I may be in the middle of a Marvel Legends week, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let a Wednesday go by without throwing some love to Mythic Legions. And since I am pressed for time from having to cram seven other reviews this week, I’m going with a figure that should be fairly easy to do justice. It’s Calavius, and he’s a Gladiator that teamed up with Attlus the Conqueror to launch a rebellion and put an end to the Gladiatorial games!

And damn, if he don’t look like a bad-ass! While he’s part of Advent of Decay, Calavius definitely feels like a throwback to The Coliseum Wave that hit in between the two kickstarters. And that’s not just because he’s a Gladiator, but because the bulk of this figure is comprised of parts introduced before Advent of Decay. That’s not a criticism, he really is a great looking figure, but it’s worth pointing out, especially for collectors who are expecting nothing but hot newness in their Advent of Decay packages. It’s probably safe to say that Calavius borrows the most from his fellow Gladiator, Rahmulus. From the waist down it’s all the same parts but with a fresh coat of paint. All the plate armor has been repainted gold, with blue leather scales hanging down the front of the belt and blue stripes down the sides of the hip armor. He also has some copper paint just under the knee plates, and the exposed skin on his upper legs is now dark brown.

While Rahmulus wore a plate armor cuirass, Calavius fights bare chested and with his left arm bare as well. They share the same armored sleeve on the right arm, but where Rahmulus donned a pair of knightly gauntlets, Calavius wears the jagged, crude type favored by the Orcs. Calavius wears only one pauldron, on his right shoulder, and it’s the same one used by Rahmulus, only repainted to match the rest of his armor.

The one brand new thing about Rahmulus, at least new to me, is the helmet. Well, one of them, he actually comes with two. It’s based on a traditional Roman Gladiator helmet design with a wide-brimmed helmet and a full enclosure over the face with a circle-patterned screen to allow him to see and breath. The top of the helmet has a comb with a sculpted brush and a small skull on the front. This helmet is easily what sold me on this figure, as it’s gorgeous. I love how sinister the design looks and the bright copper paint used on the helmet, along with all the little attention to detail, is absolutely perfect.

The alternative helmet is one that I first encountered all the way back on Gorgo Aetherblade, and it’s been used several times since. This time it’s fitted with two black ram horns. The official look is to have the horns pointed downward, but I’m not sure I dig that all that much. You can, however, position them any way you like. I am a fan of this helmet, but if it comes down to displaying Calavius with this one or the Gladiator helmet, the other one is going to win out every single time. It’s also why I only used it in a couple of pictures for this review.

If a traditional sword and shield is what you’re after, Calavius has got you covered. Yup, the sword is my favorite standard cruciform-hilted blade, this time a red grip, and a bronze painted pommel and guard. And just to keep things from getting too ordinary, Calavius’ sword belt is red instead of brown. I prefer to use it as a shoulder strap, so he can wear his sword on his back along with the shield. The shield is the same circular one we saw with Rahmulus. It’s got a rough steel finish and some bronze paint on the boss as well as on the ring of runes that runs along the outside edge.

Calavius also comes with two pole weapons, or more specifically two different poles with two different heads, and you can mix and match them. One is a very knightly looking halberd, which I like a lot, but just not with this figure. I realize there’s no real historical accuracy going on here, but it just feels out of place to give it to a Gladiator. It’s probably going to wind up going to one of my Knights.

The other is a trident, and I absolutely love this thing! The pole has gold painted grips with some ornate carvings and it’s just the kind of thing I remember seeing in the old Sword & Sandals movies. It makes me wish T4H had also included a net with him, because it was always fun to see these guys toss nets over their opponent before skewering them with one of these giant forks.

If you’re looking for all brand new stuff in your Advent of Decay figures, then Calavius may let you down. Personally, I’m happy that T4H are still dipping that deep into the well. I’ll buck the trend by not claiming that this is my new favorite figure in the line, but he is my second favorite of the Gladiators (No one can ever trump Raygorr!) and I really dig him a lot. The parts work together quite well, the new helmet sculpt is amazing, and the quality of the paint is gorgeous. Toss in the giant killing fork, and I’ve got nothing but love for this guy!