The ambiguous ending to The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die may have left some fans wondering what happened to Uhtred of Bebbanburg in the books. The Last Kingdom's final season was complemented by a cinematic send-off in Seven Kings Must Die, but there is still a possibility of a spinoff at some point in the future. While Seven Kings Must Die was surely the end of Uhtred of Bebbanburg's story, there are other stories to tell in The Last Kingdom's world.
Uhtred served as the main character in both The Last Kingdom and the novel series on which it was based, The Saxon Stories. While the show followed the books fairly closely in the beginning, the two continuities grew further apart as they progressed. Each season of The Last Kingdom adapted two books from The Saxon Stories, which left Seven Kings Must Die to cover the final three novels in the series. This led Seven Kings Must Die to scramble a bit and ultimately caused broad changes to be made to the story. Those changes resulted in Uhtred experiencing an ending different from his book conclusion.
Uhtred Is Still Alive At The End Of The Last Kingdom Books
Uhtred was still alive and ruling in Bebbanburg at the end of The Saxon Stories. Uhtred was also much older at the end of the books than he was in Seven Kings Must Die, but he survived the Battle of Brunanburh nonetheless. After helping Aethelstan defeat Anlaf and the other kings, Uhtred returned to his home in Bebbanburg with his son, also named Uhtred. There he grew old and lived peacefully, becoming known as the Lord of the North. Uhtred was certainly contemplating his death at the end of the novels, but considering the books were narrated by Uhtred, it was never likely for him to die.
The books were written from the perspective of Uhtred as an old man recording the tale of his life. With that in mind, Uhtred was never going to die, but it was unclear if he would have a happy ending or not. Uhtred did indeed get a highly satisfying ending in The Saxon Stories, ruling from the fortress he always desired with a son named Uhtred to follow in his footsteps. While Uhtred seemed to end up with everything he wanted in the books, things were a bit more unclear at the end of Seven Kings Must Die.
Is Uhtred Dead At The End Of The Last Kingdom Movie?
Seven Kings Must Die was somewhat unclear; however, the overwhelming likelihood was that he died from the wounds he sustained at the Battle of Brunanburh. The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die concluded with a voiceover from Uhtred's dear friend, Finan, in which it was stated that Uhtred's fate was unrecorded by the histories. However, his serious wounds and visions of Valhalla suggested his death was imminent.
Though it is never explicitly stated that Uhtred died, the likely outcome was that Uhtred succumbed to his wounds. The final scene with Uhtred teetering on the edge of Valhalla would make little sense if he were going to live. If it was supposed to be a choice between walking into Valhalla or walking back into life, it seemed like that would be an easy decision for Uhtred. He had everything he always wanted, so there would be little reason to choose a premature death. Even so, the ambiguous nature of that final scene was up for interpretation.
Why Uhtred's Book Ending Change Makes Sense
The changes to Uhtred's book ending in Seven Kings Must Die made sense because there was simply not enough time to tell the same story as the books. One movie couldn't possibly adapt all the events from three novels, so it would have been difficult to reach the same conclusion. Seven Kings Must Die had to tell a heavily adapted version of the last three Saxon Stories, including the ending. Uhtred got Bebbanburg in The Last Kingdom's continuity, and he still had a son to it on to, but it made sense to tailor the rest of his ending to fit the limited timeframe of a movie.
It's also important to consider the difference in mediums between The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die and The Saxon Stories. In a screen adaptation, it's much more climactic to have Uhtred make the ultimate sacrifice to achieve what his character was invented to do: help unify England. In the books, however, it would feel disappointing to have the curtains close on Uhtred dying in bed. The post-climax conclusion of a book is typically longer and more thorough than a movie's, so it would have felt like the reader was being robbed of the end of the story if the narrator had just up and died right after the battle.
