Character subpage for Spartacus: Blood and Sand. See here for the main character index.
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Marcus Licinius Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus (Simon Merrells)
Dubbed by: Frédéric van den Driessche (European French)
"A man's true enemy is doubt, a thing I would not carry into battle against Spartacus."
Marcus Licinius Crassus is the richest man in Rome and a senator of the Republic. Envied and despised by the highborn among the Senate, he craves the power and respect that defeating Spartacus and his rebel army would bring him.
- Abusive Parents: A large part of why Tiberius is as messed up as he is stems from the way Crassus force feeds him contradictory lessons about how important it is to be honorable yet ruthless, obedient yet self-serving and loyal but willing to kill those you are loyal to.
- The Ace: Crassus is rich, politically powerful, highly intelligent, has a firm grasp of military strategy, personal combat and is capable of accepting minor losses in the present for a better position in the future. He is the quintessential Roman Renaissance Man.
- Action Dad: To both his sons, but particularly Tiberius, who he takes with him on his campaign against Spartacus.
- Affably Evil: Genuinely nice to his slaves, generally charming and polite but also a scheming politician and a brutal fighter. Is not so much evil as a firm believer of I Did What I Had to Do.
- Animal Motifs: His emblem is the bull.
- Anti-Villain: His goal is to end a slave rebellion that is hacking, slashing, pillaging and raping their way through Roman land, and his actions reflect this, without being un-necessarily cruel or brutal by Roman standards.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Crassus shows his ability to stand and fight against gladiators in personal combat, in a level matched on the Roman side perhaps only by Caesar.
- Bad Boss: Reconstructed, while he is harsh to his troops, it's to ensure that they fear their commanders more than the enemy and are thus willing to give their all to win a battle.
- Benevolent Boss: He respects and values his slaves, a stark contrast to the other Roman villains.
- Bare-Handed Blade Block: He ends his fight against his enslaved gladiator training partner with this move.
- Big Bad: Of War of the Damned.
- Brainy Brunette
- Celebrity Resemblance: Simon Merells does look a fair bit like the real Crassus.
- Chekhov's Gunman: He was mentioned by the Romans a lot during the first two seasons.
- Chekhov's Skill: Ultimately subverted. The neat trick he displays in S 4 E 1 that allows him to best his gladiator slave and win the fight? Doesn't work against Spartacus.
- The Chessmaster: He manages to outmaneuver Spartacus, the series' premiere Chessmaster, partly because he doesn't underestimate Spartacus as being "just a rebellious slave" like his predecessors did.
- Cultured Badass: As one expects of an extremely rich Roman senator.
- Four-Star Badass: A general who can kick all sorts of ass.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: While the other members of the Roman senate seem to respect his skills, they blatantly show and voice their dislike for him.
- Genius Bruiser: One of the most intelligent characters on the show, and an extremely high level of ability in personal combat.
- Glass Cannon: While he can definitely go toe-to-toe against champion-level gladiators, his defensive skills are notably lackluster, especially while on a horse. He complements this by being a Genius Bruiser.
- Hilarus actually stated this while training him. Crassus later on responded with the latter.
Hilarus: "You are quick of study. Yet you are open flank to injury."Crasuss: "Knowledge and patience. The only counter to (an opponent with) greater skill." - Glory Seeker: One reason he's fighting Spartacus is that he wants the fame and adulation that comes from defeating public enemy number one.
- Good Parents: Played with. Most of the time, he is a strict but fair father who tells his son off for making mistakes, but rewards him as well. However, it's also subverted in that, while he is well-intentioned, he is way too harsh sometimes.note This doesn't have the best effect on Tiberius...see also Abusive Parents above.
- Hard Work Hardly Works: Makes a great point of learning how to fight like a gladiator, which his son Tiberius is scornful of, specifically so that he will be able to face and defeat Spartacus. While he makes a good showing, he was on the verge of losing to Spartacus when the latter was actually brought down by spears thrown from behind by Roman Soldiers. In a further show of irony, Tiberius, who scorned the idea learning to fight "like a slave", actually managed to bring down Agron and Crixus, using attacks from behind.
- Hero Killer: Ultimately subverted. Though he puts up a damn good fight against Spartacus in the Grand Finale, Spartacus manages to beat him and it's Crassus' back-up soldiers who inflict the injuries that do him in. And before he can strike the killing blow, Agron and Nasir turn up to knock him on his ass, kill his back-up and carry Spartacus off to die in peace.
- Historical Badass Upgrade: The real Crassus was a lot of things, but he probably wasn't a Master Swordsman who could give a gladiator the fight of his life.
- Historical Domain Character Joker Immunity: Until he is defeated and killed by the Parthians in the disastrous Battle of Carrhae almost 20 years later. But let's not go there.
- Hypocrite: Puts on a great show of being all about the
rule of law and also criticizes his son's attitude that wealth makes them better than other people. However, Crassus himself is not above flouting the law when he feels he is in a position to do so, and he openly uses his wealth as leverage over others. - I Did What I Had to Do: Uses this to justify crucifying Kore. While he understands why she joined the rebels and forgives her for it, too many Romans know that she did for him to spare her.
- Joker Immunity: Due to historical reality he avoids death at the hands of the rebel army.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Crassus eventually becomes ruthless and cruel in his pursuit of fame and glory here.
