Vikings season 6 saw Ivar killing his half-brother Bjorn, but a fan theory suggests Ivar never wanted to kill him and actually cared a lot about his brother. Created by Michael Hirst, Vikings premiered on History Channel in 2013 and was originally planned to be a miniseries, but it was so well received it was renewed for a second season shortly after. Viewers continued following the stories of Ragnar, Lagertha, Floki, and more for a total of six seasons, and Vikings came to an end in December 2020.
Vikings initially followed Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his travels and raids alongside his Viking brothers, from the beginning of the Viking Age onward. As the series progressed, it shifted its focus to Ragnar’s sons and their travels, making them the protagonists as the show prepared for Ragnar’s death in season 4. However, Vikings paid special attention to two of Rangar’s sons, who were constantly fighting over power: Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig) and Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen).
Bjorn and Ivar were Vikings’ main rivalry until the end of the series, and their animosity was mainly driven by jealousy and revenge. To the surprise of viewers, Bjorn’s time in the series came to an end in the finale of the first half of season 6, but unsurprisingly, it was Ivar who put an end to his brother's life. In the episode “The Best Laid Plans”, the battle between the Rus (led by Ivar) and the Vikings (led by Bjorn) heated up, and it was intertwined with a conversation between the two brothers at the beach. The conversation led to Ivar stabbing Bjorn with a sword, leaving him to die on the battlefield. The first episode of Vikings season 6B revealed Bjorn survived, but succumbed to all his wounds shortly after, and Ivar died in the series finale. Now, some viewers have pointed out that Ivar might have not wanted to kill his brother after all, and it’s all based on his facial expressions.
A Reddit user shared their thoughts on the relationship between Bjorn and Ivar and pointed out that the way Ivar looked at his brother wasn’t that of a man who wanted to harm him. The author explains Ivar showed regret and maybe even “some kind of love” towards his older brother on many occasions throughout Vikings, with other Reddit users adding that even when he stabbed him in season 6, leading to Bjorn’s death, Ivar displayed some level of regret. The author goes as far as to suggest that Ivar and Bjorn could have had a special bond if it wasn’t for their mothers’ rivalry: Bjorn was Lagertha’s (Katheryn Winnick) son, and Ivar was Aslaug’s (Alyssa Sutherland) son. Ragnar cheated on Lagertha with Aslaug, which led the former to hate the latter and even took the chance to kill her in season 4.
Other users agreed with that idea, adding that Lagertha made a big mistake by killing Aslaug as that ruined any chance Bjorn and Ivar could have had of a good relationship. Of course, there are also some Vikings viewers that don’t agree with this perspective and feel that Bjorn and Ivar had to be opposites in order for the show to work, as their rivalry made way for a lot of conflict that kept the series moving. Ultimately, this is one of those details that are left to the interpretation of viewers, who will decide if Ivar really wanted to kill Bjorn or if he had some respect and love for his brother.