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SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND: Season 2: Plot, Returning Characters List

Lucy Lawless, Viva Bianca, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Kill Them All

A list of returning characters and the plot for Spartacus: Blood and Sand – Season 2 has been released. This season 2 returning character list for Spartacus: Blood and Sand – Season 2 on Starz holds many surprises, especially for those that recently watched the prequel series, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. If you want to go into the season 2 of Spartacus: Blood and Sand fresh, not knowing who will show up next, do not read this list as it contains major spoilers, character appearance-wise. If it doesn’t matter to you,  read on. I wish I had not read some of this because some characters I never thought would show up are.

• As most fans know, the drama’s title role has been recast [written about here: Liam McIntyre replaces Andy Whitfield: Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Liam McIntyre is taking over the role of Spartacus and Andy Whitfield is not returning due to his ongoing cancer battle.

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And how will we find Spartacus in Season 2? Will he be the leader of men as told in legend? “When we started Spartacuswe knew he wouldn’t be the golden hero from the start,” DeKnight said. “As much as I love the Stanley Kubrick movie, I didn’t want him defending slaves right from the start. I wanted a guy who was very much ruled by his own passions and emotions. For his wife, really. There was that great scene back in episode twelve of Season 1 where Mira says ‘you can’t do this because we’ll all be put to death’ and he says ‘I don’t care.’ So he’s going to go from there, from that place, to putting his own feelings aside and fighting for the greater good. So that’s where we want to take him in Season 2.”

• Lucretia (Lucy Lawless), who had a nasty stab wound at the end of ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand,’ will nevertheless be back in season 2. “it was just a little poke in the tummy,” Lucy Lawless told a recent press gathering. “Put a poultice on it, she’ll be all right.” [A picture of that “poke” can be seen here: Spartacus: Blood and Sand: Kill Them All: High Resolution Photos]

…we’ll still get to see Lucy Lawless return as Lucretia in Season 2, as it was announced last month that her character, indeed, survived the Ludus bloodbath. “It’s something we’ve talked about, going forward with each season, is trying to find that connective tissue of a villain – because obviously the hero will cross over through all the seasons – but trying to find a villain that can do it,” [Spartacus: Blood And Sand creator Steven S.]DeKnight said. “And I use the term ‘villain’ loosely because not all are villains, they’re just on the other side. But to find someone on the opposing side and carry them through to the next season. I was adamant that both [Batiatus and Lucretia] were going to die. And that Luctretia was going to die, but then I had this idea and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with her. And it would be a great element to add to Season 2.” So does that mean that Lucretia will now be a changed woman? Will she have learned a valuable lesson? “Oh no,” DeKnight laughed. “She learns no lesson. Lucretia survives her wound but, as you can imagine, she’s less than happy.”

• Gannicus (Dustin Clare), a gladiator who got his freedom at the end of the prequel season [written about here: TV Review: Spartacus: Gods of the Arena: Season 1, Ep. 6: The Bitter End and pictured here: Spartacus: Gods of the Arena: The Bitter End: High Resolution Photos], will return for the show’s second season.

• Crixus (Manu Bennett), a House of Batiatus champion and, eventually, a friend to Spartacus, will return for season 2.

• Oenomaus/Doctore (Peter Mensah) will be back also. Let’s face it, ‘Spartacus’ isn’t ‘Spartacus’ without this magisterial man cracking his trusty whip.

• Ilythia (Viva Bianca) will return in Season 2, ‘Spartacus’ creator Steven S. DeKnight confirmed Friday on Twitter. I certainly don’t expect this Roman noblewoman and Lucretia to be BFFs in future; as you’ll recall, once Ilythia saw members of Batiatus’ household beginning their murderous rampage, she ensured that Lucretia and her husband were locked inside the house with their angry slaves. I’m betting that makes for a tense reunion in future.

• Ashur (Nick E. Tarabay) will return for season 2, with lots of plots and schemes up his sleeve, no doubt.

• The character Naevia, a slave loved by Crixus, will return, but Lesley-Ann Brandt will no longer play the role. Producers are recasting Naevia, who will return in season 2.

• Mira (Katrina Law), a slave who helped Spartacus in ‘Blood and Sand,’ will return in Season 2.

• Vettius (Gareth Williams), a ludus owner and an enemy of Batiatus in ‘Gods of the Arena,’ will not return in season 2.

• Legatus Glaber (Craig Parker), Ilythia’s husband and the man responsible for Spartacus’ enslavement, will be back in season 2. He’ll be “hot on [the] heels” of the escaped slaves, according to a story by Matt Fowler of IGN.

Regarding funding and the scope of Spartacus: Blood and Sand: Season 2

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My main question for [Starz president Chris] Albrecht was this: Did the network give the ‘Spartacus’ producers more money for the show’s second season? Given that season 2 will chronicle the adventures of Spartacus and his band of rebel slaves, all of whom will be on the run from the Roman authorities, the next season will clearly have a wider scope and more locations. As DeKnight himself said, it is a “massively epic story.”

“I think one of the great challenges and opportunities for the show is that the visual style of the show is going to continue to evolve in order to be able to incorporate the journey the characters literally have to take,” Albrecht said. “So yes, we gave them more money, but they deserved it.”

And they’ll be putting it to good use, DeKnight added.

“It’s a big-sky story. …We’re not inside anymore,” said DeKnight, who added that four scripts for the new season were already completed. “Obviously we’ll have interior sets — all shows need them. But it’s a group of very angry gladiators and slaves on the loose. … I think we’ve been able to retain all of the intrigue and romance and emotion of season 1, but we’ve just opened it up so much more.”

Regarding the escaped slaves in Spartacus: Blood and Sand: Season 2:

With the Batiatus Ludus getting left in the bloody dust, where will that leave our heroes? Will they be on the run? “Part will be hiding and part will be guerilla tactics,” DeKnight stated. “As always, we’ll take key moments from history to help us portray the story. You know, they head out to the countryside and cause a lot of havoc. You know, it’s interesting because historically they raped and pillaged their way through the land. But it’s a little hard to portray your heroes as good guys if they slaughter children and raping women. But we don’t pull back from the fact that they will kill a lot of Romans who they perceive to be the problem. But yes, they’ll be on the loose, in the countryside, causing trouble and Glaber (Craig Parker), who will be the first person sent after them, will be hot on their heels.”

I know Baitatus (John Hannah) would not be showing up (except via flashback) but Lucretia, come on. How do you survive a knife wound to the stomach like the one she received in that time period? It’s seems a little loose but we will see how it plays out on the show.

Update 1: Spartacus: Blood and Sand: Season 2: Retitled Spartacus: Vengeance

Update 2: Spartacus: Vengeance: Teaser Trailer, Liam McIntyre Entertainment Weekly Photos

Update 3: Spartacus: Vengeance: Teaser Trailer 2

Update 4: Spartacus: Blood and Sand: Season 2: Lucy Lawless Photo, Interview

Update 5: Spartacus: Vengeance TV Show Trailer

Source: Tvsquad

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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