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Villain Overview

They say there are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true. The other is to refuse to believe what is. Maces and Talons. I began playing with my grandfather when I was just a boy. I always insisted upon being the honorable Viking chief. I could never understand how he bested me time and time again. (chuckles) For years I assumed his skill transcended mine. I believed what wasn't true, but you see, in Maces and Talons, as in life, the line between good and evil is often unclear. Black and White can become grey so easily. What one soul considers evil, another might consider righteous. The honorable chief who fails to see this is found to be... the fool.
~ Viggo Grimborn's most famous qoute.

Viggo Grimborn is a major antagonist in Dragons: Race to the Edge, an animated TV series set in the Dreamworks How to Train Your Dragon franchise. He is the younger brother of Ryker Grimborn and the genius chieftain of the Dragon Hunters, who wants to obtain the Dragon Eye and wipe out dragon kind to sell them. He is one of Hiccup's former archenemies, alongside Dagur the Deranged.

He is voiced by Alfred Molina, who also played Satipo in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Reverend Leland Drury in White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf, Snidely Whiplash in Dudley Do-Right, Johann Tetzel in Luther, Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man: No Way Home, Bishop Manuel Aringarosa in The Da Vinci Code, Professor Jeffries in Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!, Maxim Horvath in The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Ke-Pa in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service radio drama adaptation, Rippen in Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero, Destiny in Justice League Dark, Lasombra in Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie, Mr. Freeze in Harley Quinn, The Duke in Solar Opposites and Mictlan in Maya and the Three.

Appearance

Viggo wears a black 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 had short, black hair and brown eyes. He also sported a goatee. Viggo has three scars on the left side of his neck. He gains a terrible burn mark on the left side of his face after falling inside a volcano. He has also ended up losing sight in his left eye, and is missing almost all of his left eyebrow.

Personality

Viggo knows everything there is to know about dragons, clashes with Hiccup and the riders over the Dragon Eye, which has belonged to his tribe for centuries. Unlike his brother, Ryker, he is very smart, and provides more on strategy and manipulation rather than strength.

He also gets frustrated by Ryker's lack of vision. Viggo is a master tactician, and uses his intellect to outwit his enemies. Unlike all the other villains in the franchise, Viggo is more relaxed when the situation is not under control.

Viggo is willing to make sacrifices to get what he wants. He let his own men die from the Scourge of Odin just so he could capture the Buffalord. While Hiccup is an adversary, the two of them share a mutual respect, to the point where he asks him for help to get revenge on the Hunters as he now sees Hiccup's belief of what dragons truly are.

Biography

Season 2

Viggo was first mentioned by Heather when they debated as to the fate of Astrid Hofferson and her fellow dragon riders, knowing he would want them alive. Astrid told the other riders that Viggo was the true leader of the Dragon Hunters instead of Ryker. According to Heather, he works in the shadows and everyone is afraid of him, including his brother, Ryker. He was mentioned again when Ryker, Dagur, and their forces failed in attacking Dragon's Edge.

Viggo made his first appearance when he met Dagur and Heather for the first time. During the meeting, one of the hunters was discovered to have been stealing the inventory. While it appeared Viggo forgave him, the hunter was taken away to be punished. Viggo spoke to Heather alone about 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, 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 Maces and Talons on his abandoned ship, with pieces representing him, Hiccup and Heather, as a challenge for Hiccup.

While waiting for the Dragon Riders to strike, Viggo had Heather locked up, took in preparations for the Flightmare, and even played a live version of Maces and Talons with Dagur. At first, Dagur gains the upper hand, but Viggo nevertheless wins, showing his readiness to make sacrifices. Viggo hid among the trapped dragons where he encounters Hiccup, who was searching for Heather. His men manage to paralyze Hiccup and Toothless, 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 sights on selling and killing every dragon, including Toothless.

Season 3

Viggo then had one of his ships infected with the Scourge of Odin in order to create an outbreak to demand a cure. Viggo was able to follow Hiccup and his riders (most likely using the Dragon Eye) to Odin's Respite to capture the last Buffalord. Hiccup then had Toothless threaten Viggo but Viggo threatened to have Ryker kill the Buffalord. Viggo 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. Viggo, realizing that Hiccup knew that the dragon will inflate once it's away from its island, ordered Ryker to free the dragon.

Viggo began a mining operation, using Catastrophic Quakens, to build a dragon-proof metal fortress on his island. However, before it was completed, the Riders managed to free the Quakens and use them to destroy the structure. Viggo began to realize the threat the Riders were to his plans.

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, told them it was a trap Viggo set up to lure them in, but know 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 killed in the battle. Before his death, Dagur left a note for Heather telling her about Viggo's dragon auctions.

Viggo soon planned an auction, where he was expecting a "special guest". 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 which 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 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 was 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 they still saved all the dragons.

After several confrontations, Viggo invited Hiccup to meet on a remote island. It was covered in blue oleander flowers, thus preventing Toothless to get close. Once he arrived, Viggo offered Hiccup 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 worshippers. However, they soon found out Viggo used the Riders as a distraction so his men could capture their dragon protector, the Eruptodon.

