The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die ending explained: Did Uhtred live or die?

The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die brought us a prophecy and a lot of death. How did Uhtred’s story come to an end in the Netflix movie?

Fans of The Last Kingdom were automatically tuning into Netflix on Friday, April 14. The movie dropped, bringing an end to Uhtred’s story. The question was whether Uhtred would end up dying in battle or finding a way to unite all the Kingdoms of England as one.

Outlander fans will want to check out the series if they haven’t already. This movie certainly works as an excellent wrap-up, but will make everyone come to miss more of this brilliant writing.

How Aethelstan became King of Wessex and Mercia

The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die started with the death of King Edward. That initially meant a small battle between the two elder sons of Edward. Aethelstan was supposed to be the next king, but many saw him as illegitimate, including his younger brother.

It didn’t take too long for that part of the story to be handled. Aethelstan rode to his brother in the pretense of peace. Uhtred was there to help convince the young pretender to give up the fight, and that’s what happened. Aethelstan didn’t allow everyone to surrender, though. He killed his brother in cold blood, fearful that there would be a future war.

Of course, had Aethelstan just listened to Uhtred, a lot of bloodshed could have been avoided. Instead, he was following the advice of a monk, who also happened to be his lover. Well, it also turned out that this monk was a spy.

Ingilmundr was the one to keep a close eye on. With the ear of the king, he also managed to get a few people on his side in an attempt to kill Uhtred. That also lead to the hanging of Aldhelm as a traitor, something that I’m sure Aethelstan would come to regret in the end.

Did Uhtred die in The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die?

Ingilmundr managed to play both sides in The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die, playing on Aethelstan’s love for him. When Uhtred was banished thanks to Ingilmundr convincing a Christian woman that she would go to Hell if she didn’t help him, the Scottish kings saved Uhtred and got him to return to Aethelstan to trick him into battle.

Uhtred wouldn’t do that, though. Instead, he told Aethelstan that Ingilmundr was a spy. Of course, Aethelstan didn’t want to believe Uhtred at first. It was only after Uhtred got back to Bebbanburg to find out that the Danes had destroyed it that things change. By the way, the prophecy of a woman “he” loved dying wasn’t about Uhtred. It was about Finan, whose wife was trapped in the cave and left to suffocate/dehydrate to death with the others from Bebbanburg.

Aethelstan realized that Uhtred had told the truth the whole time. When the Danes attacked the place Osbert (Uhtred’s son) and Edmund (Aethelstan’s youngest half-brother) were staying, Aethelstan found out the truth. Don’t worry; Osbert and Edmund were safe. They both hid and they helped Uhtred and Aethelstan in the final battle.

Uhtred learned from past battle tactics. He made sure there was an army ready in the distance to help out at the very end. However, there was some bloodshed on the field. Father Pyrlig was injured early on and then Uhtred was stabbed multiple times on the field of battle while Aethelstan fought Ingilmundr.

In the end, Father Pyrlig was fine. It wasn’t clear how Uhtred would be at first. Everyone worried, but he woke from his wounds at the battle at Bebbenburg to find out that five of the Scottish kings’ sons had died in battle. They were viewed as five of the kings as without heirs, the Scottish kings’ lands would pass onto others.

But, seven kings must die, right? That was the whole point of the prophecy. Aethelstan decided that King Edward was one of them. Six had died.

The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die ended with Uhtred hearing cheers and voices from another room. As he walked toward it and opened the doors, he saw Brida and others who had fallen before him feasting in Valhalla. We’re left with the belief that Uhtred died and was welcomed into Valhalla after all. While he never viewed himself as a king, others did. He is the seventh king to fall.

The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die is now streaming on Netflix.