Netflix's 'Vikings: Valhalla', Season 3 Release Date and the Future of the Characters

Vikings: Valhalla is one of the popular series on Netflix. The total viewing time for Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 was 205 million hours, ranking among Netflix's Top 25 of all time. Production of Seasons 2 and 3 was confirmed simultaneously shortly after the Season 1 premiere in 2021.

Netflix announced in October last year that it would be released sometime in 2024, along with the first stills. At the same time, it was also announced that Season 3 would be the final season. However, whether this will be the end of the 'Vikings' franchise is unknown. There are still many stories to tell about the characters.

This series is a sequel to the popular History Channel TV series 'Vikings', and tells a story about 150 years after the ending of the previous work. All the main characters of Vikings are gone, but the familiar locations and culture provide continuity.

There are three main characters in the sequel. Leif Erikson (played by Sam Corlett), the first European to reach the Americas, his sister Freydis Eiríksdóttir (played by Frida Gustavsson), and the Norwegian prince Harald Sigurdsson (played by Leo Suter). These are some of the most famous Vikings in the Anglo-Saxon world. Harald Sigurdsson in particular is the grandson of Harald Hardrada (played by Peter Franzen) who appeared in 'Vikings'.

In Season 2, Leif Erikson and Harald Sigurdsson arrived in Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Empire. Harald, who had been pushed out of the struggle for the throne of Norway and England, went into exile with his friend Leif, traveling through Russia to the distant Constantinople.

In real history, Harald Sigurdsson served for a long time in the Roman 'Varangian Guard', a Viking mercenary army. However, he clashed with the Romans and eventually escaped from Constantinople to return to Norway. Judging from the released still cuts depicting Harald in a Roman Imperial Guard uniform, it seems that his actions will follow historical facts.

Leif's movements are uncertain. He is a contemporary of Harald, but he is also the one who explored the American continent via Greenland. At the end of Season 2, he arrived in Constantinople with Harald. If he is to follow the historical path of 'Leif Erikson', he will now have to cross the European continent again and then cross the Atlantic.

Freydis remained in Northern Europe. She is caught up in the conflict between traditional beliefs and Christianity within Viking society. 'Upsala', which appeared in the previous work 'Vikings' as the center of Viking traditional beliefs, is destroyed by Christian Vikings, and Freydis walks the path of protecting traditional beliefs.

At the end of Season 2, Freydis killed the Norwegian King Olaf, who was forcing people to convert to Christianity, in a duel. She is also recorded in actual history as someone who explored the American continent. Therefore, it is likely that she will cross the Atlantic with Leif when he returns to Northern Europe.

Vikings: Valhalla Season 1 was released on Netflix in January, and Season 2 in February. Therefore, Season 3 is expected to be released in the first half of 2024, following the tradition of previous seasons.