Spartacus: Blood and Sand/Characters


Spartacus: Blood and Sand

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Spartacus

"Forge your own path, or join with us, and together we shall see Rome tremble."
Played By: Andy Whitfield, Liam McIntyre

  • Badass
  • Battle Couple: First with Sura, then with Mira.
  • Butt Monkey: When he first arrives in Batiatus' service.
  • Cruel Mercy: He spares Ilithyia's life after letting her know her husband would rather kill him than save her, and that he doesn't really love her.
  • Cultured Badass: Beats Baitatus in a friendly game of chess.
  • Determinator
  • Dual-Wielding: After he kills Theokoles, Batiatus makes him learn this style as in-universe invocation of Rule of Cool.
    • Awesome but Impractical: He largely drops the style in Vengeance, instead preferring to use one sword and one free hand for defense.
  • Fire-Forged Friends: With Crixus, by season's end.
  • The Hero
  • Honor Before Reason
  • If You Kill His Wife You Will be Just Like Him.
  • Knight in Sour Armor
  • The Lost Lenore: Twice. First his wife, then Mira.
  • Made of Iron
  • The Mourning After: Ultimately dooms his relationship with Mira.
  • No Name Given: His Thracian name is never revealed. Batiatus labels him Spartacus, after a legendary Thracian king, because Glaber never bothered to learn his name. Afterwards they make a point of never letting him utter his original name in order to separate him from his past life.
  • No One Gets Left Behind: As he puts it, if a single life has no value then no-one's does.
  • The Other Darrin
  • Perma-Stubble
  • Red Baron: The Bringer of Rain.
  • Reluctant Warrior
  • Revenge Before Reason: He has a problem with this when it comes to avenging Sura, as both Mira and Crixus point out. First by trying to kill Batiatus, despite Mira telling him will result in every single slave being killed for it. In Vengeance he has apparently learned his lesson by moving against Glaber alone, so no one else will die. Mira calls him out for not thinking of how the rebellion would suffer with him dead; and Crixus points out that Spartacus has again not thought of the Roman reprisal. Killing a praetor would result in Rome sending an entire army, which they cannot fight.
  • Super Mode/Unstoppable Rage: Spartacus sometimes goes into a sort of battle trance where he is nigh unbeatable. Batiatus and Lucretia describe it as him fighting "like a man possessed by the gods themselves", and Ashur echoes it in season two, stating that calling in a second squad of soldiers would be pointless as "Spartacus is possessed by the gods". Given the series has a bit of Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane going on, they could be right about that. Or he could be just that much of a badass.

Quintus Lentulas Batiatus

"I see things in men that they themselves have lost, small spark, an ember, I give it breath, tender, until it ignites in the arena."
Played By: John Hannah

Lucretia

Played By: Lucy Lawless

Doctore/Oenomaus

"It is never an easy thing to see a friend once loved, now absent breath."
Played By: Peter Mensah

Crixus

"I will not die a faceless slave forgotten by history."
Played By: Manu Bennett

Ashur

"Whatever you need, Ashur provides."
Played By: Nick Tarabay

  • Arch Enemy: To Crixus.
  • Beard of Evil: SUBVERTED. He loses the beard in Episode 6 of Vengeance and almost instantly becomes MORE evil.
  • Berserk Button: Not getting any credit for all of the dirty work he does. Do not slap or touch his face, either.
  • Combat Pragmatist: He's just not skilled enough to win fighting honorably. So he doesn't. He will throw dirt in your eyes, remove your eye, use surprise attacks, concealed weapons, and any other dirty trick he can to walk away from a fight alive.
    • Subverted minorly in Vengance, outside of a single dirty tactic he managed to more than hold his own against Glaber's men.
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • The Dragon: To Glaber in Vengeance. After killing his original Dragon.
  • Dirty Coward
  • Evil Cripple
  • Evil Genius: Served as this for Batiatus; his cunning was crucial to Batiatus' plans.
  • Evil Gloating: On occasion, and doing it once too often leads to his well-deserved death. You'd think such a savvy character would know better.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has nasty burn scars on his left shoulder from where he got tossed out of a ring of fire by Crixus.
  • Karmic Death: Gets exactly what he deserves. While fighting Naevia who he has raped before, he gets too cocky. Naevia castrates him and then cuts his head off.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Even when he was a gladiator, he usually had to resort to trickery to win.
  • Marital Rape License
  • Not So Harmless: The other Gladiators tend not to take him too seriously. This is a mistake.
    • Gods of the Arena show that while he desired to be a gladiator, he was not a very good one. He eventually won matches in the arena, but was usually outclassed and had to resort to trickery to win. The other gladiators apparently remembered that he wasn't a good fighter, and forgot that he was very good at killing people with deception.
    • Though even as a cripple, he managed to hold his own in a fist fight with Varro.
  • Overshadowed by Awesome: Driven home in Vengeance. While he's outmatched by other gladiators in previous series, he's still much tougher than your average soldier. He takes on a squad of Glaber's men to prove a point and ends up beating four of them to near-death.
  • Smug Snake
  • Took a Level in Badass: A pretty big one as of Vengeance.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: Again, in Vengeance.
  • The Dog Bites Back: Once he regains good favor he is quick to repay Lucretia for past insults.
  • Third Person Person: Tends to refer to himself this way.