Season 4

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 Dragon's 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 which failed.

After Hiccup and his riders crippled several of his operations in the east, 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 when they found an unknown dragon pretending to be ill. The Hunters tried trick the dragon into thinking that they are his friends in order to bring it to Viggo. But the dragon, a 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. 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 rescue 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.

When Ruff and Tuff go to fix their broken mace 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 chief.

When Hiccup and the Dragon Riders along with Stoick, Gobber and the auxiliary riders and Dagur and Heather attacked, Viggo told them that Ryker and the Dragon Hunters betrayed him. They were vary 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 cast the Dragon Eye into the volcano.

Viggo quickly chased 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 fell screaming to his fake fiery demise yelling "No! Hiccup.". After that, the volcano erupted, eliminating whatever trace of Viggo might have been left.

Season 5

However, Viggo manages to survive the fall but gains a burned mark on his face and a blinded eye. He soon forms a partnership with Krogan (the second-in-command of Drago Bludvist's army) and the two of them lead the Dragon Hunters during the events of season 5. And they took over the base also for some time. Eventually, a battle ensues between the Dragon Riders and their allies and the Dragon Hunters & Flyers. Eventually thanks to Hiccup and Spitelout, the Dragon Fliers present were incapacitated and Viggo and Krogan retreat and were chased by Astrid until she recognized that Viggo was alive and informs the other.

In the final episode of the very season, Viggo and Krogan sees a dragon eye projection after Krogan got a lens from Heather to which he tells to handle it carefully until Johann enters the scene and explains his grand plan to find the King of Dragons, to which they smile at each other.

Season 6

In the first episode of season 6, which directly happens after season 5 cliffhanger, they see that the projection doesn’t lead them to the Bewilderbeast, Viggo says that they need all lenses representing each Dragon class. Krogan suggest to have his men scour every island for the lenses to which Viggo taunts him and they almost get into a bitter fight, but Johann throws soem daggers between them to stop the fight and orders Krogan to send the flyers while asking Viggo what idea is he suggests, to which he tells about the fact that Hiccup has a stockpile of lenses, to which Johann gets and then decides to deal with Hiccup himself.

In “Triple Cross”, Viggo brought Johann to a cave where he claims that the last lens was here, but it turns out it was false and Johann tells the flyers to seal him in. Virgo manages to escape and lured Hiccup into helping him saying that he put red oleander into a fish he gave Toothless and said it was poisonous.

They both went to the Dragon Hunter base, and staged Hiccup to be arrested and was taken to Johann. Johann knew Viggo was up to something and escapes as he unleashes the Zippleback gas.

Hiccup and Viggo came across a room, saying that fooling Johann wasn’t as easy as he thought. Hiccup demands for the antidote, while Viggo says that there isn’t one. Hiccup misunderstands until Viggo says that red oleanders are harmless and said that he now gave up his life of crime. He told Hiccup and Toothless to leave and gave him a pawn from Maces and Talons. He told his Skrill to leave, but he insisted to come. Viggo attacks the Dragon Hunters and the Skrill made an explosion, which killed Viggo.

Powers and Abilities

  • Intelligence: Viggo is an extremely clever and cunning individual and noted by Hiccup as a master of deception, who battles with his intellect. He is an expert at playing Maces & 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. Even till now, he still remans one of the most intelligent characters in the franchise. He once saw Hiccup's fire sword and created his own inventing the idea of Zippleback gas and then lighting it with the sword.
    • Dragon Hunting: Though he rarely puts himself in danger, Viggo is considered an elite Dragon Hunter, rivaling Krogan- and perhaps exceeding his older brother, Ryker.
    • 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.
  • Strength and Fighting Skills: Viggo is a strong Warrior: he managed to overpower Heather - a warrior on par with Astrid - effortlessly and with his bare hands. He carries a large sword on the back, which bears a slight resemblance to Hiccup's sword, Inferno. He shown his strength to hold Heather easily but he was stated by his older brother, he is not strong as Ryker.

Appearances

Appearances

Race to the Edge

Season 2

  • Night of the Hunters, Part 2 (mentioned)
  • Snow Way Out (mentioned)
  • Edge of Disaster, Part 1 (mentioned)
  • Maces and Talons, Part 1 (mentioned)
  • Maces and Talons, Part 2 (mentioned)

Season 3

  • Enemy of My Enemy (mentioned)
  • Crash Course (mentioned)
  • Follow the Leader (mentioned)
  • Buffalord Soldier
  • A Grim Retreat (mentioned)
  • To Heather or Not To Heather (mentioned)
  • Between a Rock and a Hard Place
  • Family on the Edge (mentioned)
  • Last Auction Heroes
  • Defenders of the Wing, Part 1

Season 4

  • Defenders of the Wing, Part 2
  • Midnight Scrum (mentioned)
  • Saving Shattermaster (mentioned)
  • Dire Straits
  • The Longest Day (mentioned)
  • Gold Rush
  • Twintuition
  • Shell Shocked, Part 1
  • Shell Shocked, Part 2

Season 5

  • Living On the Edge (mentioned)
  • Sandbusted (mentioned)
  • Return of Thor Bonecrusher
  • Dawn of Destruction
  • The Wings of War, Part 1
  • The Wings of War, Part 2
  • Sins of the Past

