Spear[3] is the protagonist of Primal. He was a caveman from an alternate prehistoric world who struggled to survive the violent and brutal conditions of the primordial world, and in the process, forged an unlikely bond with a dinosaur.
Appearance[]
As an adult neanderthal, Spear had a rugged, vigorous physique and primate-like traits. He had long, shaggy black hair and thick eyebrows, long canine teeth, and was covered in large amounts of rough body hair.
Spear had a very large, muscular physique. His arms and legs were extra wide in comparison to the rest of his body. As far as clothing went, Spear was usually seen wearing a brown loincloth, though in "A Cold Death", he killed a woolly mammoth and makes a fur coat from its hide.
After drinking the black liquid in "Rage of the Ape-Men", Spear experienced a tremendous growth spurt in which he is now bigger and more muscular than Krog. His body also underwent individual changes: he possesses a bulging forehead, his teeth grow semi-sharper, his skin changes to blue, and his eyes turn bloodshot red just like Krog's.
In "Echoes of Eternity", after the Viking Chieftain mortally wounds him, nearly all of Spear's skin had melted off or was brutally scalded. His nose, lips, ears, eyebrows, and hair had been burnt/fallen off, and was left almost unrecognizable due to the severity of the burns.
Personality[]
As a neanderthal living in a hostile primordial world, Spear often displayed a cautious, defensive attitude to his surroundings. He was an expert survivalist and displayed a keen knowledge of the flora and fauna that inhabited the world of Primal. Utilizing his raw strength and capable of crafting stone weapons, tools, fires, and basic articles of clothing, Spear was readily capable of looking after himself and dispatching any threats that came against him or those close to him.
In spite of the harsh conditions he lived in and ready willingness to kill for food or out of defense, Spear didn’t take pleasure in ending life, but rather saw it as a necessary act of survival. To the contrary, Spear had a form of morality where, at the least he believed life should only be taken as needed and even respected the lives of others showing empathy and compassion when he was able such his sorrowful demeanor after killing the Elderly Mammoth. Even when forced to kill in defence, Spear always seems regretful at the necessity, particularly when it's evident that one he kills was a victim of circumstance such as the Infected Argentinosaurus. Conversely, he looks down on and is even disdainful of those that harm or kill with no practical reason. When Spear along with Fang created a fire trap for the Night Feeder and finally burned it alive, Spear showed only a look of cold contempt as the Night Feeder had slaughtered countless innocent animals yet never fed on them and practically tore them to pieces. After discovering the Viking slaver village that had captured Mira and her people, Spear embarked on a wanton slaughter of the entire village alongside Fang, consumed by primordial rage. Interestingly, Spear shows a different reaction to those who refuse to back down even though they are losing and being killed, as after his initial rage against the vikings broke, Spear was horrified by the fact that, in spite of so many of their own being killed, they continued to attack with no regard for their own lives. Further horrifying Spear was the fact that even children, the infirm, and elderly were fighting as they were unfit to engage in such a fight yet threw their lives away without any hesitation. Spear could also be vengeful under the right circumstances as after the death of his family, Spear developed an intense hatred of tyrannosaurs and actively hunted them for a brief time.
Spear very often displayed a softer side of his seemingly rugged personality. He was very loving of his family, and especially doted on his two children. He took pride in caring for his children with this evident in a flashback sequence where Spear teaches his son to be empathetic and respectful to the animals they kill, passing on his belief that life should be respected. After the death of his family, Spear was heartbroken to the point of considering suicide, but ultimately decided to live on for his family's memory. Due to Spear's experiences as a father, he held a particular attachment to children and was absolutely horrified and filled with guilt when he accidentally killed the Viking Chieftain's Second Son.
Because of his inability to speak, Spear was physically affectionate with those that he was close to, as particularly evidenced with Mira, Fang, and both of Fang's offspring. When Spear discovered that Fang had laid a second brood of eggs, he was elated and hugged the dinosaur, as he knew how important raising a brood was to her. Spear showed a notable fondness of Mira, and was incredibly gentle and patient with the Homo sapiens woman. As time went on, Spear's affection for Mira grew and became more evident as the two grew closer. Mira's name would become Spear's first, only, and eventual last word he ever learned. Spear is also an empathetic individual, and could be seen comforting Fang after she had lost Red, and likewise Mira after she begun crying upon remembering her enslavement.
Spear could at times be very brooding and would often ponder his place in the world. This becomes more evident in season 2 as Spear begins encountering entire civilizations of humans. Though related evolutionarily, Spear felt distant and awkward around humans. Alone in a new world, Spear began longing for his own family again, particularly after witnessing Mira and Fang reunited with their own families. Spear's need for a greater purpose can also be seen in his fascination with religion. He showed a particular interest in Mira's worship of the moon and at one point joined her during one of her worship sessions.
History[]
Life with his family[]
In his childhood, Spear was part of a close-knit tribe of Neanderthals living in a cave. His father, either being the tribe's greatest warrior or its chieftain, died while protecting the rest from a pack of Smilodons that had invaded the cave. An enraged Spear in turn, killed the remaining big cats with a combination of a spear, tactics, and sheer primal rage. The surviving tribesmen watched in awe at their new hero, and rewarded him with his father's tooth-necklace.
