Viggo Grimborn

Viggo

> I have spent my life hunting them down (referring to the dragons), now I have come to respect them as equals.
>
> Viggo

> This is it for me then, the end of the game.
>
> Viggo

> Suit yourself (referring to the Skrill).
>
> Viggo's last words

**Viggo Grimborn** AKA **Viggo** is the deceased former leader of the Dragon Hunters, the younger brother of Ryker) and the new ally of the Dragon Riders. After being betrayed by Johann and the Dragon Flyers, Viggo asks Hiccup for help to make sure their plans get foiled. Viggo succeeded in getting his revenge on Johann but at the cost of his own life.

## 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.

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 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 was also probably the one who ordered Heather to be executed 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 burning injury 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.

## Biography

### Early Life

When Viggo was younger, his grandfather would play Maces and Talons with him. Viggo always insisted on being the honorable chieftain in the game.

### Leader of the Hunters

Viggo rose to power in the Dragon Hunters through his intelligence, tactical skill, and willingness to do whatever it takes to win. He grew the Dragon Hunters into a world-spanning, powerful organization.

While experimenting with Dragon Root and other substances to subdue dragons, Viggo heard a story about a single Buffalord known as the Auroch King who feasted on the toxic foxglove. He sent a team of twelve Dragon Hunters around the Barbaric Archipelago to find the beast. Only one person survived.

### Meeting the Riders

Viggo was first mentioned in "Night of the Hunters, Part 2" by Heather when they debated as to the fate of Astrid Hofferson and her fellow dragon riders, knowing he would want them alive.

In "Snow Way Out" Astrid told Hiccup and the other riders that Viggo was the true leader of the Dragon Hunters, not Ryker. According to Heather, he works in the shadows and everyone is afraid of him, including his older brother.

He was mentioned again in "Edge of Disaster, Part 2" when Ryker, Dagur, and their forces failed in attacking Dragon's Edge.

Viggo made his first appearance in "Maces and Talons, Part 1" when he met Dagur and Heather for the first time. He was talking about Maces and Talons when they walked in. During the meeting, one of the hunters was discovered to have been stealing from his inventory. While it appeared Viggo forgave him, the hunter was taken away to be punished. Viggo spoke to Heather alone about his knowledge of a traitor among the Dragon Hunters. Seeming to believe it was Dagur, or even Ryker, he turned to Heather for help in capturing a Flightmare.

However, Viggo knew Heather was the real traitor all along and used her to lure the Dragon Riders out. The Hunters were soon able to capture the Flightmare, as well as Heather and Windshear. Viggo left the game of Maces and Talons on his abandoned ship as a challenge for Hiccup. Viggo told Hiccup that Heather would share the same fate as the traitor/imposter does in the game.

While waiting for the Dragon Riders to strike, Viggo had Heather locked up, made preparations for the Flightmare, and even played a live version of Maces and Talons with Dagur, which he won.

Viggo hid among the trapped dragons where he encountered Hiccup, who was searching for Heather. His men manage to paralyze Hiccup and Toothless with the Flightmare's mist, while Viggo takes the Dragon Eye. After using the Flightmare's mist to unlock the Dragon Eye, the hunters release the dragon, giving Viggo and the Dragon Hunters a chance to escape.

With the Dragon Eye back in the hands of the hunters, Viggo now sets his sites on selling and killing every dragon, including Toothless.

### War with the Riders

Months later, in "Buffalord Soldier", Viggo had one of his ships infected with the Scourge of Odin in order to create an outbreak and a demand for the cure. Viggo (most likely using the Dragon Eye) was able to follow Hiccup and his riders, who were searching for the Buffalord to cure Astrid who was infected with the Scourge, to Odin's Respite to capture the last Buffalord. Hiccup then had Toothless threaten Viggo but Viggo threatened to have Ryker kill the Buffalord. He then agreed to let Hiccup have the cure for Astrid in exchange for the dragon. However, the Buffalord, unwilling to leave its island, inflated and escaped, causing havoc on Viggo's ship. Realizing that Hiccup knew of this, Viggo ordered Ryker to set the dragon free.

