| “ | He lives in the shadows. Everyone's afraid of him, even Ryker. [src] | ” |
| — Astrid |
Viggo Grimborn was the leader of the Dragon Hunters who wanted to use the Dragon Eye in order to hunt, capture, and sell dragons for profit. In his last days, he learned to respect dragons and allied with the Riders. He was a primary antagonist in Dragons: Race to the Edge.
Quick Answers
What was Viggo Grimborn's role in the Dragon Hunters?
How did Viggo Grimborn's view on dragons change over time?
What is the significance of the Dragon Eye to Viggo Grimborn?
What does Viggo Grimborn's attire signify about his character?
Who were the primary antagonists in Dragons: Race to the Edge?
Official Description
| “ | Calm and collected, Viggo knows that knowledge equals power — especially when it comes to dragons! Unlike his older, more outwardly barbaric brother, Viggo Grimborn prefers finesse to brawn. An expert trap designer and manipulator of friends and foes alike, Viggo always plays the long game for power. As such, he has developed a twisted plan to use dragons to trap other dragons and sell them to the highest bidder. Viggo often lets Ryker handle the dirty work, but is not above administering his own cruel and unusual punishments from time to time. The younger Grimborn will stop at nothing to obtain the Dragon Eye. And if the Dragon Riders cannot stop him from doing so, they will surely witness the devastation wrought when absolute knowledge falls into the wrong hands. |
” |
| — Viking Guide |
Biography
Physical Appearance
Viggo wears a black leather tunic with red scales on his shoulders and around his waist. He also has spiked shoulder pads and a silver belt buckle with Dragon Hunters' tribal crest on it, and black wrist guards. He also wears a single holster strapped across his back. The holster is metal and looks like a dragon's head, with a jewel as an eye.
Viggo has short black hair, large brown eyes, thick, full lips, and a French cut beard. He has three scars on the left side of his neck supposedly from a dragon.
As a result of a burn injury sustained inside the volcano while attempting to retrieve the Dragon Eye, the left side of his face is severely scarred and he is blind in his left eye.
Personality
Viggo possesses an extensive expertise on dragons that rivals Hiccup's and may even be better. He often clashes with Hiccup and the riders over the Dragon Eye, which has belonged to his tribe of Dragon Hunters for centuries. Unlike his brother, Ryker, he's very intelligent, cunning, and incredibly devious. Viggo is a master tactician, using his intellect to outwit his enemies and having dangerously uncanny foresight. While caring for his brother, Viggo also takes pleasure in mocking him over his inferior intelligence and manners. He is also obsessed with the game Maces and Talons.
Viggo is ruthless and has a low tolerance for failures and betrayals: In his first two appearances, he has one of his men dragged away as punishment for selling precious things without his permission. He also ordered Heather to be locked up after he discovered that she was in truth a spy. In "Return of Thor Bonecrusher", he wanted Jarg to be thrown into a Whispering Death tunnel for failing to acquire fish (though Krogan instead had him taken away to be tortured as punishment). After Ryker betrayed Viggo and took control of the Dragon Hunters and Project Shellfire for himself, Viggo showed no remorse over the latter's presumed death by the Submaripper and was instead apparently pleased. Viggo also appears to have very little care for his own men and is willing to sacrifice them to get what he wants. He let many of them die from the Scourge of Odin just so he could capture the Buffalord in "Buffalord Soldier". After sustaining his burns in the Edge's volcano, however, he seems to have changed somewhat on his views, as seen when he saved one of his men from falling into the lava in "The Wings of War, Part 1". As revealed in "Dawn of Destruction", Viggo hates taking orders from others.
While Hiccup is an adversary, the two of them share a mutual respect and Viggo thinks of him as a worthy foe and even enjoys competing with him.[1] However, unlike Hiccup, Viggo has no sense of honor. This changed after Johann and Krogan betrayed him and a Monstrous Nightmare saved him from a collapsing cave. Through this experience, Viggo starts to have a new perspective on dragons and helps Hiccup in thwarting his former associates' plans, with the cost of his own life.
