappointed Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) suggested otherwise as he asked his son what he had become.
Moreover, Bjorn could meet a difficult end as creator Michael Hirst revealed Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen) and Ubbe (Jordan Patrick Smith) are set to take centre stage.
In a recent interview with Variety, Michael was asked if there are any historical power figures he looked to to help script Bjorn’s journey to the throne.
The creator revealed that all of Ragnar’s sons claim to have inherited “the mantle of their father” and the sons are now “on centre stage.”
Michael revealed: “I’m not basing any of my characters specifically on historical characters.
“I actually start with research and what we know about these real people, even if the details are few and far between. I can build a picture of what I imagine Viking Bjorn would have been.”
However, the creator noted that the other Vikings have important stories to be told, and are set to take a more prominent role in the next outing.
He continued: “But as we move into Season 6, it’s very important that the other sons of Ragnar Lothbrok all test themselves.
READ MORE: Vikings season 6: Ivar the Boneless to go through major change?
In conversation with Cinemablend.com, Michael revealed the trauma of last season’s battle has become all too much for the former Queen.
He revealed: “She initially decides, after she virtually comes back from the dead, that she’s going to step away from power, from responsibility, from fame.”
“There’s actually a meeting in the beginning of the first episode of Season 6 in which the winners of the battle for Kattegatt decide what they’re going to do,
“And she says that she’s going to retire, that she’s done enough, that she’s weary, that she nearly died, that the people she loved are dead. And everyone is kind of amazed by this.”
Vikings returns to History and Amazon Prime later this year.