Aethelhelm became the big threat to the peace in The Last Kingdom Season 5. What happened to the character in the end?

The Last Kingdom Season 5 brought us a few changes to the book storylines. It also brought us a lot of character deaths as it was the final season of the series. Aethelhelm’s storyline was one of the changes, especially the end of the character.

Throughout the fifth season, we realized that he was the biggest threat to peace. He riled both the Christians and the Danes with his actions, which led to the death of his daughter because he had no idea she had ridden north with the Visionary. He would have to live with what he’d done, and it almost led to him taking his own life.

The only reason he didn’t was because there was still some work to do. There were ways to still salvage the situation, and that involved kidnapping Aelfwynn and forcing her into a marriage with the Scottish King. He would also bring Northumbria to the Scots, which was something that the Scottish King was working on anyway.

Did Aethelhelm die in The Last Kingdom Season 5?

Of course, things were going to work out for King Edward and Uhtred for the most part. They would get rid of the Scottish King (although he’s likely to come up in the movie) and Uhtred would get Bebbenburg back. Then it was just a matter of who would get to kill Aethelhelm.

Aethelstan, Edward’s illegitimate son, was able to capture Aethelhelm. He was going to kill him, but Aelfweard turned up to protect his grandfather. That gave the two half-brothers a chance to come face-to-face and talk about the man Aelfweard had followed. Aelfweard had betrayed his own father believing that his grandfather was the good guy.

The truth finally came out. Aelfweard learned that his own grandfather was responsible for his mother’s death. He learned that Aethelhelm had created the big battle that had just happened and had kidnapped Aelfwynn to force her into a marriage for his own security.

With all that, would Aelfweard be the one to kill his grandfather? He didn’t have a chance to decide what to do. Aethelhelm killed himself, realizing that there was no other way out. It wasn’t the same ending as in the books, but it was still perfect for the way the TV storyline had played out.

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What did you think of Aethelhelm’s ending in The Last Kingdom Season 5? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The Last Kingdom Season 5 is now available to stream on NEtflix.