Ilithyia

Played By: Viva Bianca

Gaius Claudius Glaber

Played By: Craig Parker

  • Arch Enemy: To Spartacus. Interestingly, he doesn't see Spartacus the same way until he starts projecting all his problems onto the man.
  • Badass: For all his shortcomings, and they are many, he's proven that he has some serious chops when it comes to combat, holding his own in a brief sword fight with Spartacus and dodging a spear that would have gone straight through his skull.
  • Bigger Bad: In Season 1. He seems to be the Big Bad in Vengeance.
  • Defiant to the End: Tells Spartacus that his death will only mean legions will come to hunt and kill Spartacus. Spartacus's response is to put a sword through his mouth.
  • Dude, Where's My Respect?: In Vengeance he learns that despite his rank and armies, he is not respected or liked by the Senate. Ilithyia's father in particular doesn't like him.
    • Thing is, where as with Batiatus and Ashur we see they are cunning and resourceful enough to be deserving some of the respect they're denied, with Glaber, it really comes as no surprise he's thought of as a joke.
  • Family Values Villain: Defied.
  • Faux Affably Evil: Seems like a nice enough guy in the pilot episode...for about 10 minutes.
  • General Ripper
  • Incoming Ham
  • Jerkass
  • Kick the Dog: Take your pick. When he taunts Spartacus over his wife's likely multiple rapes as a slave? Or when he strikes his wife and leaves her to the mercy of Lucretia and Batiatus.
  • Knight Templar
  • Smug Snake
  • You Have Failed Me...: Him pulling this on Ashur is only narrowly subverted.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness

Varro

Played By: Jai Anthony

  • Badass: He certainly has his moments.
  • Fatal Family Photo: of course no picture is involved, but when Varro makes up with his wife and can dream again of a happy reunion...his days are numbered.
  • The Gambler
  • Heroic Sacrifice: When Spartacus is ordered to kill him, he cannot. Varro, knowing Spartacus will be punished for disobedience if he doesn't, grabs his wrist and forces his sword into his chest.
  • Nice Guy
  • The Lancer
  • Trapped by Gambling Debts: The reason why he, a Roman citizen, became a gladiator.

Barca

Played By: Antonio Te Maioha

Sura

Played By: Erin Cummings

  • Action Girl: She can handle a sword and does a good job holding off four or five armed attackers before Spartacus shows up to help. When plotting his escape, Spartacus considers her combat ability an asset to get by the guards.
  • Battle Couple: Briefly, but if Spartacus' escape plan is anything to go by it's apparently happened a few times before.
  • Dead Wife
  • Dead Person Conversation
  • The Lost Lenore

Naevia

Played By: Lesley-Ann Brandt, Cynthia Addai-Robinson

  • Ambiguously Brown: Season 1
  • Beautiful Slave Girl: Subverted, Lucretia protects her virginity, if only so she will be worth more later. She is eventually given to Ashur. To Lucretia's disgust and Crixus' rage.
  • Broken Bird
  • Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like: Believing that Crixus died so that she could escape, and knowing how many others died in the attempt, she angrily chastises the rebels for throwing away so much to rescue her. Notably, she chastises Agron, who was the one opposed to the rescue from the start. When he tells her this, she says he should have tried harder to talk them out of it.
  • The Other Darrin
  • Secret Relationship: At first with Crixus.
  • Star-Crossed Lovers: With Crixus.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Learning sword fighting with Crixus and castrating and killing Ashur who started her descent into hell.

Mira

Played By: Katrina Law

  • Action Girl
  • The Archer
  • Badass: Yes, she became one.
  • Battle Couple: With Spartacus in Vengeance.
  • Beautiful Slave Girl: Was most likely used as one by the ludus, and is repeatedly sent to Spartacus to act as one. To his credit, he turns her down as she is not there willingly; and it's implied this what made her fall in love with him, and eventually become his willing lover.
  • Knife Nut: She uses knives before she becomes The Archer. Played somewhat realistically, in that she is outclassed by the trained gladiators and Roman soldiers.
  • Mythology Gag: The scene introducing her to Spartacus bears striking similarity to the introduction of Spartacus and Varinia in Spartacus, possibly Foreshadowing their future relationship.
  • Only Sane Man: In Vengeance. Spartacus wants revenge, Agron wants to fight, and Crixus wants to find Naevia. She seems to be the only main character who simply wants to get out of dodge and start a new life while they still can. She's one of the few people that can sway Spartacus.
  • Replacement Love Interest: To Spartacus for Sura, though Word of God is that Sura will always be his one true love. Katrina Law believes that Mira loves Spartacus because he still loves his wife deeply.
  • Team Mom: In Vengeance.
  • Sacrificial Lion
  • Too Good for This Sinful Earth
  • Took a Level in Badass: She has gone from a slavegirl/concubine in Blood and Sand to having a pretty impressive killcount building up in Vengeance.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Calls Spartacus out on his selfishness, it's a sign of how close they are that he lets her get away with it.
    • Vengeance gives us this gem:

Mira: We need a leader! Not some angry boy who can barely piss without spraying everyone around him!

