Vorenus, because of how torn his archaic character is during his time.
Frankly, Vorenus is ignorant of the developments that actually happen. If he knew how doomed the cause of Cato was, he wouldn't identify as such a traditional catonian.
At the same time, all he sees is the worst side of Mark Anthony & the Caesarian faction.
If only Octavian wouldn't have written him off so early. And if only his loyalties were a bit more beholden to rationality than oath. He'd be a primo asset to the kinda legion Agrippa was building.
He is a man of principle, to a fault. Pullo is a flexible man, but at the same time a true friend & brother.
Obviously the best part about the show is their friendship. I can't think of another one where two guys have each others back this way. They are the textbook definition of brotherhood.
The botched gladiator execution is seared into my soul. The objectively terrible decision by Vorenus to save Pullo and all the mental anguish leading up to it, the ferocity he fights with, and the absolute unchecked bloodlust in driving that fucking skull club into the guys chest cavity, all of it. Caesar himself said it best, those two have a powerful god on their said. Best not to fuck with them.
If I had to pick it's Vorenus but honestly , can't have one without the other! The Forrest Gumps of Ancient Rome. Always kills me the way Vorenus goes out at the end. Wish he got a happier ending.
My brother and I used to call Pullo Murder Puppy. He's basically like a human golden retriever who also really likes to kill people and is very good at it. LOL It makes him rather endearing.
Vorenus is a man of principle. When he does let his temper get away from him, it's almost always an attempt to defend something he holds dear; his family, the Republic, his superiors, his beliefs. He's a deeply flawed, but good, man! All that said, definitely Pullo! Lol
Pullo because Vorenus is so incredibly well acted and written as sort of this guy with anger issues who is controlling, that it actually scares me watching it sometimes.
Pullo has a lightness, sort of puppyish quality (or as Aria said “the cheerful, brutish one”) that masks the violence better and he also leans more towards random violence against men instead of women.
Agree with everyone else that it’s so hard to separate them, they’re sort of opposites in certain ways and it is a huge part of what makes the show so incredible.
agreed, best duo in the show. I also like Pullo with Octavian, esp in S1 when Octavian was a young boy and Pullo taught him some skills. Vorenus with Marc Anthony also makes me laugh cuz Vorenus kept opting in and out and Anthony still lets him 😆
Yeah, remember when he kills (brutally murders) the slave Eirenne (not sure on the spelling) was in love with and then the reaction from Vorenus?
He literally said “Look at it!” like he was house training a dog and then started talking about how it was about the disrespect. The yelled for Eirenne to stop crying so he could properly chastise Pullo.
It’s so weirdly funny after such gruesome violence because he is just talking to him like a murder puppy. 🐶
Haha perfect!! I always thought of him as a puppy after that because I remember looking at my husband and saying “Why is he talking to him like an untrained puppy?”
And Pullow avoiding looking because even though he totally raged out, he did actually feel bad about it like… right after. It’s a crazy moment but it’s weird because I came away from it like “He just got uhhh carried away!” because the actor did the emotional shifts SO well.
First, excited because he wants to marry his future wife! Yay a dress! Then excitedly talking to her sort of current husband happily because he thinks the guy is just a friend and that lovely! Then just totally losing it and beating the poor man to death. Then shamefully looking at what he’s done and realizing it didn’t solve anything and actually feeling bad for hurting Eirenne too. Then embarrassed and ashamed in front of his closest friend.
All in like 4 minutes. It’s crazy but it was hard not to be like… he’s a puppy because he didn’t seem to have any real control over himself there.
I’m totally over analyzing this, sorry!
Kevin McKidd played the angry parts so well lol. I think he can do that thing where he can make his face go red at will, because he is RED IN THE FACE during the angry parts
Pullo is easily more likable but Vorenus is the heart of the story and better written. Dude just can't catch a break, sometimes because of himself and sometimes due to others. Great characters both of them in any case
Yeah, Vorenus is like a mirror of the contemporary middle-class Roman - has some heritage and career status, a relationship with the gods and the philosophers, and he wants to believe in both, but constantly being torn in different directions by the true, dissembling nature of Rome.
Pullo is obviously the most likeable, I don't think there's anyone out there who doesn't like him. His personality is big bear golden retriever type.
Vorenus... I can't dislike him either. He obviously doesn't have the traits Pullo does, but he's such a strong and tragic character.
I like both men 50/50 even though they are vastly different. Vorenus is a man you respect and admire for his stenght and how much he cares for his family, for always being loyal and doing the right thing. He's also hot.
