Netflix’s hit historical drama Vikings: Valhalla will return for Season 3 next year. The streamer shared a video on its Twitter page announcing the news, with the clip teasing the next part of the journey for our heroes. A year feels like a long time to wait, but with clips like this, the hype can only continue to grow.
Vikings: Valhalla season two ended with the three main characters Freydis Eriksdottír (Frida Gustavsson), Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett), and Harald Sigursson (Leo Suter) on separate journeys. Freydis’ path took her to the legendary Viking stronghold of Jomsborg, where she journeyed to give birth to her son. On the other hand, Leif and Harald took on a daring journey across the waters of the Baltic Sea to the city of Constantinople. With their differing paths seemingly drawing them further and further away from one another, we can only wonder what the new season holds for them.
The show, which is filmed around the scenic country of Ireland, first aired on Netflix on February 25, 2022, and ever since then it has gathered success, luring fans into exciting tales and adventures of famous Vikings as they walk new paths across Europe, while also exploring tensions between the Pagans and Christians among the Vikings.
What can we expect from Vikings: Valhalla next season?
While it’s always dangerous to speculate where Vikings might go next, it’s clear that Leif and Harald will continue to expand the show’s horizons in Constantinople after the Vikings: Valhalla season 2 ending.
Leif, as is clear from the second season, is a changed man: slowly embracing the Christian faith and wanting to learn more about the world, he’s all set to head to Mariam’s house in the Byzantine city so he can further his knowledge.
Harald, though, isn’t thinking with his brain. He’s got eyes for Elena, the mysterious woman who accompanied him on the trip to Constantinople. It’s revealed that she is set to be wed to the Emperor, meaning that any connection between the pair might have to be in secret – should Harald want to keep his head.
Freydis’ journey, meanwhile, is much more open-ended. She has brokered peace with Kattegat (and, by definition, Canute and Forkbeard). With that conflict in the past, she can focus on raising her newborn son. But new threats can arrive at any moment. As the last holdout of the pagan ways, it could be up to her to lead a fightback against any new enemies if the Vikings are put in danger.
Finally, in London, Queen Emma has Godwin under her thumb. The Earl of Wessex may have got his wish by maneuvering his way into a marriage with Canute’s niece Gytha, but Emma uncovered secrets about his past in the process. With that valuable information – something that she could easily pass on to Canute – Godwin could end up being Emma’s attack dog if the precarious political situation in England starts to shift.
While Netflix has only ordered three seasons of Vikings: Valhalla, creator Jeb Stuart previously told us he has designs on reaching the end of the Viking era in 1066.
“Most historians think that the end of the Vikings era is 1066. I’d love to do that. For me, that’ll take more than three seasons. It would be [the endgame]. There’s a lot of great history out there, an enormous amount of growth on all these characters.”
History may also point us in the direction of what happens in season 3. No (real-world) spoilers here, but Harald is set to spend a lot of his time away from his beloved Norway in Constantinople. In an interview with Collider(opens in new tab), creator Jeb Stuart said that “change of culture” will be key moving forward for the series.
“I knew where Season 3 was going to be because of that change of culture, I knew that we have to eventually get to the New World,” Stuart teased. “So what’s in the toolbox? How do we fill up Leif’s toolbox, and what does Freydis bring to get these people, who are the last hold out of the Pagan faith? And we know what was happening in Europe at that time. So it’s exciting for us.”
In that same interview, Stuart also floated the idea of possible time jumps taking place. If the series – as is Stuart’s wont – is heading to 1066, we might skip over years (and decades) in the coming seasons.
Vikings: Valhalla season 3 cast
Expect Leif (Sam Corlett), Harald (Leo Suter), and Freydis (Frida Gustavsson) to return next season. The main cast will also likely consist of Queen Emma (Laura Berlin), Godwin (David Oakes), King Canute (Bradley Freegard), Queen Aelfgifu (Pollyanna McIntosh), and Elena (Sofya Lebedeva).
The major casualty of the second season was Harald’s half-brother Olaf (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), slain at the hand of Freydis. While Vikings haven’t shied away from the supernatural on occasion, we’d be surprised if the pagan hunter shows up again.
Erik the Red, meanwhile, is the season’s first confirmed newcomer. The legendary Viking (and father of Freydis and Leif) will be played by The Boys actor Goran Visnjic.
Vikings Valhalla season 3 potential release date on Netflix
Season one of the Vikings sequel series arrived on Netflix in February 2022, with the second season following 11 months later on January 12, 2023.
That would mean we should expect the third season at the end of this year or in early 2024 – the good news is that the cast and crew have already completed season three, so we shouldn’t have to wait much longer than that.