In "Between a Rock and a Hard Place", Viggo later began a mining operation, using Catastrophic Quakens, to build a dragon-proof fortress on his island. However, before it was completed, the Riders managed to free the Quakens and use them to destroy the structure. Later, Viggo and Ryker arrived at the ruined stronghold. Viggo vowed that the Riders would pay for destroying it and began to realize the threat that they were to his plans.

In "Family on the Edge", Hiccup and the others soon found one of Viggo's fleets hidden in a remote location, and planned to take it out. However, Dagur, who had changed his way of life, told them it was a trap Viggo set up to lure them in, but no one believed him since they thought he was still working for Viggo. The Berserker went after the fleet and proved it was a trap. He managed to take it down but was supposedly killed in the battle. Before his supposed demise, Dagur left a note for Heather telling her about Viggo's dragon auctions.

Viggo soon planned an auction in "Last Auction Heroes", where he was expecting a "special guest." To make sure it went perfect, he had Ryker set up extra defenses around the island. The brothers were greeted by a young man named Sir Ulgerthope, who Viggo thought he had met before, but still let him and his valet enter the auction. Trader Johann soon showed up offering dragons as payment for safe travel in his trade. Viggo noticed the creaking floorboards on his ship and even smashed through one to check it, but found nothing. He accepted Johann's gift and let him pass.

When the auction was about to start, Viggo noticed the man he was expecting in the front. Just as it began, he found the twins under one of the sheets covering a cage and realized Sir Ulgerthrope was a Dragon Rider as well. The Riders were soon all captured and Viggo took possession of Berk's gold. He made his way off, adding Toothless to the bidding list. Once the Night Fury was brought up, bids started immediately. Viggo told one of his men to get Hiccup, so he could watch his dragon be sold. The cloaked man put up the largest amount and was about to buy Toothless, until the Riders released the dragons, causing a panic and made Viggo lose his customer. He made his way to his ship with the gold he already had. When Hiccup tried to stop him, he threw the chest into the ocean. Hiccup managed to retrieve it but realized Viggo switched the chests. Hiccup was devastated for losing all of Berk's gold to the Dragon Hunters, but he still saved all the dragons.

After several confrontations, Viggo invited Hiccup to meet on a remote island in "Defenders of the Wing, Part 1". It was covered in blue oleander flowers, thus preventing Toothless to get close. Once he arrived, Viggo offered Hiccup a truce, depicting a map of where each would leave alone. Viggo even signed it to make it official, but Hiccup said he would think about it. Knowing Viggo didn't really want a truce, the Riders went to the nearest island on his side, believing he didn't want them to find it. There, they met the Defenders of the Wing, a tribe of dragon worshipers. However, they soon found out Viggo used the Riders as a distraction so his men could capture their great protector, the Eruptodon.

### Viggo's defeat

In "Defenders of the Wing, Part 2", Viggo and Ryker then kept the Eruptodon aboard their ship. Viggo planned to have the Eruptodon go into it's feeding frenzy and have it awaken Dragons Edge's volcano. At first, his plan went off without a hitch until Mala, Hiccup, and his riders arrived and used the Edge's Gronckles to bring it back to Caldera Cay.

Following this event, Viggo then placed a bounty on Hiccup in "Midnight Scrum".

After Hiccup and his riders crippled several of his operations in the east in "Dire Straits", Viggo became annoyed by this and decided to deprive Berk of its trade routes. Viggo thus had a Submaripper chained up to keep Trader Johann and others away. When Hiccup and the dragon riders try to free the Submaripper he placed in the straits, Ryker, Viggo, and his men came to intercept them. After Hiccup and the Dragon Raiders successfully freed the captured Submaripper, Viggo and the Dragon Hunters were overpowered and forced to flee.

Following Viggo's defeat at the Straits, his hunters were patrolling an island in "The Longest Day" when they found an unknown dragon pretending to be ill. The Hunters tried to trick the dragon into thinking that they are his friends in order to bring it to Viggo. But the dragon, a Large Shadow Wing, managed to kill them easily with help from its pack.