By the time of his adulthood, Spear no longer lived with his childhood tribe. At some point, Spear had met and mated with an unnamed female neanderthal, and the two started a family. Spear was a provider for his family, going out on trips to gather food for them. Meanwhile, his family would remain near their home, a cave adjacent to an open plain surrounded by jungle. Spear made time for his children whenever possible, putting on shadow puppet displays and even taking his son out on a hunt at one point. During his time as a father and husband, Spear actively avoided fighting with predators, such as a prehistoric crocodilian and a pterodactyl.[4]
Befriending Fang[]
But on one tragic day, Spear came home from a fishing trip to find his entire family being devoured by a pack of Horned Tyrannosaurus. In his rage, he immediately shed his former caution and tried to battle the pack. Spear failed to do much harm to the dinosaurs before their giant Alpha summoned them away, leaving Spear alone. Mourning his family's deaths, Spear abandoned his former home and climbed a cliff with the intent of committing suicide. But he found difficulty in going through with ending his life and spent the night on the cliffside. The next morning, he witnessed a vision of his lost loved ones in the sun which resolved his will to survive.
Sometime after the tragedy, Spear came across a different sort of Tyrannosaurus, Fang. Mistaking her for his family's killers, Spear followed Fang to her nest with the intent of attacking her, but stopping after seeing her young. Before he could fight Fang, the same pack of Horned Tyrannosaur from before appeared. The pack ignored Spear, and instead fought Fang and her young, being reminded of his own family's demise at the hand of the Horned Tyrannosaurs, Spear assisted Fang in killing off the pack and even briefly bonded with Fang's young.
But then the giant Alpha of the deceased pack arrived, and Spear was unable to save Fang's young from being devoured, though he did eventually succeed in working together with Fang to bring down the giant, avenging both of their families. After the battle, Spear saw Fang mourning the loss of her young. He left the dinosaur to travel along a beach, only to find out that the lonely dinosaur had followed him. Spear took pity on Fang and bonded with her. ("Spear and Fang")
Travels and Survival[]
On his travels with Fang, he learns that working together is more difficult because Fang eats much more than himself. As he tries to hunt for food, Fang takes it for herself without sharing. This combined with his growing hunger caused Spear to become very agitated. This became even worse when Fang took the next meal, as they fought each other nearly to death until the river of snakes had appeared. This causes their differences to be put aside to be a team. Spear did his best to save her but lost his grip on the large snake that Fang had killed off the waterfall. Fang had noticed that Spear did try to save her life as she returns the favor to save him from drowning and even found his spear. ("River of Snakes")
The duo would continue traveling together, hunting for food and other needs, all the while making enemies along the way. On one notable adventure in a frozen region, the two came across an Elderly Mammoth which they killed for his meat, as well as for fur to keep themselves warm with. The mammoth's death, however, drew the ire of its herd towards Spear and Fang. After a vicious battle threatened to kill the both of them, Spear was forced to appease the Mammoth Matriarch by offering her the Elderly Mammoth's tusk. She and her herd took this as a token of his forgiveness and retreated. ("A Cold Death")
On their further adventures the burly neanderthal and his dinosaur companion came very close to death on several occasions, but always found a way to escape, these adventures included Spear being kidnapped by a swarm of giant red bats which tried feeding him to their symbiotic host, a Mega Spider. Fortunately, Fang managed to break into the bats's aviary and rescue her partner, killing the giant spider in the process. As for the Man-Bats, they were led into a field wherein they are ambushed by a herd of raptors which Fang and Spear had through prior. ("Terror Under the Blood Moon")
Despite their victory, the two would later be held prisoners by a tribe of belligerent Ape-Men, led by a chimpanzee-like shaman, who forced them into fighting against their champion, the gorilla-like warrior Krog, after he had drank a small portion from a black liquid which increased his strength further, mutating him. Fang is beaten to near an inch of her life until Spear intervenes. He steals the Ape-Men's saucer, containing their mysterious black enhancement serum, and consumes it entirely. After having transformed into a hulking behemoth, Spear proceeds to beat Krog to death, followed by the eradication of the rest of the Ape-Men. The following morning Spear wakes up under a pile of Ape-Men carcasses, returned to his original form, bewildered of the events that had transpired and lamenting the apparent death of Fang. ("Rage of the Ape-Men")
Spear mourns Fang's apparent death and prepares to leave the valley when Fang starts coughing up blood, showing she is alive but in terrible shape. Spear is relieved that his friend survived but knows he has to help her. He helps Fang drink some water from the Ape-Men's reserves and then uses it to make mud that he patches her wounds with. The heaps of corpses are attracting numerous vultures, and Spear knows that Fang's current condition makes her a potential target for them. After struggling to lift her on his own, Spear gets to work on a building a sled he can carry Fang on and makes himself a new spear. Once Fang is on the sled, Spear begins the strenuous task of dragging her to safety.
After getting a good distance away from the valley, Spear prepares to stop for the night. He then notices a wild dog watching them from a distance. He quickly makes several fires to surround him and Fang, preparing to keep watch all night, staring at the wild dog.
The next morning, Spear improves his technique for moving Fang, so his hands won't be so worn out afterward and continues towards finding a safe place for her to rest. During this, he spots more wild dogs are now stalking them. Eventually, he spots a cave, quickly gets Fang inside, and scares off the dogs following them. Later during the night, Spear is awakened by bugs swarming the cave and crawling on him and Fang. He has some difficulty killing them at first due to their armored exoskeletons but soon discovers their undersides are soft. He then roasts the bugs and feeds them to Fang.