- Kingpin in His Gym: There's a scene of him sparring with a former gladiator so he can figure out how to fight Spartacus.
- Knight Templar: Has shades of this. Thinks he is the hero from his POV and Spartacus the villain and vice versa from Spartacus' POV. He is much more ruthless in disposing off people who serve him no purpose though.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: He doesn't protest Pompey stealing credit for his victory, accepting that Pompey's claim has already been acknowledged by the Senate and that if he supports it they can be allies. This is in contrast to the historical Crassus, who held a long standing grudge against Pompey after the war(which was eventually mediated by Ceasar, incidentally), and their term as Co-Consul could best be described as Teeth-Clenched Teamwork.
- Last-Name Basis: Everyone generally calls him by his last name, although he permits Kore to call him Marcus in private, demonstrating his deep affection for her.
- The Leader: Is in charge of the hunt for the rebels.
- Mirror Character: Recognizes the similarities between himself and Spartacus. They are both fighting for what they believe in, and see themselves as the hero and the other as the villain.
- In the finale, its alluded that the two could have been friends in alternate lives. Both had great respect for each other despite despising each other's methods. They were even able to parley peacefully and shake hands at the end.
- Crassus says he wishes Spartacus had been a Roman, so they may have stood beside each other, Spartacus replies he considers it a blessing that it was not so. Whatever respect these two men may share for one another's intelligence and competence, their ideals are vastly different.
- In the finale, its alluded that the two could have been friends in alternate lives. Both had great respect for each other despite despising each other's methods. They were even able to parley peacefully and shake hands at the end.
- Moving the Goalposts: Absolutely loves doing this.
- Constantly toys with his son Tiberius like this. Is he supposed to be slavishly obedient to command? Or is he supposed to be daring and innovative? Tiberius himself never does figure out the answer, as Crassus alternately rewards and punishes both behaviors depending on his whim.
- Decides that his own reward for driving the rebels out of Sinuessa should be ownership of the city itself, which comes as quite a shock to Senator Metellus.
- Initially treats Laeta as proper Roman matron, and a key witness to events in Sinuessa. Once he no longer needs her, he casually gives her to Heracleo as a slave using the flimsy argument that she "aided" Spartacus — after he had effectively conquered the city anyway and she was just trying to keep the remaining Roman citizens alive. This was also an exercise in greed on his part, since he was staking a claim to ownership of the city and needed all the former citizens of note gone.
- In a case of Laser-Guided Karma, this ultimately gets done to Crassus himself, as Pompey claims victory in putting down the rebellion, even though the battle was effectively over by the time he and his troops arrived.
- My Country, Right or Wrong: How he justifies slavery while still recognizing slaves' humanity.
- Nepotism: Double Subverted.
- Nice to the Waiter: Treats his slaves quite well by Roman standards.
- Playing with a Trope: It's actually a lot easier to count the tropes that he played straight.
- Pyrrhic Victory: He and his army did defeat Spartacus' army, but Pompey stole the credit and glory, and he loses his eldest son and the woman he loves in the process.
- The Strategist: His pursuit of Spartacus neccessarily involves various tactical and strategic decisions.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Crassus starts as a relatively likable guy for a Roman. As the war weighs on him, he loses this considerably. His having his formerly beloved Kore crucified mostly to save face is really the last indication the old Crassus is gone.
- Übermensch: He fits the description perfectly.
- Under Estimating Badassery: He takes Spartacus seriously, to the point of having tunnel vision towards him. He underestimates those who follow him, such as Crixus. And then subverted.
- Unseen No More: Mentioned throughout the show since the first season to obviously set-up him up as the Final Boss.
- Worthy Opponent: Considers Spartacus as such, in contrast to Batiatus and Glaber.
Gaius Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar (Todd Lasance)
"Must Julius Fucking Caesar risk life to kill every last rebel himself?"
Julius Caesar is a young rogue from an esteemed lineage. He will join along side with Marcus Licinius Crassus as the devoted antagonist. His deadly intelligence and leadership will be brought to bear against the rebellion as he begins his ascent towards the all-powerful ruler he will one day become.
- Adaptational Villainy: He's The Dragon to Big Bad Crassus, thoughin real life, there's little evidence he was even involved with the Third Servile War.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: He's blond. The real life Caesar is/was famously an Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette.
- Anti-Villain: Generally a Noble Anti-Villain, though averted when dealing with the rebels, whom he enjoys killing.
- Animal Motifs: Everyone describes him as a wolf, and it is his emblem.
- Berserk Button: Rape or violent mistreatment of women off of the battlefield. The few moments Caesar seems to grow a conscious is when it involves women that have been brutalized.
- Co-Dragons: To Crassus, along with Tiberius.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Possibly. His real life counterpart's participation in the Third Servile War is still vague.
- Establishing Character Moment: Beating up Crassus' henchmen without any real reason.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Is truly shocked and mortified when he sees the condition of Nemetes' 'pet'.
- That being said, a few scenes later he instigates the slaughter of dozens of roman prisoners, several women and children among them, in order to instigate infighting among the rebels. While this serves a tactical purpose, that's quite a few people who might have lived otherwise.
- Even the Guys Want Him: A very dark example with Tiberius, who rapes him.
- Genius Bruiser: Plans and executes the fall of the Rebel stronghold, damn near without a hitch.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: He gets into a fight within moments of his character being introduced.