Viggo was then able to capture Hiccup and several of his riders when they attempted to find his and Berk's gold supply in "Gold Rush". He then spoke with Hiccup. Following that Fishlegs, Heather, and Dagur plan to rescue Hiccup and the captured riders but, their plan fails when Viggo tricked them with dragon-proof ships encased in wood. However, Dagur had a plan to best Viggo's dragon-proof ships with the new move he taught his dragon, Shattermaster, the shatter scatter. When Fishlegs and Heather played with Dagur's plan they wrecked Viggo's armada of dragon-proof ships, and rescued Hiccup and the captured riders. After that, they find the gold and bring it back to Berk. Dagur gets a share of the gold and he and his sister, Heather, leave to find their father, Oswald and re-build their tribe of the Berserkers.

In "Twintuition", When Ruff and Tuff go to fix Tuffnut's broken mace, Macey, at the Northern Markets they accidentally discover a secret operation the Dragon Hunters are building known as Project Shellfire. Viggo made an announcement to his hunters saying that when they complete Project Shellfire, the Dragon Riders would be destroyed along with their allies. Later Viggo warned Ryker that their camp has been infiltrated when getting news from a Hunter. The Hunters eventually capture Ruff and tie her up. So later when Hiccup came to attack their operation, Viggo had the gates open to drown Ruff. After that, Tuff was confronted by Ryker. When he got on his dragon he managed to free the dragon riders from Viggo's trap. Unknown to Viggo or Ryker, Tuff stole the plans to Project Shellfire prior to the arrival of the Riders and later showed them to the Dragon Riders. However, unbeknownst to them, Viggo's plan was already operational.

At some point, Ryker and the Dragon Hunters betrayed Viggo and chose Ryker as their new leader.

In "Shell Shocked, Part 1", When Hiccup and the Dragon Riders along with Stoick, Gobber, the auxiliary riders, Dagur and Heather attacked, Viggo told them that Ryker and the Dragon Hunters betrayed him. They were hesitant to trust him, but Viggo told them that he will explain to them what Shellfire is, and where the Dragon Eye is but only if they help him stop Ryker and the Hunters. So the Hiccup and his riders brought Viggo to Caldera Cay, where the Defenders of the Wing imprisoned him, just as Ryker sent the Shellfire to attack the Wing. With the shells of that imprisoned dragon attacking on the Wing, Viggo managed to escape with the cover of the explosions. Later, he appeared at the Edge and made a deal with Hiccup that if Viggo returns the Dragon Eye, Hiccup and the Riders will help him stop Ryker.

Although Viggo keeps his end of the bargain, the riders, Dagur, and Heather are wary to trust him. For that reason, Hiccup has him locked up in the dragon stables. When Ryker and the Hunters attack, Viggo's cell and the stables get caught on fire, so Hiccup rescues him and agrees to accept his help in defeating Ryker. So when they arrive on Toothless in the middle of the sea Viggo drops his dagger into the water to attract the attention of a Submaripper. Viggo then admits to Hiccup that he learned from the Dragon Eye that the Submaripper is the natural and hated enemy of the Shellfire. Since the shellfire began battling the Submaripper the shellfire was broken free of it's imprisonment and Ryker sank to his death. Later, Viggo held Astrid hostage and threatened to kill her if Hiccup didn't give him the Dragon Eye, but Hiccup defied him and threw the Dragon Eye into the volcano. Viggo quickly went after it and failed to prevent it from being destroyed. Now furious, Viggo planned to kill them for ruining his plans, but the ledge of the volcano upon which he was standing became unstable and he apparently fell screaming to his fiery demise yelling "No! Hiccup!"

### Meeting Krogan

Despite appearances, Viggo had in fact survived due to landing on a ledge, though the left side of his face was burnt when he attempted to retrieve the Dragon Eye.

Having formed a stronger alliance with Krogan in "Return of Thor Bonecrusher", Viggo hired a group of bandits to steal fish from the Outcast Tribe. After they failed both to obtain the fish and lost Alvin the Treacherous to the Dragon Riders, Viggo and Krogan had their leader taken away for punishment. They then began discussing how to recover the Dragon Eye from the volcano.