Abilities, Skills, and Talents
| “ | Viggo's greatest tools are his razor-keen mind and unparalleled tactical instincts. Whether he's on the battlefield or in the middle of a game of Maces and Talons, Viggo's always several steps ahead of his opponents. | ” |
| — Viking Guide |
Unlike his brother, Viggo does not like using strength to defeat his opponents but relies on his intelligence to find a path to victory, as he has shown successfully.
- Acting: In "Triple Cross", Viggo acted and managed to fool Johann and Krogan for a short while.
- Intelligence: Viggo is extremely clever and noted by Hiccup as a master of deception who battles with his intellect. He is an expert at playing Maces and Talons, even managing to outwit Hiccup — though he admitted that Hiccup had exceeded his expectations and was a brilliant opponent. As an item belonging to his tribe, Viggo has intimate knowledge of the Dragon Eye and — by extension — dragons themselves, on par with Hiccup's.
- Dragon Hunting: Though he rarely puts himself in danger, Viggo is considered an elite Dragon Hunter, surpassing his brother and rivalled only by Krogan.
- Dragon Training: Viggo was able to capture many dragons, such as his Typhoomerangs, Flightmare, Terrible Terror, several Seashockers, and his Shellfire, and force them to do his bidding. After learning to respect dragons, Viggo was able to train a wild Skrill by calming it down with a metal dagger.
- Leadership: Despite being the younger brother, Viggo is the undisputed leader of the Dragon Hunters because of his cunning intellect and effective strategies. He always plans his moves before he makes them, often seeing his battles as a game of Maces and Talons. He leads the Dragon Hunters with respect and fear.
- Strength and Fighting Skills: Viggo is a skilled fighter as he managed to overpower Heather — a warrior on par with Astrid — effortlessly and with his bare hands. He is also shown to carry a large sword, which bears a slight resemblance to Hiccup's sword, Inferno, on his back, with no strain. Viggo has shown his strength to be able to hold Heather easily, but he was stated by his older brother that he is not as strong as Ryker. Despite this he was able to restrain Astrid herself in one episode. He also easily pushed back Johann when the lateral had a knife to his throat.
- Swordsmanship: Viggo is also skilled in swordsmanship as he briefly fought Hiccup with his own Fire Sword.
- Inventing: Similar to Hiccup, Viggo seems to have some knowledge of inventing new devices. He created most of the Dragon Hunting weapons and cages out of Dragon Proof Metal and created Project Shellfire. Sometime between the fifth and the sixth season of Dragons: Race to the Edge, Viggo made himself his own fire sword, due to admiring Hiccup's Inferno. He also made some improvements as he added Zippleback gas to his.
- Dragon Information Controlled: Viggo used the Dragon Eye to get a lot of information on dragons to control, such as he was able to control the Shellfire by wrapping the dragon with chains and a large boat and summoning a Submaripper using the vibrations of a dagger, by dropping it into the ocean, where the dragon was located.
Equipment
- Sword: Viggo had a normal short but rather solid and heavy sword he wore on his back. The hilt shape is rather simple, but is bejeweled with a row of - presumably - rubies. Viggo is frequently seen with his sword carried on his back. At the end of "Sins of the Past", when inserting Heather's lens in the Dragon Eye with Krogan, Viggo is shown to have regained his sword, wearing it once again on his back. How he regained it is currently unknown, but it is possible that Johann (who is revealed at the same time to be evil and working with Viggo, Krogan and the Dragon Hunters) could have at some point managed to either buy or steal it back.
- Daggers: Viggo has several shorter and blunter daggers. He used one of them in "Shell Shocked, Part 2", to summon a Submaripper. Later, he somehow retrieved his dagger (or had a spare) in "Triple Cross", where he, Hiccup and Toothless went after a Skrill. Viggo took out his dagger and showed it to the wild dragon, explaining how the Berserker Tribe used to lure Skrills into their traps, using metal objects, as the dragons are attracted to them due to their electrical properties. He manages to tame the Skrill that way. Viggo later dropped the dagger on the Dragon Hunter tower, so the Skrill could be used as a diversion when they were at Johann's base. It was presumably destroyed when the Skrill blasted one of the towers up. Later, when Viggo pretended to betray Hiccup, he took out another one.
