Vikings: Valhalla season 2: Everything we know about the new season on Netflix

Vikings: Valhalla season 2 has already been filmed

Vikings season 2 wrapped filming back in November 2021, but fans have still got a little wait on their hands until the next chapter lands on Netflix. While no exact release date has been confirmed yet, we've previously been told that the historical drama will return in 2023 – and that's not all we know.

Over the last few months, new cast members have been announced, including one who won't actually be seen onscreen until season 3, speculation as to what the storyline will be has been fuelled, and we've even spoken to show creator Jeb Stuart about what to expect from the new season.

So if you're missing Leif, Freydis, and co, and want to know more about Vikings season 2 then set sail and keep scrolling... 

Vikings: Valhalla season 2 release date could be revealed soon

Vikings: Valhalla started filming its second season in 2021 – and wrapped things up later that year. Stunt performer Caroline Simmonet wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post (H/T What’s on Netflix (opens in new tab)) that "Season 2 just wrapped" on November 2.

Series creator Jeb Stuart confirmed as much, telling us "Season two has been filmed" and that they’re "in the editing phase now." He also revealed to Digital Spy (opens in new tab) that he's working on editing the season two finale already.

So, what does that mean for the show’s future? Well, according to a report published by Entertainment Weekly (opens in new tab) back in March, Netflix plans to roll out the new chapter in 2023. An exact release date has yet to be confirmed. Vikings: Vahalla will be back for season 3, too, and started filming that back in May. 

Vikings: Valhalla season 2 cast: who's returning and who's off to Valhalla?

There are several members of the Vikings: Valhalla season 2 cast expected to return. They include Sam Corlett (Leif), Leo Suter (Harald), Frida Gustavsson (Freydis), Laura Berlin (Emma of Normandy), David Oakes (Godwin) and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Olaf).

Søren Pilmark (Forkbeard), Bradley Freegard (Canute), and Pollyanna McIntosh (Ælfgifu) will all surely be back too, given how heavily they factored into the first season.

In terms of newcomers, one has been confirmed: Florian Munteanu, previously seen as Razor Fist in Shang-Chi, has joined the cast as Maniakes, a Byzantine general.

One of those who probably won’t be included in the second season is Caroline Henderson (Haakon). The Jarl of Kattegat met her end during the eighth and final episode of the first season. 

But the door is still open for a return. Henderson told Metro (opens in new tab), "We don’t really know that [she won’t be back]. She might turn up as a ghost or something."

Same deal with Kåre actor Asbjørn Krogh Nissen. Kåre was decapitated during a climactic duel with Freydis in Kattegat. He and Louis Davison's King Edmund won't be back.

Of the current batch of characters, Jeb Stuart says the second season will put a "whole different spotlight on Olaf" and that we can expect his son, Magnus, to potentially turn up down the line in later seasons. Legendary Viking warrior (and father of Leif and Freydis) Erik the Red is also a name that was floated in our spoiler-filled conversation with Stuart and he'll actually appear in the third season and not season 2. He's set to be played by Goran Visnijc, who was part of The Boys cast in the  Prime Video show's second season.

Godwin might also be sticking around for some time to come, too, with Stuart describing him as "a character for the long haul." London won’t know what hit it.

Vikings: Valhalla season 2 story: what’s next for Leif, Freydis, and Harald?

"What I like about the launchpad for season two is that we're not going to return to Kattegat and everything's going to be great," Stuart told GamesRadar+, hinting at trouble and strife hitting the port settlement in a major way.

That’s putting it mildly. The first season ended with various pieces on the board being scattered across Scandinavia and Europe on the hunt for glory – with several power dynamics shifting in the process.

Kattegat had a new ruler – for all of five seconds. Olaf was in charge until he saw Forkbeard’s fleet docking. With Haakon gone, expect a power vacuum – and potentially wars fought – over Kattegat’s next leader.

That’s not likely to be Harald, though. He and on-again, off-again lover Freydis barely escaped from Kattegat with their lives. The Norwegian prince is now public enemy number one in the eyes of some Vikings after siding with Kåre. Freydis, meanwhile, will need to deal with her newfound position as ‘The Last’ – and potential savior of the Viking people.

Over in England, Emma has returned to the throne and has – for now, at least – a loyal ally in Godwin helping keep out any attempts of payback from Ælfgifu’s direction. One emerging threat is likely to be the region of Mercia – and who knows how long they can be kept at bay?

One major change in Vikings: Valhalla season 2 is with its lead Leif. The explorer is now being referred to in the writers’ room as ‘Old Testament Leif’ and will be similar in style moving forward to his monstrous father, Erik the Red.

“Essentially what I wanted the audience to say is when you get to season two, you're going to see a very different Leif Erikson, somebody who is driven now and is pulling his father out of every pore in his body,” Stuart said.

We will eventually get to his travelling exploits. Leif Erikson is best known for setting sail – and discovering – North America. Future seasons, according to Stuart, will equip him for that journey – as well as potentially going further afield with its cast of characters.

Stuart said, “We know Leif was an explorer, but what did we have in his toolbox that allowed him to get there? It can’t just be courage. If it was just courage, the Vikings would have found the New World way back. Did he have to learn something about navigation that wasn’t apparent to him or anybody else?”

“These are exciting pieces for me because what I want to do is blow them out and make the characters start to really become more adult. They have to not just assume things, they have to earn things.”

There could even be more scope for slower, more measured scenes in the second season. On what he had learned from the first season, Stuart said that “while I like the speed and the fast pace, limiting the number of characters, moving them in different orbits, and creating those surprises was my favorite part of season one.”

Finally, a time jump could be on the way. It might not arrive in the second season, but skipping through the decades is on the mind of Stuart. His plan for Valhalla's endgame? 1066 and the end of the Viking era.

Want to dive into real-world history? Here's when Vikings: Valhalla is set. Plus, it's time to add more of the best Netflix shows to your watchlist.