The next morning, Spear has to leave to get water for Fang but smells that the wild dogs are nearby. So, he barricades all openings to the cave with rocks to protect her. When he returns later in the evening, he sees a horde of wild dogs trying to get into the cave and fights his way through them to get inside. Fang struggles to her feet to fight, but Spear convinces her to continue rest. He then fashions nearby insect carcasses into improvised brass knuckles, going outside to face the hundreds of wild dogs. Spear is able to hold his own against them for a good while, but their sheer numbers start to overwhelm him until he is saved when a fully recovered Fang bursts out of the cave and helps take out several wild dogs. The remaining dogs flee for their lives, and the duo roars in triumph. ("Scent of Prey")
Sometime later, Spear and Fang come across a dead herd of Argentinosaurus that had been massacred by one of their own infected with a violent plague. The duo is disturbed by the carnage, and the Infected Argentionsaurus then rises behind them and roars. Recognizing that this is an enemy they can't fight, Spear and Fang quickly flee into the woods and the Sauropod gives chase. They manage to lose it by jumping into a cave on the side of a ravine and watch as the infected dinosaur falls to the bottom and knocks itself out by thrashing its head against the walls.
Shaken by the encounter, Spear and Fang rest in the cave. Spear has a nightmare of the infected Sauropod biting him and Fang, the plague causing their flesh to melt off their bones. He jolts awake and exits the cave to check on the beast. Fang joins him, and they see it hasn't moved at all. After a brief argument, Spear convinces her that the dinosaur is dead and that they can leave. They make their way to ground level and sidle around the Sauropod. They begin tiptoeing away only for the Plague Monster to wake up and resume chasing them through the quarry.
After some close calls, including Spear taking a falling rock to the head, the duo manages to escape the beast by going through a crevasse that's too narrow for it. They leave it flailing and roaring while they descend into a volcanic plain. The calderas begin erupting and stray embers burn Spear and Fang. Spear notices the ground is cracking under Fang's weight, so they try turning back to find another way out. The Infected Argentionsaurus then manages to tear through the crevasse, and Spear and Fang have no choice but to run through the lava field to escape the monster. The infected Sauropod leaps at them and causes the ground to break. Spear and Fang ride the resulting wave to safety and continue running for their lives. The Plague Monster swims through the lava and erupts from the ground beneath them, causing the pair to land on its back. Spear is horrified to see that the Argentionsaurus is literally empty: it's just skin over a skeleton. He and Fang use the Argentionsaurus' neck as a ramp and manage to make it to the other side of the geyser field.
Spear and Fang then watch as the Infected Argentionsaurus screams in horror as its body is consumed by flames, Spear watching with a look of pity. The beast finally disintegrates into ash and a single ember lands in Spear's hand. He and Fang are left staring at the Argentionsaurus' final resting place. ("Plague of Madness")
The duo would later encounter threats of a supernatural order, that would require more guile and tactic rather then brute strength. While wandering through a forested area, the two come across a coven of witches, who's leader drained male Neanderthals of their life force in order to create daughters for her subjects. Fang is mind-controlled by the witches, while Spear gets captured and prepared for yet another ritual the following night. Just as the Head Witch attempts to drain him of his vitality the coven is betrayed by one of its members, Lula. The day prior, Lula had used her magic to see into Spear and Fang's pasts and sympathized with the loss of their families as she herself had lost her young daughter. She murders the Head Witch's pterodactyl mount and frees Spear with a mind-controlled Fang forced to carry him to safety. As the duo make a run for their lives, Lula stays behind to battle the Head Witch, but is unsuccessful and gets bitten to death by the coven leader in the form of a giant dire wolf. As Fang regains consciousness, she and Spear take a moment to mourn for their fallen ally. ("Coven of the Damned")
The second threat of a supernatural origin came in the form of a hyper-predatory dinosaur that could remain completely invisible during night-time, nick-named the Night Feeder. This creature spent its nights slaughtering a variety of animals, ranging from a Smildon to a pack of herbivorous Triceratops, without the intent of eating their carcasses but rather out of amusement or some other sick pleasure. Fang pressures Spear not to openly face the creature as its scent made her weary. For two days the duo avoided confrontation and spent their nights besides a campfire. As the fire died out on the second night, the Night Feeder made its move on them. The creature chased the two through the forest, it had the advantage of not being able to be seen by either of them, however Fang was able to briefly jump it thanks to her highly developed sense of smell.
As the creature approached Spear for a killing blow, the caveman swung his spear around himself until accidentally hitting against some rocks, causing a spark which seemingly frightened the Night Feeder. Spear continues to make sparks until he ignites a fire. As he looks at his spear tip being covered in a flame, he figures out a way to stop the attacker. They chase after the Night Feeder, Spear using his weapon to scare it off with sparks into a clearing. He then starts several smaller fires around the clearing and with Fang as his mount, makes a circle of fire around the invisible threat. With nowhere to run the Night Feeder remains trapped and is impaled through the chest by a flaming spear tossed right at it. The creature screams and is writhing in agony as the fires consume its now-visible body. ("The Night Feeder")
Chance Encounter[]
While on a fishing trip off the coast of the continent, Spear and Fang come across a new species of hominid. A human woman with a shaved head, wearing a tattered dress, a wooden neck brace and iron cuffs, with a scorpion tattoo on the back of her head, swims near to them and proceeds to run in fear towards the shore. After the two fend off against a Liopleurodon that had swam up to them, they go after the woman in the jungle. As they catch up to her and corner her, it is made clear that their presence is only adding to her previous uneasiness, so the two act as friendly and nonthreatening as possible. In time, Spear and Fang win over the woman's trust, who shares with them her skill in cooking and in archery, helping them to hunt and in turn, they remove her shackles and neck brace.
