- For the Season Three episode list, see List of Episodes in Season Three.
Spartacus: War of the Damned is the fourth installment in the Spartacus series, and the official third season after its prequel, Spartacus: Vengeance. It is the final season of the series, concluding the end of the Third Servile War. War of the Damned premiered on January 25, 2013 and concluded on April 12, 2013.
Six months after the Battle of Vesuvius and Killing Glaber countlesss other victories, Spartacus leads an army of slaves that causes the mighty Roman Republic to begin to truly fear for itself. Faced with an enemy like himself, Spartacus and his rebels are thrown into their most difficult conflict yet and are forced to make compromising decisions, uneasy alliances and ultimately prepare for a fight to the bitter end.
Synopsis[]
Gaius Claudius Glaber is dead. Many months have passed since his defeat and the rebel army, led by Spartacus and his generals Crixus, Gannicus and Agron, continue to amass victories over Rome. With the rebel numbers swelling to thousands of freed slaves, Spartacus is more determined than ever to bring down the entire Roman Republic. Following Ashur's death, Naevia and Crixus fight as one. Together, the rebels engage in one bloody skirmish after another and prepare for the inevitable: a full out war with Rome.
The Roman Senate turns to Marcus Crassus, a wealthy, strategic politician, for aid. He respects his opponent and refuses to make the same mistake Glaber and his predecesors have. With a young and fiercely competitve Julius Caesar as an ally, Crassus is determined to crush Spartacus and his rebellion.
The epic conclusion of a legendary journey, Spartacus: War of the Damned will unleash a battle unlike anything ever seen before.
Spartacus: War of the Damned © 2013 Starz Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Cast and Characters[]
- Liam McIntyre as Spartacus – a Thracian warrior and former gladiator in the House of Batiatus. Now a general of note, Spartacus leads an army of slaves that hopes to defeat the might of Rome.
- Simon Merrells as Marcus Licinius Crassus – The wealthiest man in the Roman Republic. A strong and capable leader, he is put in charge of putting down Spartacus' rebellion as it becomes apparent that Rome is on the losing side of the the war.
- Manu Bennett as Crixus – a Gaul warrior and former gladiator in the House of Batiatus. He stands now as one of the chief-lieutenants in the rebellion and remains true to its cause alongside his lover, Naevia.
- Daniel Feuerriegel as Agron – a German warrior and former gladiator in the House of Batiatus. Agron is a capable fighter and stands as one of the commanders in the rebel army. He is the lover of Nasir and is Spartacus's closest friend.
- Anna Hutchison as Laeta – a Roman noblewoman who possess both intelligence and compassion. She is the wife of Ennius in the city of Sinuessa en Valle.
- Dustin Clare as Gannicus – a Celtic warrior and former Champion of Capua from the House of Batiatus. He holds the title as one of the rebel leaders and continues the fight in order to honor the memory of his closest friend, Oenomaus.
- Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Naevia – a former body slave and now a strong rebel who had gained considerable fighting skills from the training of her lover, Crixus but suffers from intense psychological trauma from her past abuse.
- Todd Lasance as Julius Caesar – a wild and unpredictable noble whose successful career as a soldier and battle-tactican has Crassus take him on to help defeat the rebellion led by Spartacus.
- Pana Hema Taylor as Nasir – a Syrian rebel and former body slave. He has evolved into a capable warrior and remains as the lover of Agron.
- Ditch Davey as Nemetes – a German warrior who was rescued by the Rebels. He struggles to find his place in the Rebel army and is, for the most part, self-interested.
- Ellen Hollman as Saxa – a German warrior who was rescued by the rebels. She has deadly skills and one of the tougher fighters in the Rebel army.
- Christian Antidormi as Tiberius Licinius Crassus – the spoiled yet determined son of Marcus Crassus. While arrogant, he desires to prove himself to his father and wishes to see the glory of Rome and his house rise.