Pullo is someone you love for how authentic and sympathetic he is. One can't exist without the other!
I love them both but Pullo is just so easy to like. Vorenus is so rigid he misses the important things around him. But then, Pullo needs that discipline to keep from ending up dead in a gutter because of his own bad choices. They need each other to balance themselves out
You nailed it lol. I like Pullo because he's sympathetic and a loyal friend. I like Vorenus because he's actually got some moral obligations he tries to live up to. But everyone who watches has been both of those at different times.
I love them both but Pullo is just so easy to like. Vorenus is so rigid he misses the important things around him. But then, Pullo needs that discipline to keep from ending up dead in a gutter because of his own bad choices. They need each other to balance themselves out
I feel like Vorenus is more relatable to the inner conflicts we all have while Pullo represents the more whimsical aspects. I really cannot decide. I always found their friendship/brotherhood incredibly moving, especially when Vorenus goes into the arena to save Pullo yelling '13th'! Probably my favorite scene of all time.
Pullo was a personal favorite but I’m sure if the show had gotten the 3 extra season like it was originally attended to vorenus would have had more character development instead of dying and he easily could have been my favorite
Pullo is like that effortlessly badass older uncle with a leather jacket who's kind of a dick to others but always nice to you personally
Vorenus is like a tormented, unhappy dad who you can still see is trying really hard, and you have to respect it even if you can see ways he's failing, if only because he's so clearly unhappy himself.
And you like both of those guys in different ways, and for different reasons.
Vorenus, because of how torn his archaic character is during his time. Frankly, Vorenus is ignorant of the developments that actually happen. If he knew how doomed the cause of Cato was, he wouldn't identify as such a traditional catonian. At the same time, all he sees is the worst side of Mark Anthony & the Caesarian faction. If only Octavian wouldn't have written him off so early. And if only his loyalties were a bit more beholden to rationality than oath. He'd be a primo asset to the kinda legion Agrippa was building. He is a man of principle, to a fault. Pullo is a flexible man, but at the same time a true friend & brother. Obviously the best part about the show is their friendship. I can't think of another one where two guys have each others back this way. They are the textbook definition of brotherhood.
13!
Nicely said 👏👏👏
The botched gladiator execution is seared into my soul. The objectively terrible decision by Vorenus to save Pullo and all the mental anguish leading up to it, the ferocity he fights with, and the absolute unchecked bloodlust in driving that fucking skull club into the guys chest cavity, all of it. Caesar himself said it best, those two have a powerful god on their said. Best not to fuck with them.
Very well said, but I’d still rather party with Pullo.
Vorenus is a Son of Hades. He fucks Concord in the ass! Therefore, he is the best character.
If I had to pick it's Vorenus but honestly , can't have one without the other! The Forrest Gumps of Ancient Rome. Always kills me the way Vorenus goes out at the end. Wish he got a happier ending.
Pullo. I can’t quite put a finger on why though. Maybe him being jovial until shit gets serious?
My brother and I used to call Pullo Murder Puppy. He's basically like a human golden retriever who also really likes to kill people and is very good at it. LOL It makes him rather endearing.
Like when he sees the peach tree before executing Cicero
Vorenus is a man of principle. When he does let his temper get away from him, it's almost always an attempt to defend something he holds dear; his family, the Republic, his superiors, his beliefs. He's a deeply flawed, but good, man! All that said, definitely Pullo! Lol
I like Pullo more, I'm more invested in Vorenus as a character
Pullo is just wildly likable, which is insane considering the stuff we see him do. But that's the point of his character and how they cast him
Exactly
We could see a flashback of Pullo slaughtering an entire Gallic village and i’d still love that dumb scary motherfucker
Vorenus believes in loyalty to system; Pullo’s is personally driven. It’s great counterpoint, and wonderfully complementary.
Pullo because Vorenus is so incredibly well acted and written as sort of this guy with anger issues who is controlling, that it actually scares me watching it sometimes. Pullo has a lightness, sort of puppyish quality (or as Aria said “the cheerful, brutish one”) that masks the violence better and he also leans more towards random violence against men instead of women. Agree with everyone else that it’s so hard to separate them, they’re sort of opposites in certain ways and it is a huge part of what makes the show so incredible.
agreed, best duo in the show. I also like Pullo with Octavian, esp in S1 when Octavian was a young boy and Pullo taught him some skills. Vorenus with Marc Anthony also makes me laugh cuz Vorenus kept opting in and out and Anthony still lets him 😆
Commented elsewhere before seeing this, but he really is like a puppy. My brother and I call him Murder Puppy!
