The Egyptian

The Egyptian is an enigmatic and formidable warrior, serving as a key member of Ashur’s group. A relentless and ruthless antagonist, he plays a significant role throughout Spartacus: Vengeance.

Names	The Egyptian
Gender	Male ♂
Race	Human
Occupation	Mercenary, Assassin
Origin	Spartacus: Vengeance Episode 6: "Chosen Path" (March 12, 2012)
Alignment	Neutral
Age	30s
Created By	Steven S, DeKnight, Misha Green
Height	192 cm (6ft 3in)
Weight	75kg (165.3 lbs)
Portrayed By	Stephen Dunlevy

Appearance

The Egyptian is an imposing and towering figure, standing at 192 cm. He possesses a heavily muscled physique, making him one of the most physically intimidating characters in the series. His dark skin, shaved head, and piercing gaze contribute to his fearsome presence. He wears minimal yet functional armor, favoring agility over heavy protection. His signature weapons are a pair of curved twin daggers, which he wields with exceptional speed and precision.

Personality

The Egyptian is a ruthless and brutal warrior, defined by his unwavering loyalty to Glaber. He is a man of few words, preferring to let his actions speak for him. His sadistic tendencies are evident in his fights, as he often toys with his opponents before delivering a final, fatal blow. He is highly disciplined and composed, rarely showing emotion, even in the heat of battle. Despite his brutality, he is also extremely intelligent and perceptive, recognizing opportunities and threats with keen awareness. His silent yet deadly nature makes him one of the most terrifying antagonists in Spartacus: Vengeance.

Biography

Vengeance

Recognizing the need for warriors unlike traditional Roman soldiers to combat the growing rebel threat, Ashur persuades Glaber to let him recruit the most savage and deadly fighters in Capua. His search leads him to a notorious mercenary imprisoned in the depths of Capua’s prison—the Egyptian. Known for his exceptional brutality, the Egyptian had been forcibly isolated from both guards and fellow prisoners, confined within a deep pit due to the extreme nature of his violence.

Ashur, leveraging his cunning and intimidation, forces the guards to release him. He then tosses a rope into the pit, allowing the Egyptian to climb to freedom. As a test of his new recruits' combat prowess, Glaber leads them to slaughter the household of Seppius. During the massacre, the Egyptian demonstrates his lethal skill, effortlessly butchering numerous guards and slaves with his twin daggers.

Following the Seppius massacre, Glaber orders Ashur’s men to crucify Ilithyia’s personal body slave—partly as a warning to Spartacus and partly as an act of vengeance against Ilithyia. The Egyptian, ever the embodiment of cruelty, strikes the woman across the face before Ashur’s group nails her to a wooden post.

When Gannicus kidnaps Ilithyia, Glaber dispatches his mercenaries to a brothel frequently visited by the former gladiator, seeking information. At the brothel, the Egyptian’s terrifying strength is on full display when a drunken patron makes an ill-advised remark about Glaber’s presence. Without hesitation, the Egyptian snaps the man’s neck with ease, twisting it grotesquely backward, leaving the onlookers horrified.

Despite the brutal interrogation, they discover that the only person who could have provided valuable information—Marcia—had already been crucified. Frustrated but relentless, Glaber orders the Egyptian and the mercenaries to continue their search, moving from brothel to brothel. Their method remains unchanged—merciless torture and wholesale slaughter of any who fail to provide useful information. Despite their savage efforts, they ultimately return empty-handed.

When Lucius arrives to negotiate Ilithyia’s return, the Egyptian threatens him, but Lucius remains steadfast, showing no fear. Glaber, however, orders that Lucius not be harmed. Instead, Glaber devises a deadly ambush for Spartacus and his rebels—hiding his most ruthless fighters, including the Egyptian, inside a closed wagon meant to appear as a weapon shipment for Ilithyia’s exchange.

During the trade, Agron moves to inspect the wagon’s contents, only to be ambushed by the mercenaries within. In the ensuing chaos, Crixus faces off against the Egyptian but quickly finds himself outmatched. The Egyptian, displaying both speed and sadistic precision, toys with his opponent, using a single dagger to slowly drive Crixus toward defeat. At one point, he even attempts to stab Crixus in the eye, fully dominating the fight. Just as the Egyptian is about to deliver the killing blow, Mira and Lucius intervene, striking him with arrows. Yet, despite being pierced, the Egyptian barely reacts, relentlessly pursuing the rebels as they flee. Lucius chooses to make a final stand, launching more arrows at the advancing warrior. However, the Egyptian, unfazed and unstoppable, continues his approach and ultimately beheads Lucius.

