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Whether “The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die” makes good on the prophecy that also serves as its subtitle is an open question. The wording was tricky in the message that came to Ingrith in her dreams as it pertained to a woman loved. As for the rest, literally, what’s true is that one King — Edward — died for certain. Additionally, five princes fell on the battlefield at Brunanburh… the heirs of Scotland, Man, Shetland, Orkney, and Strathclyde. It’s said several times throughout the film that a king’s kingdom survives through his son. This is why Uhtred is desperate upon waking to know if his son, Osbert, has lived. But none of the five actual kings (six if you count Anlaf) fell during the war. Still, Finan and company reason that five would-be kings died, which could be close enough, or perhaps simply proof the prophesy was wrong.
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A near-death Uhtred, however, figures he’s the seventh king, reluctant though he was to ever use that title. He stands between Valhalla, where he can see some of those who’ve gone before him (in previous seasons), and King Aethelstan’s table, where Eadgifu beckons him to come back to the living. Was Uhtred unlucky number seven? Not necessarily. By the movie’s own logic, Aelfweard, a usurping prince, could’ve counted as a dead King. So could’ve Astrid, whose father, Anlaf, was preparing her to rule. There’s also the possibility that Ingrith wasn’t really a seer, though that’s unlikely, given the whole concept. Really, whether Uhtred lives or dies is left open to interpretation on purpose, so that the viewer can decide his fate.