- Hero Killer: He's the only Roman to defeat major members of the rebellion in anything resembling a fair fight. He personally killed Naevia and Nemetes, while directly involved in Gannicus and Donar's.
- Hidden Depths: In addition to being much smarter than he initially appears, he is genuinely caring towards the prostitutes he favours to the point where he seeks justice when one of them is murdered, is kind to Laeta and protests Crassis selling her into slavery, goes out of his way to help Kore after Tiberius rapes her and defends her. He's in tears when he learns what Nemetes and his buddies have been doing to the poor Roman woman they captured...
- Historical Badass Upgrade: Not that the real Caesar wasn't a badass, but here he's practically a one-man-army and a special ops saboteur.
- Historical Domain Character / Joker Immunity: Until a mob of Roman senators stab him to death decades later. But let's not go there.
- Historical Antihero Upgrade: The historical Caesar was not known for his participation in putting down the Servile Revolt, although he was a protege of Crassus and shared in the triumverate with him and Pompey immediately after the war.
- Important Haircut: After successfully infiltrating the rebels, his long 'barbarian' hair is cut into a style better fitting a Roman elite.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Towards all Romans. Even slaves. Well, except Tiberius, who he's a straight-up Jerkass to, but he's got good reasons...
- Kick the Dog: Him cleaving the head of a man who fled Sinuessa en Valle, a kill which didn't serve any purpose whatsoever since the guy carried valuable intel and wasn't even a soldier in the first place.
- Last-Name Basis: Usually referred to by his last name.
- Magnetic Anti-Villain: Probably a Foreshadowing of his rise to power.
- Manly Tears: Is utterly sobbing when he gives a Mercy Kill to Fabia.
- The Mole: Pretends to be an escaped slave to infiltrate the rebel force. This explains his unconventional unkempt appearance.
- Noble Demon: Cares for all Romans, rich or poor, and even shows some sympathy towards loyal slaves.
- Oh, Crap!: When Kore kills Tiberius, Ceasar loses his shit. Likely because he knows that the rebels would kill him now that the trade is out the window, and that if he some how makes it out alive, Crassus will be furious with him upon is return. He calms down when Kore offers herself up for trade in Tiberius' place, and later acknowledges she had the right to kill him, even defending her to Crassus.
- Only Sane Man: He's the only one of the Roman officers to try to point out to Crassus that running his legions with barely any rest will leave them utterly exhausted when it comes to fighting Spartacus. He's also the only one to try to convince Crassus that leaving Rome to be defended by a single legion against Crixus in order to pursue Spartacus is a terrible idea. For the latter, he gets held down by two guards as Tiberius rapes him for trying to suggest to him that maybe he should tell Crassus why leaving Rome relatively undefended is a very bad idea, even as Caesar is willing to not tell Crassus that he found out about Tiberius raping Kore to avoid devastating Crassus further. Granted, Crassus comes to reason later and pursues Crixus but still.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Was apparently looking forward to paying Tiberius back for his rape several times over while escorting him back to Crassus' camp from Spartacus. Kore got to him first, however.
- Pyrrhic Victory: He and his comrades did defeat Spartacus' army, but Pompey stole the credit and glory.
- Rape as Drama: Viciously raped by Tiberius while tied down by two strong guards.
- Reality Subtext: In-universe, and a past tense version from an audience perspective. But a line that Caesar delivers to Tiberus directly refers to a major real world historical event — Caesar's own assassination by members of the Roman Senate after he seized power:Caesar: Step with care boy. Many a giant has tumbled to the afterlife, believing himself too big to fall.
- Second Episode Introduction: Of the final season.
- Sixth Ranger Traitor: Infiltrates the rebels at Sinuessa in order to sow dissension and later betray them.
- Slasher Smile: He has a particularly smug smile whenever he's about to kill anyone or otherwise defeat them.
- Sociopathic Soldier: Appears as this initially, but has Hidden Depths.
- Sophisticated as Hell: During a confrontation with Tiberius, he explains in a decidedly more poetic way at first that there is no way Tiberius could get away with killing him. Why? Because he is "Julius Fucking Caesar!"
- Third-Person Person: Arrogant to begin with, after the ego boost he gets from being celebrated for retaking of Sinuessa he begins to frequently refer to himself in the third person often accompanied with an adjective, i.e. "Honored Caesar", "Mighty Caesar", and perhaps most memorably "Julius Fucking Caesar". Interestingly, after he is raped by Tiberius he never refers to himself in the third person again.
- Too Kinky to Torture: He enjoys getting cut as foreplay. The sight thoroughly
squicks Tiberius out. The resulting wound is actually part of his cover as The Mole, as he claims he cut out his slave brand. - Villainous Valour: When leading the Roman surprise attack in episode 5.
- Worthy Opponent: Defied. He actually holds a few members of the rebellion in a certain respect, but not enough to spare them from torturous deaths. None of them return the sentiment; rather, they all despise him for infiltrating and betraying them.
- Young Future Famous People: The viewers know he will end up playing a pivotal role in the transition from the Roman Republic to the Empire.
Tiberius Licinius Crassus
Tiberius Licinius Crassus (Christian Antidormi)
"I believe we tower above a slave in all things, no matter what name he bears."
Tiberius is the son of Marcus Licinius Crassus. He is given the duty of defeating Spartacus and his army along with Crassus, and is using this opportunity to please and gain favor from his father by doing so.