Following the battle, he uses Lucius’ severed head as an intimidation tactic, interrogating those who knew him to extract information. After uncovering crucial details, he reports back to Ashur, who successfully deduces Spartacus’ location. As a reward, the Egyptian is granted food and wine.

Later, during the siege on the rebel-occupied temple, the Egyptian once again proves his lethal skill, engaging Oenomaus in fierce combat. The two warriors fight with equal ferocity until the Egyptian gains the upper hand—driving one of his daggers through Oenomaus’ left hand and into his eye, twisting the blade with cruel delight. Before he can finish Oenomaus off, Gannicus intervenes, knocking him down the temple steps.

When a splinter group of Spartacus' rebels attempts to breach the Roman encampment, the Egyptian and Ashur, acting under Glaber’s orders, move to intercept them. Their presence proves decisive, as they single-handedly subdue the attacking Germans, an outcome unlikely without their intervention. However, when Spartacus and his warriors arrive to reinforce their comrades, the tide quickly turns. Spartacus briefly clashes with the Egyptian, swiftly overpowering him and knocking him to the ground. As the Roman forces begin to arrive, the Egyptian is forced to retreat.

The Egyptian is the first to betray Ashur when Glaber is deceived into believing Ashur is a traitor. His sudden defection may have been the catalyst for the rest of Ashur’s group to mutiny. When Ashur, enraged, attempts to strike him down, the Egyptian effortlessly dodges the attack and disarms him, leaving his former leader defenseless.

In the final battle against the rebels, following Ashur’s banishment, the Egyptian carves through his opponents with brutal efficiency. Gannicus soon spots him, and the two engage in combat. However, despite his skill, Gannicus is swiftly overwhelmed and knocked to the ground. Just as the Egyptian is about to land a fatal blow, Oenomaus intercepts the strike and knocks him back, declaring, "I owe you pain." Taken off guard, the Egyptian is forced into a two-on-one fight as Oenomaus and Gannicus work together. Yet, even against both warriors, the Egyptian proves too formidable. He sends Gannicus sprawling before catching Oenomaus off-guard and driving his blade deep into his abdomen—a fatal wound that would later claim the former gladiator’s life.

Enraged by his comrade's fall, Gannicus seizes the opportunity to strike while the Egyptian is distracted. With relentless aggression, he parries the mercenary’s attacks, eventually disarming him and knocking him to the ground. The wounded Egyptian attempts to roll away, but Gannicus delivers a devastating overhead strike, crushing his skull and killing him instantly.

Powers and Statistics

Tier: 9-B

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Expert Swordsman, Adept in Unarmed Combat, High Pain Tolerance, Indomitable Will

Attack Potency: Wall level (Defeated Gannicus in combat, Killed Oenomaus)

Speed: Peak Human

Lifting Strength: Unknown

Striking Strength: Wall level

Durability: Wall level

Stamina: Very High

Range: Standard Melee Range

Standard Equipment: Dual Daggers

Intelligence: Average

Weaknesses: None Notable

Trivia

• The Egyptian is the only antagonist in the series to have battled four (former) champions of the arena—Spartacus, Crixus, Gannicus, and Oenomaus.
• By comparison, Gaius Julius Caesar only fought against two—Gannicus and Crixus.
• The Egyptian is almost entirely silent throughout the series, speaking only once when delivering Lucius Caelius' severed head to Ashur.
• He may have been part of the Epigovoi, a class of mixed-race descendants from the Ptolemaic era (3rd–1st centuries BCE). The Epigovoi were the offspring of native Egyptian mothers and Katoikoi (military settlers) fathers, who were often of Greek, Celtic, or Thracian descent.
• If the Egyptian was an Epigovos (a foreign halfbreed), this could explain his profession as a mercenary. Ancient Egyptian beliefs held a strong fear of dying abroad, as foreign lands lacked the proper funerary rites necessary for the afterlife.
• The Latin term for a mercenary is mercennarius, meaning "hireling."
• The Latin word for an assassin is sicarius, which translates to "dagger man."