Julius Caesar

Origin

Julius Caesar is an historical figure and his origin in comics is generally left unchanged.

Major Story Arcs

Astérix (1959-)

In the Astérix series Julius Caesar is the dictator of Rome. The hometown of Astérix and Obélix is said to be the only part of Gaul that the Roman Empire failed to conquer during Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars (58–50 B.C.). The reason for this unlikely resistance is Panoramix, the resident druid. His magical potions give the villagers superhuman strength, allowing them to fight off the Roman legions.

Astérix and Obélix frequently encounter Julius Caesar on their travels throughout the Roman Empire, where they will often help the local population resist Roman rule, sometimes by giving them vials of the magic potion.

Other Media

Julius Caesar has been depicted in countless books, theatre plays, operas, films, television series, etc. Some of the most well known pre-modern depictions of Julius Caesar include The Tragedy of Julius Caesar (William Shakespeare, 1599) and Giulio Cesare in Egitto (George Frideric Handel, 1724).

Film and television

Adaptations of the aforementioned plays for film and television have been made throughout the 20th century, and Julius Caesar has also appeared in productions that focus on his lover Cleopatra or his contemporary Spartacus.

Various films based on the Astérix comic series also feature Julius Caesar:

• Asterix & Obelix vs. Caesar (1999)
• Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002)
• Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008)
• Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia (2012)

Games

Julius Caesar appears in various video games in the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series by Atlus. In Persona 3 (2006) he is the so-called ‘persona’ – a manifestation of a person’s inner self – of the teenager Akihiko Sanada.