Seven Kings Must Die ending explained: Did Uhtred die?

Seven Kings Must Die, the sequel Netflix movie to The Last Kingdom, premiered on Netflix on April 14, 2023. The ending of the film is, well, interesting, to say the least.

To help viewers and readers understand what went down in the two-hour ending of The Last Kingdom stories, we shared how Seven Kings Must Die ended and explained what it means for our favorite characters.

There are spoilers for Seven Kings Must Die below!

Seven Kings Must Die ending explained

Seven Kings Must Die brings Uhtred’s story to a close. After defending Bebbanburg and uniting Northumbria, Uhtred is forced to make a decision about where his and his people’s loyalties lie. Despite several betrayals by Aethelstan, the boy he raised who is now a man and the heir to the throne after Edward’s death, Uhtred finds himself torn. Does he pledge his allegiance to a group of rivals set on destroying Aethelstan, which would bring another century of war to the country? Or, does he defend Aethelstan to unify the kingdoms under one banner: England?

After Aethelstan suffers a deep betrayal by his former advisor and lover, Ingilmundr, Aethelstan is left friendless against a huge force united by Anlaf. Uhtred, once again, joins Aethelstand in the battle to unify England once and for all.

In the Battle of Brunanburh, Uhtred and his men stand with Aethelstan’s men. Greatly outnumbered, they have one chance to defeat their foes. Luckily, their plan works! For like the hundredth time in this story, Uhtred draws his enemies in thinking they’d won only to steal victory from the jaws of defeat with a secret army hidden in the forest who pops out at the last moment.

Father Pyrlig appears to die in the battle, but he lives. Uhtred is stabbed multiple times and left for dead. Finan and Sihtric find Uhtred on the battlefield and get him help, although it’s unclear for a time if he lived or died.

In the final scene, Uhtred emerges from his bed and joins his friends and family at the table following the battle. He pledges his allegiance to Aethelstan with conditions ot ensure a peaceful transition of power after Aethelstan’s reign with the hope that England will be united.

Then, it gets kind of weird. Uhtred is granted a choice it seems to either return to the land of the living or to move on to Valhalla where Brida and other Vikings, Uhtred’s friends and enemies, are celebrating.

We get a voiceover from Finan:

"“Did seven kings die? The chronicles do not record if my Lord Uhtred survived. But, those like me, who knew him, recognize him as the greatest warrior of our age, and the man who made a kingdom.”"

The film jumps to the present day with text that reveals what happened after this point in history:

• “Aethelstan ruled for 15 years. He is considered to be the first and greatest King of medieval England.”
• “The Danes continued to invade England until its conquest by their Norman descendants in 1066. Yet the fortress at Bebbanburg still stands.”

We get a shot of present-day Bamburgh Castle, and the credits roll.

That’s how Seven Kings Must Die ended! It’s a pretty wild ending, all things considered, and a rather open ending for those hoping to find out if Uhtred lived or died.

Perhaps, this isn’t the end of the story after all! Seven Kings Must Die is definitely one of the best movies on Netflix right now.