The human woman identifies herself as Mira and after Spear shows interest in the scorpion marking on the back of her head, Mira recounts her tale in her native language, drawing in the sand. She explains how she had been captured by armed seafaring assailants and taken from her home but managed to escape and made it to the shore Spear and Fang were. After more traveling, the trio arrive in a cave located on a cliff, where they set up camp. Spear continues showing interest in Mira, especially in her nightly prayers to the moon. The following night the trio is ambushed by a troop of monkey-men who kidnap Mira. A bloody battle takes place, where many monkey-men are slain by Spear and Fang. As the two follow after Mira's kidnappers, they are shocked to discover that Mira had been recaptured by the slavers whom she mentioned the night before. These people shot the monkey-men dead with arrows and proceeded to take Mira on board their ship to a place far beyond the ocean. Spear and Fang can only watch in disbelief as their new travel companion is spirited away by the longboat bearing the scorpion crest. As he continues to watch towards the disappearing ship, Spear utters his first intelligible word: "Mira!" ("Slave of the Scorpion")
Sailing to the human lands[]
Immediately after losing his new friend, Spear begins a quest to rescue Mira. At first he tries swimming after the ship, but even his great strength cannot compete with the vastness of the ocean. He exhausts himself after a long swim and is dragged to shore by the marine currents. He is not deterred however, and starts running off to cut down trees in order to build a raft, he is assisted by Fang in gathering the raw lumber. As soon as the raft is completed, Spear and Fang climb on board and begin sailing on the longboat's route. Having crossed past the stronger shore currents, the raft starts losing momentum in the ocean's calmer depths. As such, Spear and Fang take turns pushing the raft; Spear partially submerging himself and swimming against the back of the raft, while Fang uses her tail as a makeshift rudder.
The trek proves to be treacherous and frightening as neither of the two companions had ever faced the vast expanse of the open ocean. They are intimidated by the wild ocean fauna, including a herd of whales. Worse still, they left with no food on board, prompting Spear to try swimming for food. His search proves to be in vain as he fails to find anything in the far length and depth of the ocean. As luck would have it, a giant ocean turtle swims near their raft, prompting the duo to hunt it. Spear jumps in after it, grabbing it by the neck, but failing to kill the turtle. Instead the turtle tries attacking Spear, but he manages to grab onto it's shell and holds his breath long enough until the turtle resurfaces near the duo's raft. Finally, the turtle is killed by Fang after she bites the its neck. As the two devour the animal's meat, Spear uses the turtle's shell as a makeshift parasol for him and Fang, protecting them from the sun's rays.
After a period of respite the duo's luck is once again put to the test after the ocean proves yet again to be far to dangerous for the likes of them. As the duo begin catching Potanichthys fish for food a thunderstorm approaches and the ocean currents become agitated, resulting in bigger, more turbulent waves. The school of flying fish also happened to draw the attention of a flock of Ornithocheirus pterosaurs. Spear hides from the pterosaurs under the turtle's shell while Fang tries fending them off. The situation is made even worse when an approaching megalithic shark swallows one of the pterosaurs. with it's landing also resulting in the raft being broken into splintered lumber. Fang is nearly swallowed up by the shark, nut instead it ends up catching Spear in it's mouth. Thanks to a sharp piece of the raft's wreckage having been also caught in the shark's maw, Spear is able to impale the creature's mouth, causing it to momentarily open its mouth and release Spear. The Mega Shark resurfaces to once again catch Spear in its jaws, but with another piece of broken wood in his arm Spear tosses it in the shark's right eye. Now having been partially blinded the shark retreats to the ocean's depth and smacks Spear with it's tail fin. Fang manages to catch Spear in her mouth, but the high ocean waves come crashing over them. The resulting undertow separates the two as it pushes their bodies further away from one another.("Sea of Despair")
Arrival to the human lands[]
Spear survives the long voyage, having been dragged to the coast of another continent, although also sustaining injury in his left arm after hitting against some rocks near the shoreline. He is found by a small party of humans who proceed to take him back to their settlement. Spear wakes up, having been submerged in some kind of mud, or dung, inside of the home of a wizened woman. In his fear and confusion Spear makes a get away, but is pursued by the Celtic tribe's warriors through the streets of the settlement. After a few brief scuffles between Spear and the warriors the village chief arrives to mediate the situation. He orders the other Celts to lower their weapons and proceeds to appear as non-threatening as possible. As a sign of good will the chief also offers Spear water and food, to which he accepts. As it becomes apparent that the Celts had no ill-intent towards him, Spear allows the village healer to finish treating his broken arm.
As the days go by Spear acclimatizes to the villagers hospitality, yet still retains some apprehension. It becomes obvious that Spear retains much of his wild behavior and seems to miss the company of Fang. He even takes time to make a surrogate friend with a local hound. One morning, however, Spear is alerted to an attack on the village by two dinosaurs, who begin preying on the Celts. Spear is shocked to see that one of the two was Fang, who had also survived the turbulent ocean and found herself brought to shore. The other dinosaur, Red, a red-headed tyrannosaur who had befriended Fang shortly after her arrival, immediately sets his sights on Spear as his next meal.
