From his marriage to his murder of Athelstan, these are Floki's best and worst choices on Vikings - and there are plenty of both!

Floki is certainly not a simple man - among the rest of the Vikings, who are often straightforward warriors or power-hungry manipulators, Floki is entirely his own beast. He prefers to distance himself from his own people (except Ragnar), considers himself a descendant of Loki, and clearly brings that trickster energy to everything he does.

However, he is far more than just a strange semi-hermit and a boat builder. He is one of Ragnar's closest friends, a deeply religious man who often speaks for the gods, and a brilliant inventor whose work can change the course of battles. So which of his decisions made things better for everyone, and which were the worst in the series?

Best: Building Ragnar His Boat

In the earlier seasons of the show, Floki is primarily a boat-builder and Ragnar's friend, and the work he does for Ragnar changes everything. The future King of Kattegat dreams of crossing the ocean, but no one thinks it can be done - until Floki is able to build him a boat that will withstand the voyage. By the end of the series, it's difficult to remember a time when the Vikings weren't exploring the world, but before Floki's boat, they raided only among their own people and local lands.

Worst: Counselling Ragnar

While some of Floki's advice to Ragnar made sense, a lot of the time, he would often advise his friend based on his own ideas of what the gods would want - or what he, himself wanted. Floki was often jealous and possessive of Ragnar, and advised him against plans that were best for Kattegat or Ragnar (like negotiating in Wessex for Athelstan and Rollo) because they weren't best for Floki.

Best: Marrying Helga

Helga may not have been perfect, but she was an incredible partner for Floki. When he was being punished by Ragnar, and tortured in a cave, she was there, daily, keeping him alive.

She helped to anchor him, and to take care of him, she helped bring him into the world more and to reassure him when he needed it. She was a phenomenal partner, and he wouldn't have lasted without her.

Worst: Refused To Have Ragnar At His Wedding

Admittedly, Loki left Ragnar out of his wedding because he was playing a long game, setting up a relationship with King Horik and attempting to show that he was unhappy with Ragnar by distancing himself. However, it was still heartbreaking to fans to see him get married without Ragnar at his side, and while Floki may have been distancing himself intentionally at some points, it also seemed as though this created real, lasting distance too.

Best: Was A Double Agent With Horik

For a while there, it seemed as though Floki was truly upset and disillusioned with Ragnar (and it's arguable that in many ways, he was). However, it eventually came to light that Floki's cozying up to King Horik wasn't because he was actually abandoning Ragnar, but because he was acting as a double agent for him. He was the one who eventually revealed Horik's plans to kill Ragnar, saving the family in the process.

Worst: Kept Himself Apart From His Family

Loki always saw himself as someone who would live alone, but his love for Helga changed that - however, even after they were married, he didn't want children. Possibly because of this, he kept himself separate, often cutting himself off from Helga, and when their child was born, he kept himself at a distance too.

It would have been better to see Floki really connect with his own child, and later, had he spent more time with the child Helga 'adopted' (kidnapped), perhaps he could have either convinced Helga to take her home, or convinced her to find peace with her new place... instead, she killed Helga and then herself.

Best: Saw The Good In Ivar

Ivar, like Floki himself, is a complex character - often seen as strange and even frightening, and capable of doing terrible things... but capable of great things, too. It's not too surprising, then, that Floki and Ivar had a true connection, and Ivar ended up being more of a son to Floki than his own children seemed to be at times. Perhaps if more people had treated Ivar as Floki did, his path would have been very different.

Worst: Trying To Settle Iceland

Floki has always been an explorer, and his decision to set out in a boat on his own was a surprisingly perfect one for the character. Finding Iceland, and connecting to his gods there would have been a good end in itself. However, his decision to try and bring settlers back with him to colonize Iceland was a disastrous one. It led to the death of far too many, as the settlers fought, and nearly killed Ubbe, Torvi, and their followers too.

Best: Leaving Iceland

For a little while, fans believed that Floki had actually died in Iceland, as his last appearance was in a cave, as it collapsed around him. After that, various people claimed he had simply left, or perhaps been secretly killed, but no one knew for sure... until the very end, when Ubbe and Torvi find him in North America.

Here, Floki is seen finally at peace - or as close to it as he will come. He lives alone, high in the trees, carving and building and finally getting to remove himself from the world and into nature. This was, by far, the best decision he made in the final seasons of the show.

Worst: Killing Athelstan

There is little doubt that the worst thing Floki did in the entire series was to murder Athelstan, out of jealousy, rage, and a refusal to accept his faith. Floki's hatred and distrust of the monk-turned-Viking was unfounded, unfair, and the death he doled out was brutal and violent. And, of course, his murder of Athelstan permanently changed Ragnar, and his relationship with the man who was once his closest friend.

NEXT: After Vikings - What The 10 Main Actors Are Doing Next