- Caesar (Xena)
Infobox Hercaverse and Xenaverse Character|Alliance=#B22222
Title=CaesarCaesar
First=Destiny
Last=When Fates Collide
Creator=Rob Tapert
Name=Julius Caesar
Job=Ruler ofRome
Kind=Human
Affiliation=Brutus
Crassus
Mark Antony
Actor=Karl Urban Caesar is a
fictional character from the television series "" loosely based on the Roman leader of the same name. He is portrayed byNew Zealand actorKarl Urban .Character history
Caesar meets Xena
Caesar is first introduced as a young Roman
patrician .cite book|last=Stoddard Hayes|first=K.|title=Xena: Warrior Princess: The Complete Illustrated Companion|year=2003|month=March|format=Paperback|publisher=Titan Books|id=ISBN 1-84023-622-1|pages=180-183|chapter=Characters - Caesar] He is portrayed as being very arrogant, so much so that when he is captured byXena and her pirates he is not afraid. When threatened by Xena he tells her, "I know what I'm fated to do with my life".cite episode|title=Destiny|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|serieslink=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1997-01-27] He allows Xena to seduce him, when in reality she is the one being seduced. This ultimately leads to her capture andcrucifixion at the hands of Caesar. It is this betrayal by Caesar which contributes to Xena becoming an evil warlord with a hunger for violence.Caesar and Boadicea
Later Caesar becomes the most powerful man in the entire
Roman Republic . Caesar's might within the Empire is such that he is able to command an army to invade Britannia.cite episode|title=Deliverer|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|serieslink=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1997-10-20] It is in Britannia that Xena helps Boadicea defeat Caesar. He teams up with Crassus andPompey to form theFirst Triumvirate .cite episode|title=When In Rome|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|serieslink=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1998-03-02] Even though he is beaten every time he comes up against Xena, he still does not think that she is a real threat to his destiny, still firmly believing in his own fate.The end of the Triumvirate
When Caesar and Xena meet again, it is only at this point that she becomes more important in his life and his ultimate destiny. Xena kidnaps Crassus and uses him as a pawn in her fight against Caesar. She substitutes Crassus for a prisoner, Vercinix, and Caesar is forced to have him killed. Although Caesar still appears to hold a genuine attraction to Xena, any positive feelings she had for him died when she was left for dead on the cross.
An even match
Caesar is shown to be the greatest general ever to have lived, and this balances Xena's own skill in being able to outfight him. Whether in hand-to-hand combat or in military strategy, Xena always finds a way to beat Caesar. One such display of Xena's ability is when she battles both Caesar's and Pompey's armies and leaves them both slaughtered and causes a cease in their civil war for power in Rome.cite episode|title=A Good Day|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|serieslink=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1998-10-26] Even though defeated he tells Xena, "This is only a minor setback, Xena. You can't change my destiny".
A bitter feud
The ongoing feud between Caesar and Pompey is an important element is the events of Caesar's life leading up to his death.cite episode|title=The Ides of March|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|serieslink=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1999-05-10] Both men's desire for power is so great it serves to show the petty side to Caesar's personality. He wants to be rid of Pompey, as he sees him as a great threat to him fulfilling his destiny. He realizes that there is only enough room for one ruler in the
Roman Empire , and he wants to be that ruler. The rivalry between the two statesmen is so great that they continue to fight each other as the woods blaze around them.Murder and betrayal
Caesar has always shown great leadership skills and Brutus follows him implicitly, telling Xena and Gabrielle that their vision of Caesar is "blinded by hatred", "He is the only hope to restore the democracy of the Republic".cite episode|title=Endgame|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|serieslink=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1999-05-03] Gabrielle, however, plants a seed of doubt in his mind, and Xena gives him evidence about Caesar's self-centred plans. When Caesar rejects the peace treaty with the Amazons, which Brutus thinks might benefit both parties, Brutus teams up with other members of the Senate as they plot to murder Caesar. Meanwhile, Xena kills Pompey. With Pompey's defeat, Caesar becomes the ruler of Rome, he still cannot beat Xena. In order to finally be rid of Xena, he enlists the help of a demonic Callisto. With Xena finally out of the way, Caesar feels he can now claim Rome for himself. As he prepares to declare himself the ruler of all of Rome, Brutus and his allies turn on Caesar and murder him.
According to Shakepeare, Caesar, upon seeing his close friend Brutus among his murderers, became disheartened, asking "
Et tu, Brute? " In "Xena", however, Caesar had been cast as a younger man (instead of being middle-aged, as the real Caesar was at the time of his death), and this incarnation of Caesar reacted with a rage-filled "And "you", Brutus!"Caesar, Emperor of Rome
When Caesar escapes from
Tartarus , he captures theFates and rewrites his fate and gets another chance to fulfil his destiny.cite episode|title=When Fates Collide|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|serieslink=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=2001-05-07] In the alternate universe, he is the Emperor of Rome and Xena is the Empress.Alti , in the new universe, is the High Priestess of Rome. In this new life she realizes who she was in the other universe and uses that to increase her power over Caesar. Once again his egotistical ways lead to his downfall. Alti now wants Caesar's power for herself. While being seduced by Alti, she retrieves a dagger she has concealed and kills him again, revealing that his true destiny is to be stabbed.References
External links
* " [http://www.xenite.org/xor/Cupid_and_Julius_Caesar// Cupid and Julius Caesar.] "
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
