Vikings' Season 6 premiere revealed where Ivar was after he made that swift exit from Kattegat following his defeat at the hands of his older brother, Bjorn. Ivar’s ensuing journey took him all the way to Rus! Shortly after arriving there, he was captured by Prince Oleg, aka Oleg the Prophet, and his men and brought back to his headquarters.
What followed was the beginning of a cat-and-mouse dynamic in Season 6, as Ivar worked to stay alive in the violent leader’s world. Alex Høgh Andersen has teased that Ivar will learn from the tyrannical Oleg (Danila Kozlovsky). He is certainly getting a ringside seat. Remember, it has usually been Ivar doling out people’s horrible ends on Vikings.
Well, he is in Prince Oleg’s court now, and as Ragnar’s son soon learned, it is a dangerous place to be. Regardless of the peril, Ivar still managed to survive a parachute ride and avoid drinking potentially poisoned wine in Vikings’ opener. So, what does Ivar make of Oleg upon meeting him in the Season 6 premiere? Alex Høgh Andersen told me:
Well, I think he's truly amazed by his leadership and how good he is at leading, 'cause he's a leader and people don't trust him. Well, people don’t question him, and I think he’s amazed by that. But as I said before, I think he's also seeing a part of himself in this whole situation and in Oleg.
Alex Høgh Andersen previously told CinemaBlend that Ivar would see “a mirror” of himself in Oleg. Last season on Vikings, Ivar’s brutal reign saw him kill the Seer and commit other murders, including his brother Hvitserk’s girlfriend. Now, Ivar has met one of the series’ darkest characters to date in Oleg. A character with whom he shares a great deal in common.
Oleg murdered his wife, and so did Ivar. Ivar killed Freydis on his way out of Kattegat in Vikings’ previous season finale. But, she may be coming back to haunt him in an entirely unexpected way in Season 6. In the meantime, Ivar is sort of bonding with Oleg, who like Ivar, also murdered his brother (Ivar killed his brother, Sigurd).
Two peas in a pod? Speaking about the duo’s relationship, Vikings’ Alex Høgh Andersen continued, saying:
It's going to be a cool, friendly, kind of a relationship. He is probably going to hate him quite a bit. I think he's also a little amazed and impressed and I think he'll like him in some regard. But it's a frenemy, absolutely, and I love that word frenemy. You can write that down.
You got it! As a fellow fan of the word “frenemy,” this sounds eventful! It seems like Ivar is going to both like and loathe Oleg. Could this lead to him experiencing a personal change? Oleg is a person that Ivar is clearly connecting with on a profound level in Season 6. After all, they share a lot in common. There is one hitch to their Vikings friendship, though.
Ivar does not like a lot of competition, and it sounds like Oleg will sort of pose a threat to him. The trailer indicated that they will team up, and it seems they could reach Kattegat together. Oleg is a guy who is as cunning and ruthless as Ivar is. In almost every way, Vikings has had Ivar meet his match.
Will they be the end of each other? Vikings’ creator has teased viewers learning a lot more about Ivar this season. It is the beginning of a frenemy relationship, which means the tides of friendship could go both ways. Rivalry should be a factor. In a dynamic such as theirs, there can only be one person on top. Ivar is not about to let that not be him.
Stay tuned to see how Ivar and Oleg’s relationship continues in the first half of Season 6! New episodes of Vikings air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on History. The historical drama’s return is part of this winter's premieres.