Season 6

  • In Plain Sight
  • Loyal Order of Ingerman (mentioned)
  • Mi Amore Wing (mentioned)
  • Triple Cross
  • Darkest Night (in the "What If?" scenarios)

Quotes

Was I not a worthy adversary? Don't answer that. Your surrender speaks volumes. Turn over what you stole from me, what has belonged to my tribe for centuries and I will give serious thought into letting you and your friends go free.
~ Viggo to Hiccup.
Welcome, brother. You must be weary. The Dragon Trade is exhausting business. Even more so when profits wean when inventory goes missing.
~ Viggo to Ryker.
We're not animals.
~ Viggo after sparing one of his men.
Come. Walk with me.
~ Viggo to 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.
~ Viggo
A man will never know how far he's willing to go until he steps to the edge and looks down. Wouldn't you agree?
~ Viggo speaking with Heather.
I've always hated the use of metaphors.
~ Viggo
He's called the imposter. Some call him the traitor. I thought you should have it, as a parting gift. Pity really. I had hoped you'd be a better adversary. And after we got of to such a smashing start…
~ Viggo to Heather.
I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you. You're no Dragon Hunter, my dear. Aw. Don't despair. At least your friends will all be dead by the time we arrive.
~ Viggo to Heather.
Welcome Hiccup.
~ Viggo to Hiccup.
Stop thinking! All thinking has been done! You simply need to do what you're told! Follow orders! Can you do that?
~ Viggo to Dagur.
A player has to be willing to sacrifice every one of his players to be victorious. Every one. Pieces as with people are expendable. No one is irreplaceable.
~ Viggo to Dagur.
Game over.
~ Viggo to Dagur.
Show them no mercy! But safeguard our prize!
~ Viggo ordering his men.
I knew I recognized him! He's a Dragon Rider! Seize Him! Seize them all!
~ Viggo discovers Snotlout.
Assuming this is all Berk's gold, I'm guessing that Berk will take quite the hit on it bottom line. That is most unfortunate. But please not it is all going to a wonderful cause…as are your Dragons! All of them!
~ Viggo
A man has to take precautions.
~ Viggo
Hiccup, I'm not unreasonable. I have no desire to rule the world like… some people.
~ Viggo to Hiccup.
When Johann and Krogan left me for dead, a Monstrous Nightmare saved me. I spent my whole life hunting dragons, killing them. And I've come to respect them as equals. You taught me that, Hiccup. That's the final irony, I suppose.
~ Viggo's redemption.

Trivia

  • The name "Viggo" means "war" or "battle".
  • Viggo bears a strong resemblance to Maxim Horvath, a villain who was also played by Molina in The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Molina even uses the same accent when voicing him.
    • Coincidentally, Jay Baruchel also starred in this movie, and it premiered the same year as How to Train Your Dragon.
  • Despite being less muscular than his older brother, Ryker, he is of the same height, 6'4.
  • In How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, it is possible Hiccup indirectly mentioned Viggo when the said "We've dealt with this kind before." when Eret describes about Grimmel the Grisly. This would make Viggo one of the few characters introduced in the TV series to be referenced in the movie. Also, many fans have pointed out, even complained, about the uncanny similarities between Grimmel and Viggo.
  • Viggo share similarities with Zuko from the Avatar franchise.
    • Both were enemies to the main characters (Viggo with Hiccup and Zuko with 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).
    • Differences: Viggo died, while Zuko lives.

External Links

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           How to Train Your Dragon logo Villains

Outcast Tribe
Alvin the Treacherous (DreamWorks) | Excellinor the Witch | Mildew | Savage | Thugheart

Northern Alliance
Drago Bludvist | Drago's Bewilderbeast | Eret | Warlords

Dragon Flyers
Krogan | Mr. Murderous Pile of Yak Dung | Flyer Leader

Berserker Tribe
Chief Berserk | Dagur the Deranged | Savage | Frozen Skrill

Dragon Hunters
Johann | Viggo Grimborn | Ryker Grimborn | Cleve | Ingar Ingerman | Dragon Hunter Commander | Fight Master

Dragons
Green Death | Purple Death | Furious | Venomous Vorpent | Exterminators | Red Death | Toothless' Nemesis | Frozen Skrill | Screaming Death | Rogue Submaripper | Firecomb Crasher | Hookfang's Nemesis | Drago's Bewilderbeast | Grimmel's Deathgrippers | Slinkwing Trio (Lurke, Vizza & Snoop) | Fault Ripper | Thunder's Nemesis | Flame Throwers | Sky Torcher | Jörmungandr

Others
Grimbeard the Ghastly | Fat Consul | Kidnappers | Norbert the Nutjob | Hairy Scary Librarian | Snotface Snotlout | Amos | Calder | Gruffnut Thorston | Grimmel the Grisly | Magnus Finke | Axel Finke | Waldondo del Mundo | Erik the Wretched | Svetlana the Sly | Arno | Leonard Burne | Wilma Sledkin | Eir Stormheart | Nikora Stormheart

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