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The theme of the Underdog, a prevailing theme of this blog, is relevant to all people. I call it a “meta” theme. You see, even a filthy-rich person, one at the pinnacle of their profession, will still identify with the underdog. They’ll say they’ve overcome this, they’ve overcome that, and that they are an underdog.

In Vengeance’s Episode 6 “Chosen Path” Spartacus asks Crixus about Gannicus:

“You knew Gannicus from before I did. What is your opinion of the man?”

Crixus: “He is a Champion, like us. A boon to your cause.

Spartacus: He has expressed doubt towards it.”

Crixus: “As have we all. Yet you always find ways to convince otherwise.”

Spartacus does a second round of assessing Gannicus when he and Gannicus go into the woods hunting; this time around alone with Gannicus he gauges the other’s questions.

In this episode’s ending, he doesn’t change Gannicus mind towards the rebellion. In the end, life will set Gannicus upon that path.

12 MM people have replayed this clip with the wrong title

What is he training for ?

What is he training for…? pic.twitter.com/CeVxx455X2

— Guy (@apiecebyguy) February 20, 2019

These people…they have never been in the arena. That’s why they ask the wrong question.

“A man must embrace his faith or be destroyed by it.”-Batiatus

This is a quote from Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Sacramentum Gladiatorum [1.02]

This is the complete exchange in that scene:

What is faith, but an ebb and flow,

a membrane of sorth.

“You press beyond position. You fight. Win. Until then, we’re done” -Batiatus to Spartacus when this asked about his wife
Legends [1.03]

Your success depends on your

Discipline

Focus. How narrow can you make your focus in a shitty world, full of distractions and inanities.

How obsessed you are with your personal development.

How you stack up against your peers. If you’re reading this lines, you are way, way ahead of the others.

Unfortunately, the scumbags who despise my courage have removed most of my Spartacus videos from years past.

The crowd fancies our Thracian, doesn't it ? -Batiatus

Is Spartacus moving fate when he fights Crixus at the Romans reception or what ?

1. Spartacus, The Champion of Capua, The Slayer of Theokoles, The Bringer of Rain

I named Spartacus history’s first and foremost underdog. What’s Spartacus like:

-a serious leader
-unflinching, unbendable like dura steel
-strong moral compass
-serious in tone and speech
-merciless towards his enemies
-yearning for liberties and freedom for slaves, he is the architect of the rebellion
-“stuborn, hard-to-recruit as a gladiator”
-Spartacus is very shrewd, eg: ” Spartacus and a small group of rebels infiltrate the arena through a gutter.”

Spartacus and the rebels bring down the Arena of Capua.

Just before the execution of the former gladiators is about to commence, he and Agron disguise themselves as guards and enter the arena behind Gannicus and the other gladiators to ‘stand guard.’ They observe the fight, and see Rhaskos fall. Meanwhile, the rest of the rebels succeed in setting a fire underground, and the arena collapses in flames, spilling thousands of spectators to their fiery deaths.”-Spartacus Wikia

Quote of the day: “Cause no matter what you’ve told yourself, You can’t outrun what you’ve done. You can’t outrun who you really are.” – Lucifer to Cain, Fox Network, Lucifer: Season Finale

“Altogether, Spartacus is a force to be reckoned with in both the arena and on the battlefield. His keen intellect and deadly skill combine to make him a true master of war. He is a skilled strategist and tactician and has knowledge of Roman strategy, having formerly served in the Roman Auxiliary under Glaber. These traits, coupled with his bold, proficient tactics have provided invaluable leadership to the rebel army, giving them an unblemished record in battle that would last, even when he met his intellectual and tactical equal, Marcus Licinius Crassus.”-Spartacus Wikia

2. Gannicus: Champion

“At first, Gannicus is doubtful of Spartacus and his cause, believing the man to be a jest the same as the rebellion, but as time passes he slowly joins in with the rebellion and, while not considering himself close with Spartacus by the end of Vengeance, he and Spartacus gain a mutual respect. At the time of War of The Damned, he and Spartacus have become very close and often joke and trade barbs with one another, even providing each other counsel.” –Fandom:Wiki

-remarkably handsome and charming-Spartacus:Wikia
-super skilled and athletic
-thrilled by the pursuit of a challenge
-fearless, “he appears to be free of all worries, and has little respect for his own life.”
-has a laugh on his face in mortal combat
-contrary to first impressions, Gannicus reveals himself to be a grounded individual as seen in these two instances:
1. Gannicus says he never wanted to feel what he felt for Melitta or to battle his friend Oenomaus when facing Oenomaus in battle.
2. When Glaber offers Gannicus a place in his army, Gannicus refuses.