- Adaptation Name Change: The real Marcus Crassus' oldest son was also named Marcus Licinius (kinda like a Jr.), not Tiberius.
- A Death in the Limelight: In an unsympathetic kind of way.
- Age Lift: His real life counterpart is around 15 by the time of the Third Servile War. To be a soldier, one should be at least 17 years old.
- Ambiguously Bi: Him and Sabinus are seemingly Just Friends, but the latter is his Morality Pet and they have several held gazes. Although he rapes Kore, he also does the same to Caesar. His actor says that they weren't lovers, but that doesn't mean there wasn't an attraction.
- Asshole Victim: After all the evil things he does over the course of the series, Kore stabbing him in the back as he thought he was being set free is quite the empowering moment. Even Caesar is happy to see him die/
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: As the commander of his father's army, Tiberius shows surprising combat skill and the first Roman soldier in the show to actually kill multiple rebels on his own.
- Chekhov's Gun: His sword is an Arc Symbol in the final season. Ultimately, it's the weapon used to kill both Crixus and Naevia.
- The Chew Toy: He is crawling out of it though with one rape after another.
- Co-Dragons: For his father Crassus along with Julius Caesar.
- Combat Pragmatist: Whereas Caesar takes on Agron and Crixus in different episodes and fails to beat them, Tiberius just attacks them while they're distracted.
- Death by Adaptation: His real life counterpart didn't even participate in the Third Servile War, while here he's killed during Crixus' funeral games.
- Depraved Bisexual: Violently rapes both Kore and Caesar.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: He expects to be treated with deference as the son of Marcus Crassus, but generally doesn't receive it from anyone, even his own father, because he's yet to prove himself worthy of such treatment. When he does try to earn respect, it tends to backfire. It eventually takes a toll on his mental state...
- Finagle's Law: Due to the luck of the draw, he is forced to execute his best friend.
- Glass Cannon: Good offensive skills, but has pathetic defense. He doesn't use counterattacks, either.
- Glory Seeker: Big time. He wants to earn his father's respect and admiration via this.
- Hero Killer: Knocks out Agron and kills Crixus in the same episode (although admittedly both are with surprise blows from behind).
- Jerkass: To everyone except Sabinus, who he cares for to Ho Yay levels. When Sabinus is killed, he charges into this trope full force and becomes a monster to almost everyone around him.
- Karmic Death: Killed from behind by the woman he violently raped.
- Kick the Dog: He rapes Kore as revenge for his father having his friend Sabinus executed in the decimation.And then he does it again to Julius Caesar to keep him silent after the latter found out.
- Kill the Ones You Love: He's forced to kill his best friend Sabinus. He doesn't take it well.
- Morality Chain: Sabinus for him. After being forced to kill Sabinus in the decimation, he immediately sails right over the Moral Event Horizon.
- Oh, Crap!: The look on his face when he sees he's in a tent with Spartacus, not Pompey, is priceless
- One-Steve Limit: Played with. The reason for his Adaptation Name Change is because he shares his father's full name. On the other hand, Nasir's slave name is Tiberius (though hasn't gone by that name since early Season 2).
- Out-Gambitted: It's interesting to ponder how his father might have reacted to his disobedience of orders in Men of Honour had the plan worked — which it probably would have if it hadn't been for the pirates waiting offshore with a ridiculous arsenal of artillery.
- Pet the Dog: While he has a low opinion of slaves, he cares about Kore. Which makes the Kick the Dog moment above all the more shocking when it happens.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: He is notably shorter than the other Roman leaders and not heavily built, but still has one of the most impressive kill tallies of the season.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: He rapes both Kore and Caesar as acts of revenge. Although in Kore's case this is a bit of Values Dissonance, since as Kore was a slave the absolute worst crime he would have been considered guilty of at that time was defiling his father's property. The shocked reaction that multiple characters have when they find out is incongruous. Raping Caesar would have been a much bigger deal were it publicly known. But it is historically accurate that Caesar would not want knowledge of the assault to become public since it would have been humiliating and damaged his reputation.
- Spoiled Brat: Thinks his wealth and privilege makes him better than everyone. His father is quick to scold him for it, and prove why it's wrong (although he himself frequently uses his wealth as political leverage).
- Teens Are Monsters: Mostly attributable to bad parenting by Crassus, but Tiberius is scarily evil even by the standards of other Roman characters.
- Too Dumb to Live: After he rapes Kore, Tiberius seems to do everything in his power to ensure his crime would be exposed, one way or another. He threatens to further torment and abuse Kore when Crassus tells her to stay with him in Sinuessa en Valle after the war, spurring her to try to tell Crassus what he did to her and then run away when that failed. Next Tiberius doubles down on antagonizing Caesar when he presents an opportunity to put their differences aside for the sake of his father's mental health. Then not only does he reject an offer for a truce with his rival when Caesar reveals he knows the truth, he violently strikes and even rapes Caesar himself for even suggesting that Tiberius take an order from Caesar. Most baffling of all, when Caesar is struck down and about to be killed by Crixus in a later battle, Tiberius saves his life by stabbing Crixus from behind. Had Tiberius just waited a moment longer before striking the Gaul down, he could've achieved the glory of killing Spartacus' elite lieutenant, and rid himself of his hated enemy, ensuring the secret of what he did to Kore went into the grave with Caesar.
