The Last Kingdom spoilers for season four below.
The Last Kingdom star Adrian Schiller doesn't think viewers will be seeing much more of Aethelhelm the Elder in the Netflix series.
Not that fans would necessarily mind seeing the back of Aethelhelm, mind you – last season left off with him poisoning Lady Aelswith (Eliza Butterworth) after relentlessly scheming against the king's illegitimate son.
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While Aethelhelm has thus far been successfully exuding his influence over the king, Schiller has admitted to Fansided's Winter is Coming that the nobleman's luck is likely running out.
"It's difficult to see how he can survive," he conceded. "When you've seen somebody who is basically plotting to screw over the main characters and the characters that you love, the dramatic morality demands that they have a painful demise. I would imagine that he's probably headed that way."
Schiller even has an idea for how Aethelhelm should get his comeuppance, in the end.
"I think what would be interesting would be for him to do quite well for two or three episodes and then have his attempt to kill Aelswith, which either he has at it again or he tries to get to the other kids or something," he explained. "But anyway, he gets found out.
“I'd like to see him try and get out of it, and maybe get so close to getting out of it. That would be really cool… I think probably what the fans would like to see is him being badly beaten up and left in a cell to rot for a while, and then executed!”
It's rare to see an actor campaigning for their own character to be killed off! Viewers will find out soon, as Netflix ordered a fifth season of The Last Kingdom last week.
The Last Kingdom seasons 1-4 are available to stream on Netflix now.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