Despite Fang's best efforts to mitigate the conflict Red sees Spear as nothing but food and Spear sees him as just another adversary. As such, the caveman and the tyrannosaur are forced into a lengthy battle across the village. Ultimately, Red comes out as the victor and tries eating Spear, only for Fang to stop him. She saves Spear's life after kicking Red away, but at the cost of Red's life as the red tyrannosaur lands on a log spike and is impaled. With Red dead Fang has no reason to stay and despondently walks away, leaving the village in peace. She is followed by Spear, who immediately regrets what had transpired and leaves with her despite the Celtic Chief offering him a place to stay with them.("Shadow of Fate")
The search continues[]
As the reunited duo continue their search for Mira it becomes apparent that Fang remains heartbroken over the death of Red. Spear can do nothing to ease her feelings and instead focuses on finding them food and shelter. Spear manages to locate a cave wherein they set up camp for the following nights. It is in this cave that Spear finds evidence of a hunter-gatherer community having once lived in the region. Murals depicting humans hunting primal deer encompass the deeper interior of the cave. Subsequently, during the day Spear wonders the open grass lands beyond the cave and comes across the ruins of a primitive village, with some of the prior local's tools scattered around. Spear deduces that these departed hunter-gatherers had survived off of hunting the local deer and harvesting their fur. While envisioning the day-to-day ways of the past humans he quickly forms an empathetic understanding of these people. Among the broken village tents he also finds a spear in good condition, which he picks up and uses to hunt a doe to bring back with him to the cave.
At night Spear continues thinking bout Mira, going so far as trying to replicate her lunar prayer. Later that night, Spear and Fang are woken up by the arrival of two armed humans, dressed with horned iron helmets and riding on top of two cave bears. As a fight breaks out between the two groups it is Spear and Fang who come out as the victors as both bears are slain and one of the barbarians is swiftly killed by Spear. The remaining warrior makes a run for his life, but Spear stops him by tossing his weapon into the warrior's right leg. During the battle Spear noticed the same scorpion symbol on the warrior's wooden shield as the one branded on the back of Mira's head, thus deducing that they were among her captors. Spear demands to know Mira's whereabouts, but the injured warrior presses on with another attack. After Fang kills the warrior Spear replaces his broken spear with the deceased's iron sword, which Spear takes an immediate liking to.
Spear and Fang follow the bear tracks for an entire day, which leads them to a another human village at night. The village in question is populated by Vikings bearing the scorpion emblem. These people are housing a significant number of humans as slaves inside of a shed, each having had their heads shaved and branded with the scorpion symbol. Mira is among these slaves and joyfully reunites with Spear, who is likewise cheerful to having found her. She refuses to leave without the other slaves and coaxes Spear to help her free them. Spear is able to silently lead the slaves through the night, but is stopped from going any further after hearing more cave bears roaring nearby.("Dawn of Man")
Escaping the Viking threat[]
A hunting party of Vikings, riding on top of cave bears, arrive back in the village. Their leader notices that Spear had stolen one of their swords and so leads the hunters to attack him. While the slaves bow before the hunters Spear stands his ground. Fang comes out of hiding in the forest and together with Spear they engage the hunters. Despite their best efforts the Viking hunters are overpowered by Spear's speed and dexterity and Fang's massive jaw and tail strength. Soon enough the fighting alerts the rest of the villagers, who then proceed to join in the fighting. During the onslaught Spear is momentarily horrified to having fought children and women with infants among the Vikings. Even more terrifying to him, Spear inadvertently kills a child by slamming his head against a rock. A sudden arrival of an ominous red mist gives the pair a chance to strike their enemies unseen. Despite having been gravely wounded by spears and arrows Spear and Fang power on, killing every villager in sight. After the battle the two are joined by Mira, who had managed to lead the slaves out of the village and killed one of the Vikings herself. All three of them make it to the village dock and board a longboat and sail away.("The Red Mist")
While on board the Viking ship Spear had been treated of his injuries by Mira, who was now tending to Fang's. Their moments of respite are brief as the trio run across yet another, rather familiar enemy. Another longboat, baring the scorpion crest, rams into theirs. The ship was carrying the Viking Chieftain and his eldest son, Eldar, who weren't present during the massacre of their home village, but upon returning from another slave hunt, witness the aftermath of the onslaught and so went on a search for vengeance for the deaths of their people. As the Chieftain engages Spear with dual-wielded hand-axes, Eldar shoots arrows at Fang and Mira. Spear and the Chieftain prove to be equally matched in strength and sheer tenacity, while Fang manages to knock Eldar off of the second longboat's mast. As the two longboats approach a nearby shore the stolen ship is rammed into some jagged rocks and is bisected. On the remaining ship Eldar is thrown into the rapid stream by Fang, which forces the Chieftain to jump in after him. As the ship also gets hit by rocks Mira is forced to take the helm and steer the ship to shore. With Spear and Fang's help Mira is able to safely anchor the longboat by tying it to a sturdy tree.
Immediately after their landing Spear and Mira chase after Fang, who had begun exhibiting a sudden, and odd, behaviour swing. The two find her digging a hole with her muzzle and gathering foliage to cover it up. Spear quickly deduces the situation at hand: Fang is in labour and is about to lay eggs. He deduces that Red, the tyrannosaur whom Fang had befriended before, was a male that impregnated her while together. Spear is elated and assists in gathering leaves for Fang's nest. He and Mira later witness Fang laying three eggs. At first Spear is concerned as he sees Fang moaning in labour pain, but Mira assures him the dinosaur is safe. He also tries touching the eggs in his curiosity, only to have Fang push him aside do to her maternal instincts kicking in.
