The new teaser for ‘Spartacus: House of Ashur’ confirms the return of Lucretia, the character played by the actress from ‘Xena’

Spartacus: House of Ashur imagines a new destiny for Ashur, the scheming character from the original series who ultimately paid the price for his betrayal.

This new production is a classic “what if” scenario, bringing back familiar faces from the franchise—including, it seems, Lucretia, played once again by Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess, Battlestar Galactica).

A teaser from the afterlife

The latest teaser shows Lucretia and Ashur reunited in the afterlife. Lucretia recounts Ashur’s tragic journey—his brief time in the arena, his rise as a conspirator, and his death at the hands of Naevia. But instead of condemning him, she offers a second chance: resurrection in an alternate reality where Ashur becomes the lanista, master of all gladiators.

Lucretia’s haunting symbol

In the video, Lucretia appears holding a dead infant, a chilling symbol of her own story. The wife of Batiatus longed to be a mother and eventually conceived a child with Crixus, one of her slaves. But the baby died before birth when Crixus himself cut her open. Though Lucretia survived, she lost her sanity and ultimately hurled herself off a cliff while clutching Ilithya’s newborn.

Series creator Steven D. Knight told Deadline he won’t reveal why Lucretia offers Ashur this new chance:

“The question is whether this second opportunity is a gift or a curse. Is she giving him something to benefit him—or to torture him? You’ll have to watch the series to find out.”

Release date

Spartacus: House of Ashur premieres December 5 in the United States on Starz. The gladiator drama will premiere with two episodes and will be available to stream weekly beginning on December 6, only on MGM+ across UK, Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Belgium.New episodes will stream weekly on Saturdays on MGM+.

A second season has already been written, awaiting the reception of the first.

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