- Jenna Lind as Kore – the loyal Body Slave of Marcus Crassus.
Episode List[]
- 1. Enemies of Rome
- 2. Wolves at the Gate
- 3. Men of Honor
- 4. Decimation
- 5. Blood Brothers
- 6. Spoils of War
- 7. Mors Indecepta
- 8. Separate Paths
- 9. The Dead and the Dying
- 10. Victory
Videos[]
Trailer[]
Clips and Interviews[]
Spartacus War of the Damned - Comic-Con Panel STARZ
Spartacus War of the Damned - The Romans STARZ
Historical Accuracy[]
- After Crassus ends Spartacus' revolt, over 6,000 surviving rebel slaves are crucified along the Appian Way.
- Other generals fighting against Spartacus' revolt were Consuls Lucius Gellius Publicola and Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus as well as Pro-consul Gaius Cassius Longinus Varus (possible father of the more infamous Gaius Cassius Longinus), however the war against the Consuls isn't portrayed in the series, although it could have taken place off screen between the events of Vengeance and War of the Damned.
- Clodianus and Gellius were replaced with Cossinius and Furius as Crassus' immediate predecessors. Historically Cossinius and Furius were under Varinius' command.
- War of the Damned combines events that occurred during the rebel's war with the Consuls and the war with Crassus.
- The timeframe in which the rebels fight the Consuls historically takes place between the events of Vengeance and War of the Damned but instead of the Consuls, has the rebels face off against a multitude of other Roman commanders.
- While in the show, the rebel combatants appear to be evenly distributed between male and female, historically the bulk of Spartacus' army were Pastores (shepherds and herdsman; slaves who were trained to fight to defend their dominus' land from thieves), who were men. While women most likely fought during the pitched battles, most if not all would have been archers, fighting away from the battlefield, or would have engaged in clean up fighting, killing off survivors and retrieving wounded rebels etc.
- Historically, Crixus leaves Spartacus' group with a small amount of the rebels and is later killed by Publicola and Clodianus. In the show the reason is because Crixus wants to remain and fight the Romans, however historically there is another theory that Crixus and Spartacus agreed to split their forces, to better feed the entire army before regrouping.
- Historically, Crixus parts ways with Spartacus a year before Crassus involves himself in the rebellion.
- Gannicus and Castus historically part ways with Spartacus during the war with Crassus, sometime before the final battle. This, however, does not happen in the series
- Spartacus was presumed to have died in battle, but his body was never recovered. One theory is that before the battle, Spartacus dressed in the typical makeshift rebel armour or another disguse, so the Romans and Crassus couldn't identify him.
- Following the final battle, Crassus crucifies the captures rebels along the Appian Way, the road between Rome and Capua. Historically, it is unknown if Crassus ordered the crucifixions before or after news of Pompey's "victory" reached the senate. If the latter is true, these crucifixions were perhaps Crassus' attempt to remain more relevant than Pompey to the senate, and gain most of the credit.
- There is no evidence suggesting that Julius Caesar had any part of the Third Servile War. This was done by the creators for creative and entertainment license.
- it is interesting to note that very little information is known of Caesar during this time. All is known is that he was in Rome and that he was an elected Military Tribune so the possibility does exist that he may have played a role, but this cannot be confirmed. It is also unknown if he was still a captive of the Cilician Pirates during this time.
- Crassus' troops in the final season are portrayed as wearing Lorica Segmentata armor. Historically they would have been wearing Lorica Hamata armour, worn during the late Roman Republic to early Roman Empire.
Trivia[]
- This is the first and only season which doesn't showcase previous antagonists in the series.
- The ending credits differ in this season in that it features changes based upon characters in their introduction and removes those that are no longer involved.
- Spartacus was initially intended to return to fighting with a sword and shield combo as he did in Vengeance, but due to favour among fans and the lethality of the Dimachaeri style of fighting he almost solely fights as a dual-wielding combatant.