While Fang is keeping her eggs warm, Spear is out fishing in order to keep the mother dinosaur well fed, while Mira is busy fixing the damaged longboat. They are, however, once again besieged by the Viking Chieftain and his son. The two, having survived the turbulent river, planned another assault during the few days of absence by acquiring two primal vultures as mounts. Mira is captured by Eldar's vulture and is taken up into the sky. Meanwhile, Spear and Fang try their best at fending off the Chieftain and protecting the eggs, but the flight advantage makes the Chieftain hard to fight. Eventually, both Spear and Mira manage to jump on the back of their respective attacker's mounts, and fight them in the air. Spear manages to catch Mira as she fell off of Eldar's vulture, then continued with the fight. The heated battle with the Chieftain ends after Spear manages to toss him off of the bird and into the forest bellow. Eldar is in turn knocked off of his mount by Spear and lands onto a boulder in the middle of the stream. Mira is safely returned to the ground and the two vultures fly off. With both the Viking Chieftain and his son having been seemingly killed, Spear and his friends take in the moment of relief, with Spear in particular hugging Fang as she lays near her nest. ("Vidarr")
Captured on board the Colossaeus[]
As time goes by, Spear and Mira grow bored with standing around on the river bank, especially Mira, who longs for her home. Although Mira is happy for Fang having given birth, she cannot remain do to homesickness and thus begins loading supplies on board the Viking ship. Spear, who takes notice of both of their needs, builds a new nest for Fang on board of the longboat and with Mira's help manages to get the tyrannosaur and her eggs on the vessel, despite some initial hesitation of Fang's part. With all the arranges having been finally settled, the trio set sail past the stream and into the open ocean.
Spear wakes up one morning to go fishing, only for him to notice a colossal ship heading out of the fog and towards the longboat. Mira and Fang wake up and are equally shocked by the vessel's appearance. The ship sends out three smaller vessels carrying soldiers dressed in Egyptian garments, which slam into the Viking boat. Spear and Mira are able to fend off against the warriors from the first vessel, but immediately after are faced against Kamau, a giant African male, equal in size to Fang and just as strong, who can withstand arrow shots as well as blows from both Spear and Fang. In the ensuing battle one of Fang's eggs is accidentally knocked by Kamau into the longboat's hull, cracking the shell open and killing the dinosaur fetus. This enrages Spear and company, who gang up on the giant. As the battle reaches a standstill a regally dressed woman and her Egyptian guards seize the remaining eggs, have Spear, Mira and Fang clasped in iron chains and brought onboard of the attacker's ship, the Colossaeus, with the stolen viking ship being set ablaze. The three of them are thus made slaves by the commanding woman, lma, with Mira sent of in a different part of the Colossaeus, while Spear and Fang are locked up in a holding chamber alongside Kamau. With the dinosaur eggs now in pirate queen Ima's possession Spear is forced to comply with her demands and subsequently coaxes Fang to do the same. With no other options the two companions are made to fight alongside the Egyptian horde and Kamau in a raid against the Babylonians, wherein Spear and Fang kill many soldiers and breakthrough the Babylonian city's outer wall. ("The Colossaeus, Part I")
Following the successful desolation of the Babylonian city, Spear and Fang are dragged along into further raids against other human civilizations across the globe. It is during these journeys that Spear begins to pity Kamau, as it is revealed that Ima is holding the giant's daughter, Amal, hostage. Spear later witnesses Kamau being ordered to go on an open slaughter against a seemingly benign Indian community simply because Ima was displeased by the Indians's offerings of food. She threatened Amal's life as an incentive for Kamau to do so. Back in his cell, on board the Colossaeus, however, Kamau sheds tears for his actions. As Spear gains greater sympathy towards the giant he begins planning an escape.
One night, Spear knocks one of the guards unconscious and steals the keys to his and Kamau's cells. but Kamau silently refuses, prompting Spear to sneak alone to the upper levels of the Colossaeus and to the top deck. From there he makes his way to the highest tower of the ship, from which Spear had been hearing music for some time. As he makes his way to the top floor he finds Ima keeping both Amal and Fang's eggs nearby at all times. Mira had been forced into becoming a dancer for the queen's entertainment. As the two reunite the guards and Ima are alerted by the caveman's presence and so a fight ensues. Despite killing off the guards Spear is unable to land a blow against the nimble Ima. In the confusion Mira is able to rescue the eggs and Amal and runs off with them down the tower. Spear is able to clear the way for their escape. But as they reach the deck the eggs hatch. Fang breaks out off her cell and joins the fight after having overheard her newborn brood's cries. Unfortunately for both Spear and Fang, as they get cornered by the Egyptians, Ima is able to steal back the dinosaur infants and Amal. He and his companions are once again helpless against the queen as the children's lives are once again in peril. ("The Colossaeus, Part II")
The following morning Spear, Mira and Fang are once again bound in chains, except now they are being sentenced to death, with Kamau being forced to act as their executioner. As the giant approaches Fang, ready to decapitate her with a large battle-ax, he has a change of heart and instead breaks the chains with the axe. Chaos breaks loose as Fang begins attacking the Egyptians, prompting Spear to break his chains out of the floor boards and joins in the fight. His cuffs are unlocked by Mira, who managed to steal the keys from a dead guard. As all three begin slaughtering their captors they are overwhelmed and fatigued, and one of Fang's offspring is shot with an arrow in the leg. They instead decide to leap from deck and into the sea. From there they board one of the Colossaeus's longboats, kill the Egyptians on board and free the slaves forced to row. As this is going on Kamau and Amal had made their way to the galley bellow the Colossaeus's deck and freed their tribesmen, who join in the fight against the Egyptians. While on the boat Spear, Mira and Fang watch as Kamau tosses queen Ima off board. They watch in horror as Ima slams through the roof of the ship and dies on impact on the deck. Spear takes a moment to look back at Kamau and his daughter, and shows happiness knowing that now they have finally been liberated. With their freedom restored Spear and company begin sailing away. ("The Colossaeus, Part III")
Spear's Final Days[]
Eventually, the longboat arrives on the coast of Mira's homeland. Mira is happily reunited with her kinsmen, as well as her father, albeit with some regret over her capture. Spear, Fang and the dinosaur progeny are at first met with suspicion by the locals, but thanks to Mira vouching for them, they are welcomed into the community. In spite of Spear's best efforts to fit in, by participating in Mira's lunar prayer and sharing a meal with the townsfolk near an open fire during a worship ceremony, he cannot help himself from feeling out of place and experiences boats of melancholy and nostalgia. Inside of his new home Spear illustrates his life on a wall, starting with his father's death, to loosing his family, befriending Fang and Mira, and eventually to arriving in his current location. But Spear cannot help but illustrate himself standing alone, thus further describing his loneliness and lack of purpose. Mira walks in one morning on him sleeping and takes notice of the mural, immediately empathizing with Spear's state of mind.