3. Crixus: The Undefeated Gaul

-fights for glory and honor in the arena
-muscular, very able, intense psyche
-Crixus clearly has a rivalry relationship with Spartacus, as well as with Gannicus
-joins Spartacus after revelation of owners plot against him, despite being at odds with him in numerous occasions
-monogamous
-Crixus’s end: Crixus charges towards Rome with his own army faction split from Spartacus.

 “The battle begins with Crixus seeing his inspiration filled to fruition as his men ignite the fireballs and roll them toward Arrius’ men, successfully disrupting the tight Roman formations. A fierce battle ensues as Crixus’ army charges into the panicked Roman ranks. Crixus slays many Romans, including Arrius himself, by plunging a sword into his face. Their victory is short lived however, as Crassus and his army appears on the hill.

Caesar vs Crixus (2)
Caesar fighting with Crixus at the battle for Rome.

Filled with rage and grandiosity, Crixus launches an attack on the clearly superior Roman army. Crixus realizes too late that they are outnumbered and outmatched and commands that his remaining forces fall back to higher ground. Witnessing the deaths of the majority of his army, Crixus appears to accept that the battle will be a loss, but tells Naevia that a partial victory can be had if he manages to kill Crassus. He grabs a spear intending to throw it at Crassus, but is interrupted in his attempt by Caesar. The two men then begin to battle each other with Caesar quickly wounding Crixus with a cut to the abdomen.

Before he can exploit this advantage, Caesar is tackled by Naevia, which allows Crixus a few moments to regain his composure. When the two men restart their fight, Crixus easily bests Caesar this time and throws him to the ground. However, before a fatal blow can be struck upon Caesar, Tiberius impales Crixus with a spear thrust through his back as Naevia looks on in horror.”-Spartacus Wikia

4. Oenomaus: Gladiator Trainer: “Doctore”

Oenomaus is gladiator champion, and later trainer at the gladiator school:

-tall, muscular
-extremely disciplined
-loyal to his leadership
-strong moral compass
-only one woman -Melitta was his wife, and only after learning the circumstances of her death he decides to join the rebels
–Fandom Wikia: “In terms of fighting capabilities Oenomaus is more like a mirror of his actor, Peter Mensah. Both men are masters of multiple fighting styles and both were competitors in combat sports.”

5. Marcus L. Crassus, Imperator, Richest Man in Rome, Commander of the Roman Army

Let’s get this straight, Crassus is your modern day billionaire. However,

-he’s of great fighting skill
-muscular, fit
-used a gladiator as teacher
-extremely disciplined
-strong moral compass
-uses uncommon fighting tactics, including some borrowed from his rebel opponent
-in battle willingly kills his own troops together with the enemies’-pay attention to this, because that tells you how leaders think and act. In my book, I tell you you are always expendable to them. 

“While somewhat arrogant, he believes in working hard to earn titles and position and is furious at his son’s spoiled nature. Crassus also doesn’t view slaves as worthless either, taking a particular interest in gladiators holding a great deal of respect for them. This is seen from his interactions with Kore and Hilarus, as he shows great care for them. To many other Romans, Crassus also has a profound sense of justice and believes that nobody is above punishment, including fellow Romans and even family, friends, or lovers.

Unlike most of the other families in the series, Crassus and his family treat their slaves fairly well. They protect them from abuse, show them respect and even chastise those who wrong them. He displays a great care for his family, but his time is often consumed by pressing business and work, which causes occasional rifts in his marriage. Crassus’ greatest weakness, however, is his oblivious nature to the conflicts of those closest to him, which has resulted in several damages within the effort of the army, particularly the rivalry between Tiberius and Caesar. “-Spartacus Wiki

Image: Seekingalpha

Spartacus vs. Crassus comparison

Did you notice that:

1. Spartacus and Crassus share most, if not all, skills, combat features, sentiment and strict discipline ?
2. Crassus borrows from Spartacus’s playbook (more often), but Spartacus borrows from Crassus as well. Of course, Spartacus’s tactics are the unexpected, unscripted. 
3. Crassus is the first Roman leader to greatly respect Spartacus, going beyond the slave reference ?

