Rollo from Vikings is typically ed as the man who betrayed his own brother Ragnar to get ahead in life. The ferocious warrior wasn't only jealous of his brother's charisma and ambition, he was also in love with his wife, Lagertha. Frustrated and overlooked, he eventually abandoned his people to the much stronger Frankian forces.
Rollo developed a bad reputation, but he also did some truly heroic things throughout the show. Underneath it all, he cared about his brother and his family, even though his actions didn't always reflect that.
Best: Choosing Ragnar Over King Horik
Loyalty was never among Rollo's best traits, but deep down, he always loved his brother. When King Horik tried to win the unpopular Rollo over with promises of titles and power, Rollo didn't budge.
He didn't want to go behind his brother's back and ruin an already strained relationship. This decision might have just saved him his life in the long run.
Worst: Betraying Athelstan
Just like Floki, Rollo was never a fan of the Christian monk Ragnar brought back from his first raid in England. Eventually, Athelstan assimilated to the Norse culture and even started wearing an arm ring to signify his loyalty to the Norse gods.
One day, Rollo noticed that Athelstan wasn't wearing it and told the rest of the men about it, one of the Ragnar to spiral out of control, becoming worse and worse.
Best: Taking One For The Team & Getting Baptized
Vikings weren't the type who'd negotiate and make compromises, but once they landed in England, they had to learn a thing or two about international diplomacy.
In order to show the foreign rulers that they could be reasoned with, Rollo offered to be baptized. Not only was it a good decision, it was also one of the funniest scenes in the history of the entire show.
Worst: Siding With Jarl Borg Instead Of Ragnar
The fact that Rollo felt jealous of his brother was evident from the very first episode, but it looked like he was nonetheless loyal to him. That is until he sided with Jarl Borg in a conflict, one of the worst things Rollo could do to Ragnar, and the two brothers suddenly became enemies.
Not only was this decision problematic because he betrayed Ragnar, but he also lost the chance of being among the leaders of his community. If he sided with Ragnar, he'd undoubtedly reward his loyalty.
Best: Giving His Marriage A Chance
By marrying Gisla, Rollo secured his position among the Franks. While he gladly accepted King Charles' offer to marry his daughter, Gisla had to be dragged into the marriage kicking and screaming.
It all looked like this might just be yet another miserable marriage, but they turned out to have one of which cannot be said about his former flings, such as Siggy.
Worst: Leaving Siggy Behind
Leaving Siggy behind wasn't even a conscious decision on Rollo's part, which just goes to show how little he cared about her. She, in return, was the only one who had faith in him when he was feeling defeated and tried to motivate him to live up to his potential.
Little good did that do her. Rollo left and she ended up dying while saving Ragnar's kids from drowning in frozen water.
Best: Offering Land To His People
After he had settled down in Frankia, Rollo couldn't change the past. To his people, he was a betrayer. But he could change the future and that's exactly what he decided he would try to do.
He offered Lagertha and Bjorn his protection, as well as parts of his land, but it was too late to mend the relationship, as far as they were concerned.
Worst: He Sided With Ivar Instead Of Bjorn & Lagertha
The fact that Rollo decided to side with Ivar rather than Bjorn and Lagertha makes absolutely no sense, considering he was madly in love with Lagertha in the past and Bjorn was their son.
While he agreed to help on the condition that Bjorn isn't hurt, it was very naive of him to trust somebody as vindictive as Ivar. The results of this allegiance was devastating: Ivar took over Kattegat.
Best: Telling Bjorn That He's His Father
While Bjorn certainly wasn't glad to hear that he was Rollo's son, the confession gave Rollo some peace of mind. He was clearly burdened by the secret for all those years.
Even though it didn't really matter in the end and Bjorn remained hostile towards Rollo, Rollo at least didn't have to wonder "what if" for the rest of his life.
Worst: He Chose Frankia Over His People
The worst decision Rollo ever made was choosing Frankia over his people. Since he betrayed his own people in the past, Rollo was ostracized within his community.
Deciding to move to Paris was therefore an opportunity to start a new life, but as it turned out, the past kept haunting him, even though he made quite the name for himself in his newfound homeland.