As Spear looks over the town from up a hill, brooding yet again, he is alerted by the screams of the locals of an unusual occurrence, a fire coming from the direction of the sea. The source of the fire is revealed to be the Viking Chieftain, who had been transformed into a fire-elemental by a Hadean entity following his death at the hands of Spear. The Chieftain is continuing his quest for revenge and targets Spear and Fang. He shoots blasts of fire at Spear and Fang and gives chase after them up a steep cliff. The chieftain is able to strike Fang with a large burst of fire, forcing her to roll around on the ground in an effort to put out the flames. With no other options Spear angrily runs towards the hellish chieftain. Spear is engulfed in flames, but through sheer force of will still musters up the strength to tackle the Viking Chieftain and pushes him down the cliff. As the Chieftain gets pummelled by Spear midway during free-fall he is likewise slammed into the side of the cliff. As soon as they land to the foot of the hill, Spear is tended to by Mira, while the Viking Chieftain is stripped of his pyro kinetic form and dragged down into the earth by the Demonic Entity.
Spear is left with severe burn injuries across his entire body, unable to move and clinging to life. Despite the people's prayers and the tribe healer's treatment there is nothing that can be done as Spear succumbs to his burns. As he lies dying, Spear calls out weakly for Mira. She looks again at the mural on the wall and realizes that Spear dose not want to be alone. In his last moment of life, Spear and Mira mate. Several years later, after Fang's offspring have grown well into maturity, Mira is accompanied by her daughter with Spear. The girl is shown to take after her father as she rides on the back of one of Fang's progeny, holds up a spear in hand and shouts to sky, thus preserving Spear's desire to have had preserved his family's legacy. ("Echoes of Eternity")
Relationships[]
Fang[]
Spear's relationship with Fang initially was one of distrust, having only been brought together on the common ground of having both lost their families to the red Tyrannosaur pack. Thus, the two stuck together for the sake of survival. Initially, Spear and Fang would fight over food, as both had no intention of sharing with each other. This would culminate in a fight between the two, which would eventually be resolved after the duo work together to survive a flood of snakes. From this point onwards, Spear and Fang's relationship progressively gets warmer and more trusting, to the point that the Neanderthal and Tyrannosaur happily share food, sleep together, and cooperate during hunts. Fang would also begin allowing Spear to ride on her back more often.
When Fang is brutally beaten to the brink of death by Krog, Spear furiously avenges her by slaughtering the entirety of the Ape-men tribe. He then slowly nurses Fang back to health by supplying her with food and water, and fending off scavengers. After this, the relationship between the two grows ever stronger.
When Mira is captured by Viking slavers, Fang embarks across the ocean with Spear in an effort to rescue her despite being uneasy around water.
Fang is later seen protecting Spear from Red, who wanted to devour him. Her protectiveness of Spear accidentally leads to her killing her new mate, which greatly saddens the Tyrannosaur. Spear notices Fang's change in behavior and comforts her. When it is revealed that Fang is going to have babies, Spear was overjoyed and hugged Fang, understanding how important raising a brood of offspring is to the dinosaur. He helps her build a nest, and after the eggs were laid, Spear would provision Fang with food so that she wouldn't have to leave her clutch of eggs. When Kamau smashes one of Fang's eggs, Spear furiously attacks the slave warrior in an effort to avenge Fang's offspring.
Upon the hatching of Fang's surviving offspring, Spear instantly dotes on them and helps guard over them. Fang would also purposely leave her offspring with Spear whenever she briefly heads out on her own.
When Spear witnesses Fang get set on fire by the Viking Chieftain, he flies into a rage and charges the demonic chief, which ultimately leads to his death. Though Spear did not get to interact with Fang again before his death, Fang was devastated by her friend's death. It would later be seen that Fang gets along with Spear and Mira's daughter.
Mira[]
In Slave of the Scorpion, Spear was immediately curious of Mira upon first seeing her. He chases her through the forest and corners her, and eventually gets her to calm down after lighting a fire to warm her. Though initially wary of each other, the two start to grow closer despite Spear being unable to speak. He eventually removes her chains and neck collar, which leads to her growing more comfortable around Spear. She attempts to explain her story to Spear and helps him understand by drawing pictures in the dirt. When Mira is recaptured by the Viking slavers, Spear immediately sets out to rescue her. In Dawn of Man, Mira hugs Spear in delight after seeing that he came back to free her and her people. Spear appears to be swooning after she separated from the hug. Later on in the second season, he starts to admire her and even started to show fondness toward her. Mira soon mated with Spear moments before he succumbed to his burns and died as a means to fulfil his longing for family and living legacy. Years after Spear's death, it is revealed that Mira gave birth to a daughter who would follow in her father's footsteps in order for his legacy to live on.