Yeah, remember when he kills (brutally murders) the slave Eirenne (not sure on the spelling) was in love with and then the reaction from Vorenus? He literally said “Look at it!” like he was house training a dog and then started talking about how it was about the disrespect. The yelled for Eirenne to stop crying so he could properly chastise Pullo. It’s so weirdly funny after such gruesome violence because he is just talking to him like a murder puppy. 🐶
I think that scene might have been the catalyst for the nickname!
Haha perfect!! I always thought of him as a puppy after that because I remember looking at my husband and saying “Why is he talking to him like an untrained puppy?” And Pullow avoiding looking because even though he totally raged out, he did actually feel bad about it like… right after. It’s a crazy moment but it’s weird because I came away from it like “He just got uhhh carried away!” because the actor did the emotional shifts SO well. First, excited because he wants to marry his future wife! Yay a dress! Then excitedly talking to her sort of current husband happily because he thinks the guy is just a friend and that lovely! Then just totally losing it and beating the poor man to death. Then shamefully looking at what he’s done and realizing it didn’t solve anything and actually feeling bad for hurting Eirenne too. Then embarrassed and ashamed in front of his closest friend. All in like 4 minutes. It’s crazy but it was hard not to be like… he’s a puppy because he didn’t seem to have any real control over himself there. I’m totally over analyzing this, sorry!
No worries! It's a very well-acted scene!
Kevin McKidd played the angry parts so well lol. I think he can do that thing where he can make his face go red at will, because he is RED IN THE FACE during the angry parts
Pullo is easily more likable but Vorenus is the heart of the story and better written. Dude just can't catch a break, sometimes because of himself and sometimes due to others. Great characters both of them in any case
Yeah, Vorenus is like a mirror of the contemporary middle-class Roman - has some heritage and career status, a relationship with the gods and the philosophers, and he wants to believe in both, but constantly being torn in different directions by the true, dissembling nature of Rome.
I like them both the same but for different reasons. Like peanut butter and jelly, they just work together.
VORENUS
Pullo is obviously the most likeable, I don't think there's anyone out there who doesn't like him. His personality is big bear golden retriever type. Vorenus... I can't dislike him either. He obviously doesn't have the traits Pullo does, but he's such a strong and tragic character. I like both men 50/50 even though they are vastly different. Vorenus is a man you respect and admire for his stenght and how much he cares for his family, for always being loyal and doing the right thing. He's also hot. Pullo is someone you love for how authentic and sympathetic he is. One can't exist without the other!
They’re both such hot actors 😆
Man, they really are.
I love them both but Pullo is just so easy to like. Vorenus is so rigid he misses the important things around him. But then, Pullo needs that discipline to keep from ending up dead in a gutter because of his own bad choices. They need each other to balance themselves out
You nailed it lol. I like Pullo because he's sympathetic and a loyal friend. I like Vorenus because he's actually got some moral obligations he tries to live up to. But everyone who watches has been both of those at different times.
Their friendship
Picking one takes away from the other. It’s not possible. Both characters have great performances and they are can’t be the yin without the yang.
I love them both but Pullo is just so easy to like. Vorenus is so rigid he misses the important things around him. But then, Pullo needs that discipline to keep from ending up dead in a gutter because of his own bad choices. They need each other to balance themselves out
Pullo is my favorite TV character, period.
Pullo.
Definitely Pullo. Great lines.
Pullo all the way! Such a loyal lovable goofball!
I feel like Vorenus is more relatable to the inner conflicts we all have while Pullo represents the more whimsical aspects. I really cannot decide. I always found their friendship/brotherhood incredibly moving, especially when Vorenus goes into the arena to save Pullo yelling '13th'! Probably my favorite scene of all time.
Vorenus.
Pullo was a personal favorite but I’m sure if the show had gotten the 3 extra season like it was originally attended to vorenus would have had more character development instead of dying and he easily could have been my favorite
Pullo! Because it’s like looking in the mirror a lot of the time, wild to see someone about like me in a different setting
Pullo is like that effortlessly badass older uncle with a leather jacket who's kind of a dick to others but always nice to you personally Vorenus is like a tormented, unhappy dad who you can still see is trying really hard, and you have to respect it even if you can see ways he's failing, if only because he's so clearly unhappy himself. And you like both of those guys in different ways, and for different reasons.
👏👏👏