- Fire Sword: Sometime between the fifth and the sixth season of Dragons: Race to the Edge, Viggo made himself a sword that can ignite itself, due to admiring Hiccup's Inferno. He briefly used it against Hiccup, with the fight ending when Viggo revealed he made modifications and released gas from the sword and ignited it, making a small explosion. Viggo then put his sword down as a sign that he doesn't want to hurt Hiccup. Later, when Johann figured that Viggo is not on his side anymore, the latter released gas and ignited it, creating a big explosion to mask his escape. He then found his Skrill and freed it by cutting its chains with his sword. Viggo is seen with his sword in his hand while talking to Hiccup. As his final act, Viggo ignites the sword and attacks a group of Dragon Hunters.
Relationships
Ryker Grimborn
| “ | Ryker has always been a bit jealous of the power structure among the Dragon Hunters and his role in that hierarchy. [src] | ” |
| — Viggo talking to Heather about his suspicion of Ryker being a traitor among them. |
Ryker is Viggo's older brother. Despite being younger, Viggo leads the Dragon Hunters. He does appear to care for Ryker, despite giving him orders, insulting him, and shunning his ideas. ("Maces and Talons, Part 2") The two were allies until Ryker convinced the Dragon Hunters to betray Viggo and instate him as the new chief of the Dragon Hunters. Viggo then ends up conspiring with the Dragon Riders to take Ryker down. Viggo didn't seem distressed at his brother's demise at the jaws of the Submaripper, and rather, expressed mild disappointment at not being there to witness the ordeal.
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
| “ | We may be adversaries, Hiccup, but my respect for you is beyond what I could possibly put into words. [src] | ” |
| — Viggo to Hiccup |
As Hiccup's newest adversary, Viggo challenges him in ways he has never been before. In "Maces and Talons, Part 2", he is impressed by the young Viking's intellect and sees him as a worthy opponent, unlike other villains Hiccup has faced.
Viggo tests Hiccup's intelligence, and even manipulates him to his advantage, leaving the young Viking extremely frustrated.
In "Triple Cross", Viggo seeks revenge and asks Hiccup to help him perform it. He then tells Hiccup about how a dragon had saved him and was revealed that he has four arrows in his back from the Dragon Hunters. He then sacrifices himself, buying Hiccup time to escape. Viggo's sacrifice and death deeply affected Hiccup, who explained to the Dragon Riders. Before his death, Viggo gave him the figure that Hiccup placed on the game, but he pushed it off (indicating someone's death).
Dagur the Deranged
| “ | Stop thinking. All thinking has been done. You simply need to do what you're told; follow orders. Can you do that? [src] | ” |
| — Viggo to Dagur |
Viggo treated Dagur the same as the Dragon Hunters. He was seen playing Maces and Talons with Dagur in the episode, "Maces and Talons, Part 2". While he did seem slightly impressed by Dagur's strategy, he still managed to win. It is unknown if Viggo is aware that Dagur freed Heather, but it is most likely since he sent hunters to pursue Dagur in "Enemy of My Enemy".
Heather
| “ | Forgiveness. Not really a sound business practice, now, is it? Trust, however, is imperative, Heather. And, there simply cannot be a traitor among us. A man will never know how far he's willing to go until he steps to the edge and looks down. [src] | ” |
| — Viggo suspecting Heather |
Viggo could tell right away that Heather was a spy, possibly because of Windshear. He used her not only to find the Flightmare but to lure out the Dragon Riders. He did seem a bit disappointed that Heather was not a more worthy opponent. When she was captured, it is possible Viggo made arrangements to have Heather executed in "Maces and Talons, Part 1", "Maces and Talons, Part 2".
Astrid Hofferson
After realizing Hiccup is in love with Astrid, Viggo tried to use her against Hiccup, first by trying to get inside his head with small talk about Hiccup's personal life and Maces and Talons. Then, by trying to trade her life for the Dragon Eye. He was, however, unsuccessful as his plan ended up leading to his supposed demise. Astrid and Hiccup were saddened by Viggo's death in Triple Cross.
Krogan
| “ | Alone, each of us, in our own right, are, shall we say, dangerous. But together, think of the possibilities. We need each other, like it or not. [src] | ” |
| — Krogan to Viggo |
While Viggo and Krogan are allies, they do not get along very well. They both give orders to one another and can't agree on a single choice. This led to their multiple failures. However, after they lost the Edge, they seemed to start understanding each other and created a stronger alliance.