- Took a Level in Badass: Starts off almost completely sheltered with a spoiled personality who treats war as social jockeying because he yearns for heroics to impress his father but mostly hid behind his subordinate soldiers. After the death of Sabinus, he becomes a commander who enters battle capable of killing trained gladiators face to face.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Took many levels, in fact. Without Sabinus to balance out and calm his violent tendencies, Tiberius flies right off the deep end in the Jerkass category.
- Undignified Death: He gets beaten up by Spartacus' group, and then is stabbed and left to bleed out by the slave woman he raped.
- Unknown Rival: To Julius Caesar. At first, anyways. Their rivalry quickly becomes apparent and mutual.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: One the main reasons he's so messed up is that he is constantly trying (and failing) to impress his father.
- Would Hit a Girl: Rapes Kore and murders a prostitute (off-screen) who knew about it to cover up the crime.
Kore
Kore (Jenna Lind)
"Set aside wounded pride and think as he would. And see shrouded mystery parted."
Kore is a slave to the Crassus family. She has been serving Crassus since Tiberius's birth and in many ways is seen as a mother figure.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She's usually quite reserved and professional in public, though she's much friendlier around Crassus and Tiberius.
- Anti-Villain: Villain In Name Only. She's a loyal slave to the House of Crassus, is generally a nice person and never really does anything very villainous (or at least not to people who didn't deserve it).
- Beautiful Slave Girl: Played with. She fits the trope, but exclusively has sex with Crassus, whom she genuinely loves.
- Beware the Nice Ones: After Tiberius rapes her, she kills a guard to escape the Roman camp and join the rebels. After encountering a captured Tiberius and his men, who are to be executed in Gladiator Games, she gives them the impression she will help them escape, then mockingly states she looks forward to watching them die. She later stabs Tiberius to death in revenge for him assaulting her.
- Butt-Monkey: Goes through a Trauma Conga Line after Tiberius forces himself on her, that ultimately ends in her death.
- Canon Foreigner: Like lots of characters, there never was someone like her in the historical rebellion (although it's rather likely that Crassus had a mistresses or several of them).
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Is crucified in the final episode...by her own lover no less.
- A Dog Named "Dog": "Kore" means "maiden" in Greek, which is exactly what she is.
- Dark Mistress: To Crassus, the Big Bad of Season 3. She herself is not evil and serves as a Morality Pet to Crassus, who genuinely loves her and treats her as an equal, actually seeming to prefer her to his wife. This doesn't work out so well for her in the end, though..
- Easily Forgiven: Zigzagged. Crassus immediately takes her back when she returns to him, despite her having gone over to the rebels. However, he makes a point of keeping her in chains and orders her to call him dominus from now on. When it's revealed she was the one who killed his son, he is understandably furious with her, but he lets her go after being told that she killed him because he forced himself on her, instead smashing Tiberius' death mask. And in the end, he crucifies her as a traitor, although it's unclear if he felt he had no choice about it to save face and he appears to regret it to an extent.
- Happiness in Slavery: One of the most prominent slave characters who is genuinely content with her life. Justified, in that she is generally respected and treated well by the House of Crassus and has a loving relationship with her dominus, who treats her as an equal. Subverted after Tiberius rapes her and, as he cruelly points out, she cannot fight back due to being a slave. After that, she runs away, though she does come back eventually after learning Crassus still loves her.
- Heel–Face Turn: Played with. She only goes over to rebels's side after Tiberius rapes her and was perfectly happy before as a slave. The moment she finds out Crassus still loves her in spite of her betrayal, she willingly goes back to him, though it's as part of a deal to free five hundred captive rebels.
- Hypocrite: She refuses Caesar's advances stating that he is married. She's revealed to be sleeping with Crassus for more than a decade at the end of the same episode note .
- In the Hood: When she escapes the Roman camp, she is seen wearing a thick cloak with a big hood, both because it's freezing and to hide herself better.
- Like a Son to Me: Seems to view Tiberius as this, having helped raise him. Which makes his rape of her all the more heartbreaking and disturbing.
- Love Martyr: Although she gets out of dodge when she realises that her fate is to be saddled with Tiberius and likely be raped and mistreated multiple times, once she learns Crassus still loves her, she ultimately goes back to him. While it is part of a trade to get five hundred people freed, love is her main motivator. She's rewarded by being placed in chains, forced to call Crassus "dominus" and crucified for treachery.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: After being raped by Tiberius purely to get back at his father for the decimiation, she joins the rebels, refuses to help Tiberius and his soldiers after they're captured and later kills Tiberius with her own hands.
- The Mistress: To Crassus. He has a wife, Tertulla, but while he's respectful and cordial to her, he's emotionally distant and is far more affectionate and passionate with Kore. It's very likely that his marriage to Tertulla was an arranged one. Kore is perfectly happy with the situation (given she's a slave, she has no hope of ever marrying Crassus). Tiberus is aware of the relationship and it's strongly implied Tertulla is too; Tiberius is cool with it, while Tertulla appears to grudgingly put up with it because there's not really anything she can do.
- Morality Pet: To Crassus. She is the one character he consistently treats in a kind and gentle manner (even more so than his son, though that stems from a rather extreme form of Tough Love). He becomes (even more) ruthless to his own troops after she defects to the rebels. After she returns and he finds out why she ran off in the first place, Crassus initially seems willing to take her back, but despite his love for her and forgiving her betrayal, he still crucifies her.
