Fortis

Fortis
First appearance	S2E01: Fugitivus
Last appearance	S2E04: Empty Hands
Profession	Gladiator (House of Batiatus) Escaped Slave Rebel
Race	Numidian
Relationships	Spartacus (Leader, deceased) Crixus (Friend, deceased) Liscus (Friend, deceased) Acer (Friend, deceased) Rhaskos (Friend, deceased)
Status	Deceased (Killed by Roman Soldiers)
Actor/Actress	Brian Manthenga

Fortis was a gladiator in Batiatus' ludus and later a rebel under Spartacus' command.

Appearance

Fortis is one of the gladiators who escaped Batiatus' Ludus with Spartacus. He is very tall and muscular, had long hair in dreadlocks and dark skin. He speaks with a deep and commanding voice.

Personality

Fortis is part of the group of Gauls, despite not being a Gaul himself. Like them though he is loyal to Crixus and is both volatile and reckless in heated situations, yet he is slightly calmer than the rest of them are.

Vengeance

Fortis is one of the many Gladiators and slaves to escape the ludus following the revolt led by Spartacus where he becomes part of the group of Gauls, including Rhaskos, Liscus, Acer and others under Crixus.

Like the rest of the Gauls, Fortis expresses hostility and reluctance at sharing their spoils with the other house slaves, but relent when Spartacus orders it.

Fortis at the mine for Naevia.

The group later takes a villa, south of Capua and use it as a small base of operations. That night he celebrates with his fellows, taking to drink.

After Agron leaves the group to enter Vesuvius, Fortis remains as one of the few gladiators who decided to accompany Crixus and Spartacus to the mines to rescue Naevia.

As they look for Naevia, the group is ambushed by the forces of Gaius Claudius Glaber, under the command of Marcus and Ashur. As they attempt to escape Fortis becomes frustrated when Mira leads them to a dead end. In the end, however, Fortis manages to escape the mines and into the forest with Spartacus, Mira,  Nasir, Naevia, Liscus, Tychos and Sophus.

While fleeing the ambush there, Fortis fights off and survives numerous waves of Romans that the fleeing Rebels run into, albeit with the losses of Tychos and Sophus, and a serious injury to Nasir. Fortis sides with Liscus when he argues with Spartacus, wanting to abandon Naevia and the wounded Nasir, who are both slowing their escape. Fortis also points out that Nasir's blood-loss is leaving a trail that the Romans are certain to be following. Spartacus, however, refuses, instead sending Liscus and Fortis on ahead to fetch Agron and the other rebels at Vesuvius.

Fortis and Liscus become separated in the forest while trying to evade their Roman pursuers. However, alone and outnumbered, Fortis is caught and killed (off-screen), and his body is hung from a tree.

War of the Damned

At the tribute games to honor Crixus one of the Rebels shouts his name to honor him.

Trivia

• Brian Manthenga, the actor who played Fortis is 192cm (6'4").
• Fortis is one of many gladiators presented in Vengeance that did not appear in Blood and Sand.
• Fortis' name is among those that are shouted at Crixus' funeral.
• Fortis' origins may lie with the nomadic Tuareg or the agricultural Haratin people in the Numidian tribal confederacy.
• In Latin, Fortis means "one who is strong". 
• The word "Aethiopian" was used by Greeks and Romans as the catch-all term for black Africans, as opposed to "Libyan" which described lighter-complexioned Berber or Amazigh populations in North Africa.

Quotes

"She sends us to our f***ing death!"
―Fortis to Spartacus regarding Mira