In "Triple Cross", Krogan decides to betray Viggo since he is no longer useful for his plans.
Johann
It was revealed in "Sins of the Past" the two are allies, who are after the "King of Dragons".
In "Triple Cross", Johann starts to believe that Viggo is no longer useful and decides to betray him.
Toothless
| “ | I would never harm such a magnificent creature. | ” |
| — Viggo to Hiccup about not harming Toothless. |
Originally were enemies, but in Triple Cross, Hiccup thought Viggo poisoned Toothless with Red Oleander, only to learn that it is harmless to dragons, revealing that Viggo never wanted harm the latter as Toothless is magnificent, Toothless accepted him as a friend even after his sacrifice.
Viggo and the Skrill fighting alongside each other.
Skrill
| “ | Suit yourself. | ” |
| — Viggo to the Skrill after it refuses to leave. |
In Triple Cross, Viggo trains a Skrill to help him, Hiccup and Toothless against Johann and Krogan. After being freed, the Skrill stayed alongside Viggo even refusing to leave the man.
Appearances
| Race to the Edge, Season 2 | |||||||||
| 1. "Team Astrid": | Absent | 8. "Edge of Disaster, Part 1": | Mentioned | ||||||
| 2. "Night of the Hunters, Part 1": | Absent | 9. "Edge of Disaster, Part 2": | Absent | ||||||
| 3. "Night of the Hunters, Part 2": | Mentioned | 10. "Shock and Awe": | Absent | ||||||
| 4. "Bad Moon Rising": | Absent | 11. "A Time to Skrill": | Absent | ||||||
| 5. "Snotlout Gets the Axe": | Absent | 12. "Maces and Talons, Part 1": | Appears | ||||||
| 6. "The Zippleback Experience": | Absent | 13. "Maces and Talons, Part 2": | Appears | ||||||
| 7. "Snow Way Out": | Mentioned | ||||||||
| Race to the Edge, Season 3 | |||||||||
| 1. "Enemy of My Enemy": | Mentioned | 8. "Stryke Out": | Absent | ||||||
| 2. "Crash Course": | Mentioned | 9. "Tone Death": | Absent | ||||||
| 3. "Follow the Leader": | Mentioned | 10. "Between a Rock and a Hard Place": | Appears | ||||||
| 4. "Turn and Burn": | Absent | 11. "Family on the Edge": | Mentioned | ||||||
| 5. "Buffalord Soldier": | Appears | 12. "Last Auction Heroes": | Appears | ||||||
| 6. "A Grim Retreat": | Mentioned | 13. "Defenders of the Wing, Part 1": | Appears | ||||||
| 7. "To Heather or Not to Heather": | Mentioned | ||||||||
| Race to the Edge, Season 4 | |||||||||
| 1. "Defenders of the Wing, Part 2": | Appears | 8. "Gold Rush": | Appears | ||||||
| 2. "Gruff Around the Edges": | Absent | 9. "Out of the Frying Pan": | Absent | ||||||
| 3. "Midnight Scrum": | Mentioned | 10. "Twintuition": | Appears | ||||||
| 4. "Not Lout": | Absent | 11. "Blindsided": | Absent | ||||||
| 5. "Saving Shattermaster": | Mentioned | 12. "Shell Shocked, Part 1": | Appears | ||||||
| 6. "Dire Straits": | Appears | 13. "Shell Shocked, Part 2": | Appears | ||||||
| 7. "The Longest Day": | Mentioned | ||||||||
| Race to the Edge, Season 5 | |||||||||
| 1. "Living on the Edge": | Mentioned | 8. "The Wings of War, Part 1": | Appears | ||||||
| 2. "Sandbusted": | Mentioned | 9. "The Wings of War, Part 2": | Appears | ||||||
| 3. "Something Rotten on Berserker Island": | Absent | 10. "No Dragon Left Behind": | Absent | ||||||
| 4. "Snotlout's Angels": | Absent | 11. "Snuffnut: | Absent | ||||||
| 5. "A Matter of Perspective": | Absent | 12. "Searching for Oswald... and Chicken": | Absent | ||||||
| 6. "Return of Thor Bonecrusher": | Appears | 13. "Sins of the Past": | Appears | ||||||
| 7. "Dawn of Destruction": | Appears | ||||||||
| Race to the Edge, Season 6 | |||||||||
| 1. "In Plain Sight": | Appears | 8. "Triple Cross": | Appears | ||||||
| 2. "No Bark, All Bite": | Absent | 9. "Family Matters": | Absent | ||||||
| 3. "Chain of Command": | Absent | 10. "Darkest Night": | Background | ||||||
| 4. "Loyal Order of Ingerman": | Mentioned | 11. "Guardians of Vanaheim": | Absent | ||||||