- Ms. Fanservice: Wears revealing outfits and has a few love scenes with Crassus.
- Nice Girl: She is very kind, loyal and supportive of Crassus and Tiberius. Though Tiberius finds out the hard way that sexually assaulting her pushes her past her limits.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished:
- Tries to reconcile Tiberius to his father after the decimation...and gets raped for her trouble.
- After sneaking into Spartacus's camp, she's discovered as Crassus's slave while physically helping another woman give birth, and then treated with suspicion.
- Rape as Drama: She is viciously raped by Tiberius when she tries to reconcile him to his father. He threatens to rape her again, which prompts her to run away when she learns an unwitting Crassus plans to leave her alone with him in Sinuessa.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: She's an attractive woman with dark hair and pale skin.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: She bolts the House of Crassus when she realizes the futility of telling the big bad that his son is a rapist and out of fear Tiberius will hurt her again.
- Silk Hiding Steel: Although coming across as a ladylike character, she is able to kill a guard to escape the camp, and later stabs Tiberius to death.
- Slave Collar: She doesn't wear one, as a sign of Crassus' respect for her. However, after she returns to him following her temporary stay with the rebels, she's notably seen being made to wear one, showing how Crassus no longer trusts her as much.
- Team Mom: To Crassus and his family. Until Tiberius rapes her. She then jumps ship and becomes something of a Team Mom to the rebels instead.
- Token Good Teammate: To the Crassus household. She is easily the most compassionate and moral member of the faction, and never really does anything evil.
- Unequal Pairing: In a rather extreme example, she is in a relationship with her slave master. It's painfully deconstructed over the course of War of the Damned; although Crassus initially treats Kore as an equal, including letting her speak her mind and call him by his first name, the vast power difference between them becomes very evident by the end of the season and it doesn't end well for poor Kore. It's made explicit when Kore returns after running away - Crassus takes her back but makes a point of keeping her in chains and states she must call him dominus from now on, and he eventually sentences her to death.
Laeta
Laeta (Anna Hutchison)
Laeta is the privileged wife of a Roman dignitary, who becomes entangled in the struggle against Spartacus. Her life and those of the ones she loves are forever changed by the conflict.
- Action Survivor: Downplayed. She's not really a fighter, though she manages to kill Heracleo and also escapes the Romans on horseback despite being wounded.
- Age-Gap Romance: With her late husband. She was only twelve when she was married off to him and he seems a few decades older than her.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Downplayed. While Spartacus did return her feelings, it's not in the same amount that he showed Mira and, obviously, Sura. She doesn't seem that bothered, either; unlike Mira, she doesn't seem to resent that Spartacus does not fully return her love and does not push him to show her more intimacy.
- Anti-Villain: Villain in Name Only. She is a Roman but not evil in the slightest. In fact, she's a great deal more kind and moral than a lot of the rebels by this point in the story.
- Arranged Marriage: She was given to her husband when she was twelve, though it seemed to be a happy marriage.
- Broken Bird: Briefly seems to be this after being forced to join the rebels when the Romans betray her. She seems to be over it by the end though.
- Butt-Monkey: After the rebels invade Sinuessa, everything goes downhill for her. It gets better after she joins the rebels herself.
- Cartwright Curse: Both her husband and Spartacus die. Ironically, both were killed by spears.
- Category Traitor: Crassus sees her as one for aiding Spartacus, despite her assertions she only did it to ensure the safety of her surviving people. He gives her as a slave to Heracleo as punishment.
- Commonality Connection: She further bonds with Spartacus, especially after the events of episode 6; his empathy for her predicament is implied to be one of the reasons she falls in love with him.
- Damsel in Distress: Zig-Zagged. She has to be rescued by Spartacus from the rebels who want to massacre all the Roman prisoners. Later, Gannicus and Sibyl come to her rescue when she's taken captive by Heracleo, only for Laeta to end up saving both herself and Sibyl by stabbing Heracleo with a poker.
- Dark Mistress: Heracleo proclaims she'll be this to him, stating that instead of sharing her with his men he'll make her his 'queen' and seems to except she'll eventually warm up to the idea. Shockingly enough, she's not happy about this prospect either given she's his slave, and she ends up killing him before it goes any further.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Spartacus dies while she's trying to rouse him.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: After going through one trauma after another throughout the season, she becomes one of the few surviving rebels in the end.
- Fallen Princess: Becomes this after the rebels take over her city.
- Fanservice Pack: She starts out quite modest and gradually becomes Ms. Fanservice.
- Fiery Redhead: Downplayed. Laeta is usually a refined and gentle Proper Lady, but she is quite strong-willed and capable of standing up for herself.
- Foe Romance Subtext: She and Spartacus are on opposite sides of the war, but they have Ship Tease and Laeta can't help but admire him, acknowledging that he does what he does for the sake of his people, which she understands. Late in the season, it moves beyond subtext and they become lovers.
- Good Bad Girl: Downplayed. She expresses some attraction towards Spartacus despite being married and later sleeps with Spartacus, though this is only after her husband's death - given she's a Roman, having sex outside marriage would still be considered pretty shocking, especially considering it's Spartacus we're talking about. She's never portrayed as a bad person for it.