Differences, here we are:

1. Spartacus is hungry, Crassus, obviously, is not.
2. Spartacus and Crassus don’t fight for the same reason. They both fight for causes larger than themselves, yet these causes are very different.
3. The rivalries in Crassus’s camp (intrigue and subversion) are not the same as the rivalries in Spartacus’s camp.
4. In the end, all the slaves refer to themselves as “I am Spartacus”, the man becomes a symbol to all of them. Crassus never becomes a symbol to his men beyond his title “Imperator”.
5. Spartacus’s men ask to fight (bottom-up movement), Crassus’ men never. 
6. Crassus is downgraded in his legacy in the end when he learns of the poor decisions of his fallen son. “The Son is but reflection of a father. Is this how I stand, twisted and grotesque ?”
7. Spartacus has changed though his cause and suffering over the years, Crassus has not. I call this the ultimate test of worthiness of a man.
8. Spartacus does no unnecessary moves, eg. he spares the lives of some common citizens in Capua instead of taking it. [against the sentiment of the rebels].
9. What makes Spartacus so uncommon was his sentiment of justice, which is the expression of how he evolved as a man. Rulers (like Crassus) sentiment of justice is static, self-referred.   

Spartacus vs. Gannicus

By now you have scooped the similarities between those two, but what about the differences ?

1. Gannicus was a ladies man
2. Gannicus has the spark of  “joie de vivre” that Spartacus does not. Gannicus goes in the arena, and later in the battlefield, with a laugh. He laughs at danger. Not a false laugh, but a real laugh.This is quite a unique character.  Gannicus seems unburdened by life’s inequities. He laughs at everything until Mellita’s death and his subsequent effort to regain Oenomaus’s affection. . 
3. There is a deep bond between Gannicus and Oenomaus, deeper than the one shared by all of the gladiators, who all shared the bond of recognition known as the “Brotherhood”. [side note: What bonds do men now share ? Nothing. I guess the thing that comes closest is your workplace buddies. And that’s not a kosher statement, because you haven’t won a competition to get there. Unless you’re Navy Seals or something. That’s why the bonds between military men is deeper.]
4. Gannicus is not interested to accept titles in the rebel army.

Is he your kind of pal ? Let me know in the comments. Maybe you’re that kind of pal.

6. Gaius Julius Caesar, Second in Command of Roman Army, Roman aristocrat

-in great shape
-top skill in combat, above the Roman average
-infiltrates rebel camp
“For all his wit and cleverness with words, is nickname is Silver Tongue, whose ability to speak to, deceive, and manipulate his opponents is legendary. Caesar’s capacity for cleverness is only matched by his boundless ambitions, such as a ferocious appetite for wine and whores, as well as strong desires for political office.”

“In one of the last battles, Caesar stands alongside Crassus and is somewhat dismayed by the latter’s ruthless tactics to ensure victory, such as raining catapult fire on the melee, killing as many of his own as of rebels. When Gannicus attacks the rear and turns the siege weapons against them, he is sent to take command of the rear positions. He arrives and instantly commands the soldiers into shield walls that prove immune to the rebels’ savage attacks and even Gannicus. He personally kills Naevia with very little difficulty and is repeatedly bested by Gannicus before the former champion is cornered and exhausts himself by banging against shield walls. Caesar tells his soldiers to move aside and then approaches Gannicus, grinning, before knocking the Celt out with the back of his sword.

Following the Roman victory over the rebels, he watches as Gannicus and Kore are crucified and is aghast when Pompey appears and claims credit for victory against Spartacus. Crassus however accepts the loss of credit to make Pompey an ally rather than rival and when he departs, Crassus and Caesar share final words before setting out on their business to construct the First Triumvirate.”-Spartacus Wiki

7. Quintus Lentulus Batiatus, Lanista, Owner of gladiators and gladiator school

-ambitious, obsessed with power and status
-vengeful
-at odds with his father
-correctly bets on Spartacus’s value
-pretty fast as in “adaptable” to the moment
-morals ? What’s that ? Some brand of mulsum [spiced honey wine] ?
-merciless, but somehow his life is intertwined with that of Spartacus. His rise and his fall. Homework: Ponder if there’s someone in your life who you seem to be connected to so at major inflection points. …Is there someone in your life who “gave you the means to accept your fate” ?

“After Barca bests Gnaeus, Crixus once again shocks all spectators by defeating Auctus and earns the Mark of the brotherhood. Quintus believes this will impress his father and put him back in retirement but the exact opposite happens. Meanwhile Lucreitia and Gaia come upon a Roman named Petronius who heard from Cossutius and Varus that the house of batiatus offers considerable sexual pleasures. Quintus hears this and plans an orgy while he and his father leave to find a new champion in Neapolis. Titus enjoys the stay but insists they return home. During the orgy Gaia is killed by Tullius. Titus is furious and commands Quintus divorce from Lucreitia and Gaias existence wiped from the house. Quintus has no way of avoiding this while Titus arranges a competition to see who is worthy to remain…” –Spartacus Wiki

We’re looking to at least one more part, since there are too many nuances I can not finish in one post.

Thank you.