    • While she's chewing out Spartacus for almost getting himself killed, the line refers to Agron; had Spartacus died, he would have been the angry boy left to lead them.

Agron

Played By: Daniel Feuerriegel

  • Aloof Big Brother: An interesting example, in that he doesn't seem to be aloof at all; if anything, his temper is worse than his brother's, and his major story in Blood and Sand deals with him learning to stop being overprotective of Duro.
  • Bash Brothers: In Blood and Sand with his brother.
  • Catch Phrase: Fucking Gauls.
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • Gratuitous German
  • Number Two: He seems to be Spartacus' second-in-command in Vengeance.
  • One Head Taller: Than Nasir
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After Duro's death. Stephen DeKnight has stated that his favorite cut scene from the finally involves Agron killing "everyone." His first scene in the second season involves him stabbing a Roman soldier several times, then smashing his head over and over against a rock; apparently, he never got over the "anger" stage of grief.
  • Invisible to Gaydar

Gannicus

Played By: Dustin Clare

  • The Alcoholic
  • Aloof Ally: At first to Spartacus and his rebels in Vengeance.
  • Badass
  • Black Best Friend: Oenomaus.
  • Break the Cutie: He starts out as a devil-may-care gladiator who loves the arena and enjoys all the perks of victory. The rest of Gods of the Arena sees all his joy destroyed, as he receives no credit or standing for seemingly impossible victories, is forced to withstand various humiliations just because he's the best, is used as a pawn in the brutal chess game between Batiatus and Tullius, and his relationship with his only true friends is poisoned. He eventually loses his faith in the house of Batiatus, noting that he no longer fights for it or considers it worth dying for. Even the finale, where he receives much-deserved freedom, leaves him adrift, with no idea where he should go or what he should do.
  • Dual-Wielding
  • I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Haunted by inadvertently causing the death of Melitta, the only woman he ever truly loved.
    • In Vengeance, it's the death of a Hooker with a Heart of Gold he had grown fond of that drives him to side with Spartacus. He had tried to convince her to leave with him, while she had spoke too loudly about joining Spartacus' rebellion, and ended up crucified by Glaber's men.
  • The Lancer: Of Spartacus' generals.
  • Really Gets Around: Brothels to be exact.
  • Secret Relationship: Had a budding one with Melitta.

Recurring

Medicus

Played By: David Austin

Marcus Decius Solonius

Played By: Craig Walsh-Wrightson

Pietros

Played By: Eka Darville

Titus Calavius

Played By: John Bach

Numerius Calavius

Played By: Lliam Powell

Duro

Played By: Ande Cunningham

Marcus

Played By: Luke Pegler

  • Attack! Attack! Attack!: Unfortunately for him, Reality Ensues.
  • Badass Normal: Gets into not one but two swordfights with Spartacus without being killed instantly.
  • Bad Boss: By the end of episode 4, you'd be forgiven for thinking that he wants his men to all get killed.
  • The Dragon: Subverted – turns out he's more of a Mook Lieutenant. He is, however, the only fallen soldier that Glaber actually mourns.
  • General Failure: Refuses to change his tactics even after Spartacus slaughters several of his patrols piecemeal.
  • Honour Before Reason: After being wounded, he calls out for his last squad of reinforcements. Ashur knows that they won't make any difference, but Marcus seems to think dying to the last man is better than letting Spartacus escape. Ashur doesn't agree, so he kills him.
  • Modern Major-General: Has some clever ideas off the battlefield, but proves to be an utterly inept commander. Perhaps Truth in Television, since a lot of Roman commanders were politicians rather than soldiers.

Salvius

Played By: Paul Glover

  • Genre Savvy: When the heroes show up, his usual response is to take cover. Perfectly justified due to his experience in episode 5.

Salvius: "Kill them!" *Charges in and suffers an immediate One Hit KO*

  • Interrupted Intimacy: You've got to admire his poker face when he walks in on Glaber cheating on his wife with Seppia, to report the kidnapping of said wife no less.
  • Mook Lieutenant: Takes over this role after Marcus is killed.
  • Not in the Face: Happens to him repeatedly, first by Spartacus, then by Ashur, and then by Spartacus again ( presumably fatally) in the finale.
  • Throwing Your Sword Always Works: An unusual villainous example, though subverted. Spartacus is fast enough to dodge it, but Mira (who was behind him) isn't.
  • Villainous Valour: In Balance, he saves Glaber's life from Spartacus, despite being disarmed at the time. He is also the last man standing in Glaber's defence in the finale.
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