- Heel–Face Turn: Though she was never evil in the first place, she goes over to the rebels after being sold off to the pirates. She is shown to fully support their cause by "The Dead and the Dying", chanting Crixus's name with the other rebels at his funeral.
- Heroic BSoD: Has one when she first ends up with the rebels, wallowing in misery and refusing to eat. She eventually comes to terms with everything that's happened though and makes the most of her new situation.
- Icy Blue Eyes: She has light blue eyes. However, she lacks most of the stereotypical traits that come with these, actually being quite a warm and friendly person.
- I Did What I Had to Do: When questioned on the fact that she cooperated with Spartacus, she replies that she did what was necessary to save as many people as possible.
- Improvised Weapon: She stabs Heracleo through the back of the throat with a hot poker the same poker he'd used to brand her arm.
- Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: Downplayed example. When she kills Heracleo she's dressed in a gorgeous red gown, which she continues to wear whilst running around the rebel camp.
- Last Girl Wins: Subverted. Spartacus dies in the end, and there is little indication they were actually in love - or at the very least, Laeta loved Spartacus more than he loved her. Notably, as Spartacus is dying in her arms, he talks about how he is happy to finally see his dead wife again.
- Let's Get Dangerous! / Silk Hiding Steel: When Gannicus and Sibyl's attempt to save her from Heracleo goes awry, Laeta takes the opportunity to grab the poker Heracleo had used to brand her and drives it through his throat while he's distracted. She's also able to escape from Sinuessa on horseback and traverse mountains in a snowstorm despite being wounded by a spear. Previously, she risked her life to hide some of the surviving Romans to protect them from abuse from the rebels and sneaks food to them.
- Lust Object: Heracleo makes no secret of the fact he finds her attractive. It gets taken to very disturbing levels when he takes her as a slave as payment for betraying the rebels, announcing his intention to turn her into his concubine, burning his initial into her arm and trying to force himself on her until Gannicus and Sibyl intervene.
- Made a Slave: Crassus condemns her to slavery to Heracleo in payment for his betraying the rebels, and as punishment for the aid she gave Spartacus. Gannicus saves her though.
- Mirror Character: To Spartacus, which she becomes increasingly aware of. Both of them are devoted to their people and will do whatever it takes to keep them safe. Both were also widowed, betrayed and Made a Slave.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Crassus selling her off as a slave to the Silician pirates is the catalyst for her supporting the rebels; initially she didn't have much choice about joining them, but by the end of the third season she clearly considers herself one of them after her own people screwed her over.
- Neutral Female: Fairly well subverted. Being a high-class Roman she wasn't bred to fight, but she seizes the opportunity when she sees one and kills Heracleo with the poker he used to brand her.
- Nice Girl: She's easily the nicest of the Roman characters; she tries to persuade her husband to help out the common folk and is disgusted by the elite treating their slaves with cruelty. At one point, Sibyl states she used to wish she was her slave because of kind she is to everyone.
- Nice to the Waiter: Laeta treats her slaves kindly and expresses revulsion at mistreating them, saying it isn't surprising that some slaves choose to rebel if their masters are cruel to them.
- Noble Bigot: As compassionate as Laeta is, especially compared to other Roman noblewomen in the series like Iliythia and Lucretia, she still thinks slavery is okay, albeit she disagrees with treating them cruelly. After she experiences first-hand what it's like to be a slave, she seems to change her opinion, coming to believe slavery is just bad in general.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: She defends Spartacus from Laurus...and he raids her city and kills her husband (though to be fair, he does feel bad about that). Then, she tries as hard as possible to keep the remaining Romans alive by cooperating with Spartacus, risking her life in the process, and also willingly cooperates with Crassus...and he gives her as a Sex Slave to Heracleo for betraying Rome.
- The Ojou: She's a Roman noble, not royalty, but is looked up to and revered as if she were; she is of the Proper Lady variant, being refined and polite, but not haughty.
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: She and her husband seem pretty happy together and she was distraught when he was killed. Her feelings towards him seem to cool significantly after she learns he was dealing with pirates behind her back.
- Regal Ringlets: Her hair is curly and she is a member of the Roman upper class.
- Riches to Rags: Happens to her when the rebels take over Sinuessa. And then, just as it seems as though she's going to get her privileged life back, she gets forced even lower on the social rung by being Made a Slave.
- Second Episode Introduction: Of the final season.
- Seriously Scruffy: After the rebels take over Sinuessa and make her their prisoner, she spends much of the time wearing increasingly ragged clothes, with messy hair and a grimy face, reflecting her precarious situation. When she's liberated, she is given a bath for the first time in a while and a make-over, restoring her to her previous well-groomed appearance at least until Crassus has her Made a Slave.
- Sex Slave: Very nearly becomes this to Heracleo, but is saved by Gannicus.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: In episode 6, she is bathed and clothed in status fitting clothes. Both Caesar and Crassus (who had only previously seen her dirty and in slave attire) note how much better she looks.
- Ship Tease: With Spartacus. They seem to be attracted to each other when they first meet and quickly form a connection. They end up becoming lovers near the end of the season.
- Slave Brand: Heracleo uses a hot poker to burn a 'H' into her arm, after Crassus gives her as a slave to him.
- The Smart Girl: Being a wife of a Roman dignitary and trader has made her knowledgeable on many things.