In "Dawn of Destruction", Viggo and Krogan's forces soon attacked the edge, though Viggo lacked faith in Krogan's tactics.

Viggo then retrieved the Dragon Eye from the volcano in "The Wings of War, Part 1". He then tried to use it, but it didn't work.

Later, he fixed it, but while testing it, Krogan tried to kill him from the shadows. Before any of them could make the first move, all the riders and Berk's fleet attacked. Krogan sent all his Flyers to fight despite Viggo warning him that won't be affective. After the riders defeat their army, Viggo and Krogan were forced to retreat on Krogan's Singetail, taking the Dragon Eye with them.

In "Sins of the Past", Viggo, after obtaining a lens about the Bewilderbeast from Krogan, placed it in the Dragon Eye carefully-knowing it was irreplaceable-before the pair were joined by their previously silent partner, Johann.

### Viggo's End

Later, Johann and Krogan betrayed Viggo and attempted to kill him by luring him into a cave and blasting the exit; however, Viggo survived. He then recruited Hiccup's help in defeating Johann and Krogan as well as reobtaining the Dragon Eye. Viggo devised a plan to use a Skrill to distract the Dragon Flyers, while Hiccup stole the Dragon Eye. The plan succeeded, though at the cost of Viggo's life so Hiccup could escape. ("Triple Cross")

Later, Astrid noted the it felt strange with Viggo gone and Hiccup reminisced that the Dragon Riders had learned a lot from Viggo through their experiences with him. After Hiccup's original Inferno broke, he got many of the new ideas for his new sword from Viggo's Fire Sword when remaking it.

## Dragons

* **Viggo's Skrill**
* **Monstrous Nightmare** (briefly)
* **Flightmare** (briefly)

## Weapons

* **Sword**
* **Daggers**
* **Fire Sword**

## Abilities

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 shown successfully.

* **Acting:** In "Triple Cross", Viggo acted and managed to fool Johann and Krogan for a short while.

* **Intelligence:** Viggo is an extremely clever individual 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. ("Maces and Talons, Part 2")

* **Dragon Hunting:** Though he rarely puts himself in danger, Viggo is considered an elite Dragon Hunter, rivaled only by Krogan.

* **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 saw Hiccup's fire sword and created his own inventing the idea of Zippleback gas and then lighting it with the sword. 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.

* **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 dragons with ropes 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.

## Trivia

* The name "Viggo" means "war" or "battle."
* Viggo bears a strong 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.
	+ 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, which was designed for future chiefs. ("Maces and Talons, Part 2")
* In almost every situation, his face bears a rather neutral expression, with the occasional smile or glare, reflecting his cool and collected nature. The only true exception seen so far is when he promises to sell or kill every dragon alive, as he snarls his words and bears a vicious expression. 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. This makes him the second left-handed character in the franchise, the first being Hiccup. ("Defenders of the Wing, Part 1")
	+ However, he wields his sword with his right hand.
		- It is possible that he is ambidextrous.
* 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's face has somewhat feminine features, including his full lips and large shadowy eyes.
* Viggo is arguably the fourth most evil villain in the franchise, behind Drago Bludvist, Grimmel the Grisly (both take the role as the most evil), Johann, and Krogan, due to his goal of hunting dragons for profit. However, Drago Bludvist and Grimmel the Grisly can be considered the more evil villain due to Drago’s larger goal of ruling the world and Grimmel’s plan of exterminating all dragons by pure sadism while Viggo's more honorable nature detracts from his malevolence. Despite this, Viggo is seen as one of the smartest and most dangerous foes that Hiccup and the Riders have ever faced, having manipulated and outsmarted Hiccup many more times than all his other foes in the franchise except for Johann, who has manipulated and outsmarted Hiccup and the Riders and nearly all the Vikings in the Archipelago since before the start of the franchise.
* Despite what many fans think, Viggo never met Drago Bludvist, as he stated that he did not know who had hired Krogan to find the King of Dragons.
* 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).