| Marcus | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| First appearance | S2E01: Fugitivus | |
| Last appearance | S2E04: Empty Hands (Alive) S2E05: Libertus (Corpse) | |
| Profession | Soldier (Tribune) | |
| Race | Roman | |
| Relationships | Gaius Claudius Glaber (Best Friend/Praetor, deceased) Salvius (Comrade, deceased) | |
| Status | Deceased (Mortally wounded by Spartacus and Killed by Ashur) | |
| Actor/Actress | Luke Pegler | |
This article refers to Marcus, the Roman Tribune to Glaber. For the gladiator recruit of the same name, see Marcus (recruit).
Marcus is the Military Tribune of Gaius Claudius Glaber. He is a highly competent military officer and sociopolitical strategist, a close personal friend of Glaber, and largely responsible for Glaber's early successes after returning to Capua to hunt Spartacus and the rebels.
Appearance[]
Marcus is young and handsome, with tan skin, dark hair, and brown eyes. He is not particularly tall or broad, but is a brave and skilled fighter against Spartacus and the rebels. While in Rome, he wears a high-quality toga befitting his elevated social and political status. His status as Military Tribune, the fact that he is likely well-educated, and his high-status civilian clothing indicate he is from an old and respected Patrician family.
During his service as military tribune, he wears a high-quality lorica musculata chest plate with attached cingulum or skirt of leather strips, indicating his elevated status above common soldiers, a red tunic, and a red cape, with a galea or helmet during active military engagements.
Personality[]
Marcus is level-headed, sophisticated, quick-thinking, well-spoken, and intelligent, being calm in heated situations and serving as a strategic battle-commander. Yet despite his training, he still underestimates the rebels, dismissing them as common slaves and brutes, incapable of strategy. Despite the insistence of Ashur, who Marcus openly distrusts and despises, he is unable and unwilling to adapt his attack strategy with effectively fight gladiators, believing Roman skill to be superior.
He and Glaber share a close friendship and a special bond, but are not overtly shown to be in a romantic relationship. When he dies in battle (killed by Ashur) and his corpse is taken back to Capua, Glaber is deeply upset. He is immediately being suspicious of Ashur and in a rage, sentences him to die in the arena alongside Crixus, Oenomaus, and Rhaskos. He then shares a quiet moment alone with Marcus's body to grieve.
Combat Prowess[]
A trained Roman soldier and a capable leader in his own right, Marcus has extensive combat experience. While he is able to hold his own against an average gladiator, he pales in comparison to a high-tier fighter such as Spartacus, whom is easily able to best him on two occasions. But notably, Spartacus was only able to repel or injure Marcus rather than kill him, because he fought his guards too indicating Marcus's luck in a fight.
Vengeance[]
Glaber and Marcus.
His first appearance is in Rome, when he is conversing with Glaber about the two of them climbing the political ladder together. When Glaber is called to Capua to defeat Spartacus' rebellion, Marcus is quick to accompany him as his Military Tribune.
When they arrive in Capua, Glaber and Marcus set up camp in the ruined House of Batiatus. Lucretia is then found by Ilithyia, Marcus proposes that they use Lucretia as a "sign of the Gods" that Glaber will crush Spartacus, due to the fact that she alone had survived the slave uprising at the House of Batiatus.
Marcus facing Spartacus in the Marketplace.
When Spartacus later attacks Glaber in the square, Marcus is quick to defend him. The two fight Spartacus fiercely, when Glaber falls on the ground, Marcus jumps in and attacks Spartacus with every move he got in order to let Glaber recover. When Crixus comes to Spartacus' aid, it results in a major brawl in the streets Marcus is then punched to the ground by Spartacus just as Crixus persuades him to escape. When Spartacus and his group of rebels flee into the streets. Marcus and clutch of men try to get through crowd to pursue the rebels but are unsuccessful.
Marcus councils with Glaber.
Marcus and Glaber later discuss what the next move should be against Spartacus. Marcus suggests that they align themselves with Seppius since he has full control over the majority of the mercenaries. Glaber marks him as Publius Varinius' man and is reluctant to do so, but Marcus insists upon the matter. They eventually meet with Seppius but, despite Marcus's skill in negotiating and appeasing, Glaber's pride and temper clash with the young noble's arrogance, and the two ultimately do not form an alliance.
Following the recruitment of the Syrian, Ashur, who has captured and tortured Oenomaus, formerly Doctore of the House of Batiatus and aid from Lucretia, they learn of where Spartacus and the Rebels will be. Glaber then orders Marcus to move immediatly while he attends the events at the arena.
With Ashur, Marcus leads a contingent of Roman soldiers to the mines to capture Spartacus and his rebels. Their ambush results in the death of several rebels (including Mannus and Plenus) and the capture of Crixus, Rhaskos and Acer.
Marcus and his men pursue Spartacus and the escaping rebels into the woods, where Marcus is warned by Ashur that he would have a better chance of catching Spartacus if the soldiers did not split up and stuck together. Marcus shrugs off his warnings, boasting that Spartacus will fall before the legions of Glaber, and - after several more skirmishes - his men are soon responsible for the deaths of more fleeing rebels: Tychos Sophus and Fortis, though not without suffering several casualties.
Confronting the surviving rebels in an ambush, Ashur kills the rebel gladiator Liscus, Marcus knocks out Mira and fight Spartacus. While Marcus and Spartacus square off. Spartacus proves to be the superior warrior and Marcus is severely injured when Spartacus impales his shoulder with a spear. Marcus survives only because Ashur dragged him off the battlefield while berating him for not listening to his warning about not underestimating Spartacus.
Marcus's death by Ashur.
After dragging him to a secluded area Marcus tells Ashur to summon the remaining men but Ashur begs the severely injured Marcus to sound a retreat with the remainder of his life. The tribune doesn't listen and attempts to shout to the other Romans "Spartacus is here, bear arms !". Ashur tells Marcus that he is alerting the soldiers and Spartacus to their position but Marcus states to Ashur "And we will fight until the last drop of Roman blood -". Ashur covers Marcus' mouth and sternly replies that he isn't Roman and will not die this night before he murders him in cold blood, before sounding the retreat.
Marcus' body is later taken back to Capua, where Glaber mourns his death and holds Ashur to blame.
Trivia[]
- Marcus is one of the more honorable and slightly wiser Romans that has appeared in the show.
- Producer Steven S DeKnight noted in the DVD commentary for Vengeance that in an early draft of the script Glaber and Marcus were lovers. This plotline was, however, removed as there were already too many subplots in the series.
- Luke Pegler has appeared in the movie "The Condemned" along with Manu Bennett.
- An officer of the rank of Tribunus Militum would usually be a younger member of the Roman senatorial class who was serving in the army for a period as the first step in the Cursus Honorum, the career-path of many senator's sons. Had Marcus survived, he would have stood for election as a Quaestor.