- Token Good Teammate: The kindest Roman elite in the entire series. She eventually becomes one of the rebels.
- True Blue Femininity: She initially wears blue a lot. She later switches it up for red.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Spartacus: they do. Literally.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Calls Spartacus out on killing her husband, his forces massacring thousands and then acting offended for her harboring a handful of her people from the cruel treatment of the rebels. To his credit, Spartacus seems to grant that she has a point.
Tertulla
Tertulla (Katherine Kennard)
"Then you stand as your mother, bound by blood and inconsiderate worth."
Tertulla is a wealthy Roman woman and the prestigious wife of Marcus Licinius Crassus. The couple had two sons; Tiberius and Publius.
- Alpha Bitch: Downplayed. She's actually pretty civil for a woman whose husband has been openly cheating on her for well over a decade.
- Downplayed Trope: Compared to the female Roman nobles such as Illithyia, Lucretia, Licinia, Seppia, and even Gaia, she's pretty tame.
- Love Martyr: she seems very fond of Crassus and tries hard to earn his affection. Unfortunately for her, Crassus only has eyes for Kore, their slave, though he still treats her with respect.
- Ice Queen: She comes across as being quite aloof, even to her own children, and was irritated and unsympathetic when Kore became upset by Caesar's unwanted advances. Though, in her defense, she probably knows that Kore is having an affair with her husband.
- Put on a Bus: Possibly inverted. Her husband and eldest son were the ones who left Rome to fight Spartacus and company.
- Rich Bitch: Comes across as one, though she's pretty civil compared to most of the other Rich Bitches on the show.
Metellus
Metellus (Colin Moy)
"The Senate does not tremble. Except in anger that you have failed to act."
Metellus is a senator of Rome. He represents the Senate in his political affairs and quickly wishes to see an end to the rebellion.
Sabinus
Sabinus (Aaron Jakubenko)
Sabinus is a Roman soldier working for Marcus Licinius Crassus and a childhood friend of his son Tiberius.
- Ambiguously Gay: His interactions with Tiberius borders on massive Ho Yay.
- Anti-Villain: He's not a mean or cruel guy, and it was largely Sabinus that kept Tiberius from expressing his more sadistic tendencies. With his death, all bets are off.
- Death by Disfigurement: Was killed via Decimation.
- The Generic Guy: Not much is learned about Sabinus aside from the fact that he's Tiberius' best friend and Morality Chain.
- Morality Pet: For Tiberius, to Ho Yay levels.Tiberius: You do not deserve to be placed at risk among cowards. I will talk to my father and beg your removal from decimation.
- Satellite Character: As noted above, most of Sabinus' characterization is focused on his friendship with Tiberius. For having relatively little screen time, his death is very important to the plot because of the psychological and emotional damage it does to Tiberius, molding him into the season's most violent and sadistic villain.
- Small Role, Big Impact: It's his death that sends Tiberius' morality off the deep end, directly affecting the rebellion and Rome itself as Tiberius rapes or kills some of the series' most important characters.
Rufus
Rufus (Roy Snow)
Rufus is one of Crassus' commanders.
- Demoted to Extra: Historically, he led the army (under Crassus) that defeated, if not killed, Gannicus or/and Castus/Agron.
- You Shall Not Pass!: Did this against Spartacus. The result is obvious.
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Joel Tobeck)
"Praise the gods to find you well, old friend. I'd feared that Spartacus and his rebels had overrun you, before I routed them in the north."
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus is a praetor of Rome, known by many as the "Adolescent Butcher", and "Valiant Pompey".
- Animal Motifs: His emblem has the dolphin and the eagle, because he is supposedly the master of sea and sky.
- The Butcher: His Red Baron.
- Informed Ability: According to Laeta, he's said to be the deadliest warrior in all the Republic. Which may well be true, but given that we never see him in combat, it's impossible to know.
- Last Episode, New Character: Makes his appearance after the Final Battle, stealing credit from Crassus and Caesar over Spartacus' defeat.
- Unseen No More: Mentioned throughout the final season before finally appearing after the Final Battle.
- The Usurper: Stole Crassus and his army's credit of defeating Spartacus' rebel forces.
- Younger Than He Looks: Pompey was only about 32 at the time of the seriesnote , and Glaber commented on his youth in Vengeancenote . Joel Tobek is in his early forties, only about a year younger than Craig Parker and only four years younger than Simon Merrells, and looks every day of it (and then some).
Laurus
Laurus (Andrew Grainger)
A Roman public speaker in Sinuessa and the dominus of several slaves, including Sibyl and Diotimos (until the latter escaped).
- Asshole Victim / Karmic Death: Gets killed by Gannicus in the middle of threatening his long-suffering slaves.
- Bad Boss: To all his slaves. Even Laeta thinks so.
- Diagonal Cut: Gannicus kills in him this manner, slicing his head in two.
- Establishing Character Moment: His involves him sentencing one of his slaves who had tried to escape to public execution by stoning, and rallying the crowds to join in and make him suffer as much as possible.
- In the Back: Sneaks up up behind Diotimos and stabs him in the neck from behind.
- Jerkass: Regularly abuses his slaves and looks down on others, to the point where even some of his fellow Romans view him with distaste.
- Would Hit a Girl: He kicks Sibyl in the face when she attempts to grab a sword to protect herself, and it's implied this certainly isn't the first time he's struck her or his other slaves.
