| Vettius | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| First appearance | S0E01: Past Transgressions | |
| Last appearance | S0E06: The Bitter End | |
| Profession | Lanista (Retired) | |
| Race | Roman | |
| Relationships | Tullius (Friend, deceased) Otho (Gladiator, deceased) Lysimachus (Former Gladiator, deceased) Caburus (Former Gladiator, deceased) Quintus Lentulus Batiatus (Rival, deceased) Marcus Decius Solonius (Rival, deceased) | |
| Status | Unknown (presumed active) | |
| Actor/Actress | Gareth Williams | |
Vettius is a young lanista in Capua. He appears exclusively as the secondary antagonist of the prequel Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.
Appearance
Vettius is a young, blond man, seemingly in his twenties. He is quite tall and lanky and often has a smug look on his face.
Personality
A famous and powerful lanista in Capua despite his youth, Vettius is self-absorbed and arrogant. His confidence largely comes from the patronage of his powerful close friend Tullius, rather than the skill or reputation of his gladiators..
Gods of the Arena
At the start of Past Transgressions, Vettius is a rival lanista to both Batiatus and Solonius.
After Gannicus bests his best man (Otho) in a wager, Vettius and Batiatus begin an intense rivalry.
Vettius' friendship with Tullius leads to an assault on Batiatus, killing his body guard and beating him to a pulp, after they cannot come to an agr
Vettius alongside Tullius
eement regarding the sale of Gannicus.
Eventually, Batiatus returns the favor when he orders Ashur, Dagan and Indus to assault Vettius in the same manner, in order to send a message. Indus beats him severely, and Dagan urinates on him (as Tullius did to Batiatus). Vettius knows this was by Batiatus, but holds no proof.
After Tullius is killed by Batiatus, Vettius is blackmailed by Solonius into selling him all of his gladiators (including his new top fighter, Caburus), resulting in an early retirement as a lanista and a prosperous career for Solonius.
Ordered to leave Capua and never return, his current whereabouts and fate are as of yet unknown. Though, he claimed to be following Tullius to Antioch in Syria on business.
Trivia
- Gareth Williams, the actor who plays Vettius is 186cm (6'1") tall.
- Vettius is actually not from Capua, having been born in Nola.
- Vettius is one of the few antagonists in the series to have survived.
- Vettius shares his name with the leader of a previous slave revolt in Capua that occurred in 104 BC. Titus Minucius Vettius was a young nobleman who fell in love with a slave girl and purchased her for a huge sum. When he was unable to actually pay such a large amount, he bought weapons and shields and armed his own slaves and began raiding the Italian countryside. He was eventually betrayed by one of his own officers and subsequently committed suicide.
- Vettius may be a member of the Gens Vettia, a Plebeian clan whom otherwise claimed descent from Tatius, King of the Sabines, who was first an opponent and later an ally to Romulus, Rome's founder and king.
Quotes
"Words fall from your mouth like shit from ass!"
"Listen how the rooster crows.."
Lucretia about Vettius: "How can Tullius and the magistrate favor a boy from Nola over one of Capua's favored sons?"