Having a place in his father’s mansion means Askeladd can finally start plotting against his abusive old man. For three years waits in the shadows to strike. He pretends to fit in with his mostly crude brothers so they can side with him, waiting for a moment of weakness when he can finally take Olaf down. You could say the “villain” spawns when he finally seizes the chance to destroy his father, and when Olaf is in a postcoital haze, no less (condolences to the woman in his bed). It doesn’t end there. He conveniently carries out the rest of his plan and frames one of his brothers, who is cannibalized by the others and ends up murdered by hanging.
Decades later, Askeladd certainly appears like a “big bad” more than a tragic figure. He seems not to care who lives or dies, but watch closely and you never actually witness him craving violence like Thorkell, who sees it as entertainment even if he does lose a few fingertips in the process. Askeladd’s wounds cut much deeper than an arrow or a spear or a sword. The invisible scars carved into his skin sometimes have him taking out his bitterness on the undeserving. This is where that wrenching scene with Thors the Troll comes in.
Does Askeladd really premeditate that ambush because he was brainwashed into following Floki’s orders based on a 15-year-old order of execution? Is it really just for loads of silver? It seems more like the order was an excuse to get rid of something else that had been stabbing at him. Think about it. Askeladd was always living in in Thors’ shadow. They were once both powerful commanders of the elite Jomsvikings, but Thors outshone them all. Thors led with honor, Askeladd with fear. Before and after his stint with the Jomsvikings, Thors is surrounded by people who love him. Askeladd? Maybe he is so blasé about death because he has no one.
What Askeladd does by tricking Thors into thinking their duel is over, just so he can unleash hidden archers on him, is nothing short of villainous. You could even argue this lying and cheating is a cowardly move. Before his past is unearthed many episodes later, someone on the outside might be inclined to think this demon who doesn’t even flinch is anything but human. Unfortunately, jealousy is too human. It could at least be partly why the chance to obliterate this shining hero and character foil tastes delicious. The silver isn’t bad, either.
It appears that Askeladd has morphed from villain to legit big bad after the fall of Thors. That duel is the epitome of the hero dying at the hands of a villain, golden valiance versus pure evil, at least those unaware of the backstory. So why doesn’t he get rid of Thorfinn? Bjorn the berserker has the boy at knifepoint right there. Regardless, Askeladd lets him go. Granted, he is indifferent about what happens to the son of Thors until he hits his teenage years and becomes a valuable human battle weapon, and even then he doesn’t care how badly he wounds him in a duel. For whatever reason, he still doesn’t want to kill him.
Whether Askeladd actually has compassion for his enemy’s son is questionable. Thorfinn is right within reach. Killing him would end the direct line of Thors, but years after the ambush on his father, Askeladd may start to identify with him as a lost soul far from home who has nowhere and no one, but whether he does is purely speculative. The more probable answer is that he saw the fighting prowess Thorfinn was developing from a young age and wants to use him as a tool against King Sweyn* so he can snatch the throne of England for himself.
