Vikings has seen various betrayals and a lot of drama, but one of the biggest conflicts comes from Rollo and his brother Ragnar – but why does Rollo hate Ragnar so much? Created by Michael Hirst (The Tudors), Vikings made its debut on History Channel in 2013, and even though it was originally planned to be a miniseries, it was so well-received by critics and viewers that it was renewed for a second season and thus developed as a proper TV series. Vikings lived on for five more seasons, and it’s currently in its sixth and final season.

Vikings originally followed legendary Norse figure Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his travels alongside his Viking brothers, from the start of the Viking Age (marked by the Lindisfarne raid, as seen in season 1) onward. Among those traveling alongside Ragnar were his best friend and exceptional boat builder Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård) and his actual brother, Rollo (Clive Standen), who made it clear from the beginning of the series that he was going to be trouble. As the series progressed, it shifted its focus to Ragnar’s sons, who took the lead after Ragnar’s death in season 4, but Rollo continued being part of the series – and even though he has achieved a lot of things, his story is forever tainted by his rivalry with Ragnar.

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Rollo is Ragnar’s older brother and was known as a fearsome Viking warrior with an impulsive streak and a lot of internal struggles, which often shone through his violent actions. From the very beginning, Vikings let viewers know that, although Lagertha was married to Ragnar and they had their own family, she and Rollo had a complicated past. Rollo made his feelings for Lagertha very clear, which has also led to speculation over whether Ragnar is Bjorn’s father or not. Lagertha ultimately chose Ragnar over Rollo, which could have been the beginning of his love/hate relationship with his younger brother.

Ragnar was also a very skilled warrior, who gained the respect and admiration of those around him, which didn’t help Rollo’s feelings towards him, as he never got the same respect from his peers. Rollo was jealous of the attention his younger brother got, and as he didn’t have much control over his emotions, this jealousy and hatred blinded him and drove him to betray his brother a couple of times. This, of course, led to fights between Rollo and Ragnar (such as when he joined Jarl Borg’s side and fought his brother in season 2’s episode appropriately titled “Brother’s War”), who never got to talk and solve their differences, with Rollo being incapable of apologizing properly.

Although Rollo did everything he could to step out of his brother’s shadow, he simply couldn’t do it, even after becoming Duke of Normandy and Ragnar being killed in a pit of snakes. Ultimately, this rivalry between brothers added a lot of drama and action to Vikings, as well as some mystery as there’s the question about who’s Bjorn’s real father, which also influenced Rollo’s feelings towards his brother.

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Adrienne Tyler
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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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