By now, hopefully your tears have dried. The live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon, starring Gerard Butler, Mason Thames, and Nico Parker, was beyond faithful to its original animated 2010 counterpart. And just like the original film, it was truly an emotional rollercoaster. In it, we follow Hiccup (Thames) a gangly, slightly awkward young Viking from the village of Berk, who also just so happens to be the son of the village chief, Stoick the Vast (Butler). In Berk, defeating the dragons is the way of life. The creatures often frequent their village and threaten everyone’s safety. Hiccup’s late mother even fell victim to a dragon attack years before the film's start, which only further stressed the detestation Hiccup’s father has for the breed. After growing tired of Hiccup’s physical fighting inadequacies, Stoick enrolls his son in dragon-fighting class, where he continues to lag.
You see, Hiccup’s strengths lie more in the craftsmanship department, and after creating a weapon that successfully strikes down a rare dragon, called the Night Fury, his talents are affirmed. But instead of killing this Night Fury, Hiccup strikes up a friendship with him, naming him Toothless. Just a teenage outcast and his dragon companion, a classic pairing. So read along to revisit what goes down for these two by the movie’s conclusion!
What happens to Hiccup and the Red Death dragon?
After Hiccup employs a creative fight strategy, he takes down the (honestly terrifying) Red Death in a dramatic and fiery showdown, and the dragon collapses into the sea. Hiccup didn’t leave unscathed. He’s nearly killed during the battle. But in the true spirit of human/dragon friendship, Toothless heroically saves Hiccup by shielding him from flames. Hiccup still ends up losing his lower leg. At the film’s end, Hiccup wakes up to find he has a prosthetic leg, but also a community of villagers with a newfound respect for him. And audiences should read the parallel here. Throughout the film, Toothless struggles with a damaged tailfin, and Hiccup uses his handyman capabilities to craft tools that help Toothless soar despite his challenge. Now that Hiccup’s in a vulnerable place physically, Toothless is on hand to support him through his own physical issue. Truly one of the most iconic onscreen friendships out there.
What happens to the Vikings of Berk?
Despite years of animosity between the Vikings and the dragons, the film ends on a harmonious note. Under Hiccup’s leadership, the community evolves, and Berk becomes a place where humans and dragons coexist harmoniously. There’s a truly touching scene that shows the dragons living among the villagers in sweet peace—they’re helping with all of the daily tasks, and have come a long way from their reign of terror on the villagers.
At face value, this is a story about human-dragon beef, but there are plenty of messages to be drawn from How to Train Your Dragon about overcoming prejudice, and how empathy and collaboration beget better results than fighting does. It’s also a healthy reminder to never sleep on the underdog. They might just carry life-saving tools.