| 5. "A Gruff Separation": | Absent | 12. "King of Dragons, Part 1": | Absent | ||||||
| 6. "Mi Amore Wing": | Mentioned | 13. "King of Dragons, Part 2": | Absent | ||||||
| 7. "Ruff Transition": | Absent | ||||||||
| Games | ||||||||||||
| "Dragons: Rise of Berk": | Mentioned | "School of Dragons": | Mentioned | |||||||||
| "How to Train Your Dragon": | Absent | "How to Train Your Dragon 2": | Absent | |||||||||
| "DreamWorks Dragons: Wild Skies": | Absent | "DreamWorks Dragons: Dawn of New Riders": | Absent | |||||||||
| "Dragons: Titan Uprising": | Mentioned | "Dragons Hero Portal": | Absent | |||||||||
| "DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of The Nine Realms": | Absent | |||||||||||
Trivia
- The name "Viggo" is Nordic in origin, and it means "war" or "battle."
- Viggo bears a strong physical resemblance to Maxim Horvath, a villain who was also played by Alfred Molina in The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
- Coincidentally, Jay Baruchel also starred in this movie, and it premiered the same year as How to Train Your Dragon.
- In both films, he also plays the enemy of Jay Baruchel's character and at one point holds his girlfriend hostage in exchange for an important item.
- Viggo has some similarities with Excellinor the Witch from the book series.
- Both of them have a relative that Hiccup has encountered before them.
- They are the true masterminds in their families.
- They both have outsmarted Hiccup several times, as well as obtaining objects in his possession.
- They both have an interest in certain games.
- Both of their relatives were killed by dragons that are Hiccup's allies.
- Since Viggo is the leader of the Dragon Hunters, and he describes the Dragon Eye as "something that has belonged to my tribe for generations", he may be a chief. Further supporting this theory is the fact that he and his grandfather often played Maces and Talons together, and the game was designed to train future chiefs.
- In almost every situation, his face bears a rather neutral expression, with the occasional smile or glare, reflecting his cool and collected nature. Even when ordering Dagur to do as he is told, his voice remains neutral, only louder.
- Viggo is revealed to be left-handed, as he uses his left hand to sign on the map in "Defenders of the Wing, Part 1". This makes him the second left-handed character in the franchise, the first being Hiccup.
- However, he wields his sword with his right hand.
- Alfred Molina uses the same voice for Viggo as the Multi-Bear from Gravity Falls, albeit with a calmer and more "cultured" accent.
- Viggo and Ryker's last name, Grimborn, might be an allusion to Grimbeard the Ghastly from the books. For Viggo's part, Grimbeard was deceivingly cunning, almost manipulative in the clues he left behind.
- Viggo also shares some similarities with Grimmel the Grisly as they both use their wits to try and defeat Hiccup. They are also some of the most deadly and dangerous enemies he has ever faced.
- Viggo shares some similarities with Zuko from the Avatar franchise.
- Both were enemies to the main characters (Viggo to Hiccup and Zuko to Aang) before they redeem themselves by realizing the errors of their ways.
- Both have burn scars that are on the left side of their face.
- Both have a sibling (Viggo's brother Ryker and Zuko's sister Azula) that still oppose the heroes to the end.
- Both were leaders until a certain point (Viggo to the Dragon Hunters before being betrayed by Johann, and Zuko to the Fire Nation until he retired and abdicated his throne to his daughter Izumi).
- In his debut episode, Viggo quotes a line from Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard.
- Kierkegaard was actually born roughly 200 years ago, centuries after the time period the films and shows supposedly take place in.
References
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