Duro

Duro
First appearance	S1E08: Mark of the Brotherhood
Last appearance	S1E13: Kill Them All
Profession	Gladiator (House of Batiatus) Rebel Slave
Race	German
Relationships	Agron (Brother) Spartacus (Friend, deceased) Quintus Lentulus Batiatus (Dominus, deceased) Oenomaus (Doctore, deceased) Hamilcar (Friend, deceased) Rabanus (Friend) Varro (Friend, deceased) Rhaskos (Friend, deceased) Crixus (Rival/Mentor, deceased) Segovax (Rival, deceased)
Status	Deceased (Killed by a Roman Guard)
Actor/Actress	Ande Cunningham

Duro is a Germanic gladiator serving in the ludus of Batiatus. His brother, Agron, also serves Batiatus as a gladiator.

Appearance

Duro is bought from the slave market by Batiatus from the slaver, Trebius. Although being just as well-built as his brother, Duro does not show as much skill in fighting as Agron does, and Agron is often forced to come to his aid. His hair is almost neck-length and twisted into mats . He also has a nose ring, an earring of red fabric, and fights in the style of Secutor.

Personality

Duro is witty and carefree, a trait he and his brother share as they often joke and make sarcastic remarks. Duro is the weaker of the two brothers and he feels the need to have to prove himself, being personally embarrassed whenever saved by Agron. He has a strong resolve, however, despite knowing he cannot defeat Crixus, it doesn't stop him from fighting till the end.

Combat Prowess

Although he is a gladiator, Duro shows very little skill in the ways of combat. If overwhelmed by an opponent, he is quick to surrender. However, as his training as a gladiator continues, his skill augments a little - but not as much as his courage. He eventually drops his habit of surrendering, choosing to instead fight to an outcome.

Duro's lack of proficiency in the ways of the arena is a cause of concern for not only his brother, but other gladiators such as Spartacus. His skill greatly increases during the Massacre at the House of Batiatus, as he not only took on and defeated many trained Roman soldiers but did so while handcuffed before freeing himself.

Blood and Sand

Duro and Agron are bought at the same time, along with Segovax, for 100 denarii. They manage to survive training and go on to become gladiators. At first, Duro looked down on Spartacus and beleived they could easily defeat him if they ever fought while Agron was simply skeptical of the Thracian. Duro would gain true respect for Spartacus after Segovax is crucified and begin to look up to him as much as his own brother.

When Crixus returns to training, Doctore has him train with Duro, since he has been long absent from the arena. But Crixus finds Duro incompetent and shows him no mercy during training. This angers Agron, who at one point attacks Crixus for being such a bully. Spartacus convinces Agron that defending Duro will only get him killed in the arena, and so Agron insists that Duro needs to learn to fight better on his own because he will not always be there to save him. Duro takes this

Duro as a Gladiator.

to heart and challenges Crixus in the training area. He cannot match up in ability or strength, but after each of Crixus' attacks beats him to the ground, Duro again rises and faces him, showing strong willpower and gaining immense respect from the other gladiators.

Duro later disapproves of Spartacus's killing of Varro, saying he would never kill a brother even if ordered to, but Spartacus yells at Duro about the burden of taking care of his brother's wife and child. This confuses Duro and the others as Spartacus delves deeper into his despair and fever.

Duro later fights alongside Agron in the arena, but Duro falls and is nearly killed before his brother saves him. He is personally disappointed and embarrassed.

Duro is stabbed to death by a Roman guard.

Duro and his brother quickly ally with Spartacus when he begins to plan the escape of the gladiators, showing their disdain for the guards because of their bad treatment. They try to gather others to the cause and follow him, ever ready for the attack and while they enlist Hamilcar, the Gauls won't align unless Crixus does so as well. When Crixus ultimately sides with Spartacus, they charge and face the guards fearlessly. During the revolt, Duro is dismayed at Hamilcar's death but avenges him by killing the guard who did so. In this time, Duro shows improved and impressive fighting skill, taking down many guards without any problems, making Agron proud. Near the cease of the battle in the training area, the two pause a moment to meet but Duro sees a guard lunging towards Agron's back and pushes him to safety, receiving the blade to his own stomach instead. Agron kills the guard, but the wound is lethal and Duro dies in Agron's arms. His final words are "I save you this time, brother".

Duro's death ultimately inflames Agron with a visceral hatred and vengeance for Romans.

Vengeance

Agron brought up how Duro was struck down by the romans to Nasir. He became upset when Nasir coldly remarked that his brother died because they rebelled.

Crixus mentioned to the rebels that Agron lost his brother yet he can still fight.

War of the Damned

Crixus brought up Duro when he found Agron tending to the romans, the very same who killed his brother. Agron was angry at hearing his brother being mentioned but kept calm as he told Crixus that he is different from the vengeful man he was.

At the tribute games to honor Crixus, his brother Agron shouts his name to honor him.

Books

Duro appears as one of the characters in Spartacus: Morituri.

Video Games

Duro is playable in the Spartacus Blood and sand iPhone game. He comes with a parmula shield, a sword, and a helmet. Though in the show he has an axe, and Agron had a sword.

Trivia

• Duro and his brother are both in the novel Spartacus: Morituri.
• Ande Cunningham, the actor who plays Duro, is 186cm (6' 1")  tall.
• In training he is seen using a sword and shield yet in the arena (in the episode Old Wounds) he fights with an axe and shield. Given that his brother fights as a Murmillo when they fight as a pair, it seems reasonable to assume that Duro is intended to be a Secutor (at least, the axe-wielding Starz version); it is possible (though unlikely) that he took the shield he is seen using in the arena from an opponent or fellow gladiator (since we only see the tail end of the fight).
• Duro could be derived from the Latin Durus, meaning 'tough' or 'steadfast'. This has led some to speculate that Duro and Agron are not their original names, and were instead assigned to them as slaves. However, creator and executive producer Steven DeKnight told a fan on Twitter that, to the best of his memory, Duro and Agron were their original names.
• It is never stated which specific nation of the ancient Germanic people that Duro and his brother, Agron, belong to. Possibilities would include the Suebi, the Chatti and the Cherubic tribes, or possibly Germanic Illyrians.

Quotes

Duro: (to Crixus while sparring) "This isn't the arena!"
Crixus: "The world is my arena, pup!"

"Two weeks and the mark's still raw as a whore's cunt!"
—Duro to Agron

Duro: "Goat fuck! I knew it."
Agron: (takes the list and smiles) "Why do you fucking bleat? You fight by my side, brother!"
Duro: "Like a suckling babe? I would prove myself alone!"

"I would die before I kill my own brother!"
—Duro to Spartacus

"Fuck ass you Roman cock!"                                                                                                                      —Duro to Roman guards

"I save you this time, brother"                                                                                                                      —Duro to Agron; his last words