Summary
- The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die left out major characters, including Eliza Butterworth’s Aelswith, which disappointed fans.
- Butterworth’s portrayal of Aelswith underwent a significant character transformation in seasons 4 and 5, becoming more likable and providing comic relief.
- Butterworth had to drop out of the movie due to scheduling conflicts with another project
Although The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die provided some much-needed closure for fans of the show, one of the downfalls was that several major characters were missing – such as Eliza Butterworth’s Aelswith. From season 1 to season 5, Eliza Butterworth had a major role in The Last Kingdom as she portrayed Queen Aelswith; she was the fiery wife of Alfred, and the mother of Edward and Aethelflæd. She had once been considered one of the most unlikable characters in The Last Kingdom too as she often opposed Uhtred’s opinions whenever he tried to counsel Alfred.
However, over time, perceptions soon changed once she underwent a huge character transformation in season 4 and season 5. Not only did Aelswith begin to see the error of her ways and realize that she and Uhtred were working towards the same goals, but she was also a lot more humble and mature. Aelswith even provided a lot of comic relief in the last season with some of her one-liners. Sadly, season 5, episode 10 was the last time anyone saw Butterworth as she wasn’t cast in The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die. However, there was a specific reason why Butterworth didn’t appear.
Eliza Butterworth Was Originally Going To Be In The Movie But Dropped Out Due To Scheduling Conflicts
Although a lot of the main characters were missing from The Last Kingdom movie because there just wasn’t room for them in the story, this wasn’t the case with Eliza Butterworth. According to The Express, Butterworth was going to be in Seven Kings Must Die. However, she was left “gutted” when she realized that she had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict for A Town Called Malice (which she was filming in Tenerife). She even admitted they tried to make it work, but it just wasn’t possible due to the COVID restrictions. As a result, The Last Kingdom writers had to cut her out of the script.
Butterworth Was Right To Choose A Town Called Malice Over The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die
Although the movie wasn’t the same without Butterworth, many fans will likely agree that she made the right choice in choosing A Town Called Malice since there weren’t really any stories left for her character. While Aelswith could have been an advisor to Aethelstan or Uhtred, it does feel like her character deserved a lot more than this considering how far she had come in season 5.
Given that Aelswith had also died not long after Alfred in the Saxon Stories, there’s a chance that the writers may have brutally killed her off for the sake of shock value (Ingrid and Aldhelm’s deaths in The Last Kingdom movie proved the writers weren’t above doing that). It would have been devastating to see her suffer a tragic fate after all the pain and loss she experienced, so it’s better to think she died in the time jump, surrounded by her loved ones and in her “sea view” room.
Sources: The Express
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
