'Vikings' season 4 release date, plot spoilers: Season 4B to debut in fall? Ragnar's story is 'nowhere near the end'
The midseason finale of History Channel's "Vikings" saw the much-anticipated showdown between legendary Viking warrior Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his brother/enemy Rollo (Clive Standen).
In a major twist, Rollo defeated Ragnar, and the latter was forced to escape back to Kattegat with his injured ex-wife Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) and his son Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig). Rollo, on the other hand, returned to Paris victorious.
In another unexpected turn of events, after Ragnar and his crew had returned to Kattegat, "Vikings" took a giant leap in time. The show landed at a period in which Ragnar's sons had become young men and in which the formerly respected warrior had become some sort of pariah.
The midseason finale ended with Ragnar announcing that anyone in Kattegat who wishes to kill him is welcome to try and that the person who does finish him off could then crown himself king.
Having left off on a major cliffhanger, with Ragnar's fate left in question, fans are now wondering whether or not Ragnar's end could be near.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, "Vikings" creator Michael Hirst spoke about Ragnar's future, saying, "Ragnar's story is nowhere near the end."
Hirst also talked about the multi-year time jump in the midseason finale.
"It seemed like it was better to do something dramatic and get to where we needed to be," he explained. According to Hirst, the show needed to take the jump because it had to show what Ragnar's sons look like as adults before the second half of season 4 begins airing.
As for when the back half of season 4 will debut, History Channel has yet to announce the official air date. However, TVLine reported back in December that "Vikings" will have a 20-episode fourth season and that the second half of the season will air sometime in late 2016. As the show typically drops a new season in February, a fall start to season 4B will give the fourth season enough time to air the 10 remaining episodes before the new year rolls in.