Kamau[]
Spear encountered Kamau in The Colossaeus, Part I when he attacked him, Fang, and Mira alongside the Egyptians. Kamau earned Spear’s ire when he inadvertently killed one of Fang’s eggs and helped the Egyptians enslave him and his friends. When Spear sees that Kamau is actually a slave to the Egyptian Queen, he seems to understand that the other man must have his reasons for following her orders. Still Spear doesn't let go of his grudge and merely glares at Kamau while they are caged. When they are forced to fight against the Babylonian Empire, Spear does not use this moment as a chance to attack Kamau, but he also does not fight alongside him. Soon after the invasion in The Colossaeus, Part II, Spear witnessed Kamau briefly reuniting with his young daughter. He begins to realize that the queen is forcing him to kill innocent people and aid in her dictatorship to protect his daughter.
Viking Chieftain[]
Spear views the Chieftain as his arch-nemesis and greatest foe.
[]
Spear's father[]
Spear's family[]
In Coven of the Damned, it was shown that Spear provided and took in joy with his family. After they were eaten and killed by the Tyrannosauruses, he was left in a state of depression after their demise and even considered taking his own life. Though during the course of his journey, he seems to have made peace with the death of his family, but has not forgotten them. Spear would later include his former family in the mural he created that entails the story of his life. Notably, he painted himself holding hands with his former mate.
Celtic Tribe[]
At first, Spear was fearful and defensive in the new area he was in and toward the people who resided there. He was calmed by the Chief of the tribe, who even tried to offer him to stay, though Spear declined and left with Fang.
Witches[]
After witnessing the coven's fate for the intruder, Spear quickly identifies the witches as threats, especially their leader. However, one of them, named Lula, stood out from the others.
Initially, Spear views her like all the other witches in the coven, an enemy. However, when he notices her saddened and heartbroken expression, he begins to doubt his initial judgment. Spear remains unaware that Lula had visited his past and that of Fang, witnessing the loss of their respective families, something she knows too well due to having lost her own daughter following a tragic accident.
After Lula betrays the coven and is killed by the matriarch to save the duo, Spear nods in condolence, understanding that she was an ally.
The Vikings[]
Even before meeting them, Spear already viewed the Vikings as enemies after hearing Mira’s backstory. When he first encountered Vikings, he recognized the scorpion symbol on their shields and immediately knew they were Mira’s captors. He showed no mercy during the fight in the village but became hesitant when he saw that some of the Vikings were children and that one Viking woman still had her baby strapped to her chest. In the midst of the battle, Spear refrained from fatally harming a young boy and is later horrified when he accidentally kills him.
After Mira and the slaves escaped to safety, Spear and Fang tried to escape as well. This shows that even though Spear saw them as enemies, he did not want to fight anymore once his goal was accomplished. Unfortunately, the constant barrage of attacks by the Vikings eventually pushed the duo into a rage, and they ended up slaughtering the entire village.
The Egyptians[]
Spear sees the Egyptians as enemies since they attacked and enslaved him and his friends. He understands that he cannot fight back while the Queen holds Fang's eggs hostage and thus fights their battles begrudgingly. Once given the chance, he does not hesitate to attack and kill his captors.
Abilities[]
- Enhanced physical attributes: As a Neanderthal caveman, Spear's body was much better-equipped for survival than those of most modern humans. He could physically exert himself for extended periods, had heightened senses that enable him to detect more than what his eyes can tell him, and he was far more durable and tolerant of pain. Spear also had excellent climbing skills as he can scale cliffs or trees with relative ease. Spear's lung capacity was quite high, although he can only hold his breath underwater for so long.
- Enhanced strength: Spear's most remarkable physical attribute was his immense strength, evident in various extraordinary feats. He effortlessly lifted and swung a sizable rock with enough force to shatter the leg of one of the Tyrannosaurs responsible for the demise of his family. Additionally, he displayed exceptional throwing power by propelling his spear through the body of the killer Tyrannosaurus. Later, despite the challenge of carrying additional water, Spear managed to push Fang onto a makeshift stretcher and single-handedly pull her weight for miles, albeit with some difficulty. He could have gotten bit stronger from pulling weight of Fang, water and raft that he did for last two days.
- Resilience: Spear's resilience is truly remarkable, as he has endured and survived various life-threatening situations and attacks. Notably, he demonstrated incredible fortitude by surviving a perilous fall from a high waterfall onto sharp rocks below, enduring significant physical trauma. Additionally, Spear showcased his resilience by withstanding early attacks from Fang, showing his ability to endure and adapt even in challenging circumstances. While he has proven hardy against adverse weather conditions, it is important to note that prolonged exposure to extreme weather may pose greater challenges. Moreover, Spear's resilience was evident when he endured a bite from Red, the tyrannosaurus, sustaining an injury yet continuing to persevere. These instances highlight his extraordinary resilience, toughness, and unwavering determination to survive against formidable odds.
- Stamina and Speed: Spear's stamina was very high as he had barely shown to be exhausted. He was also able to fight and hunt well enough without too many difficulties, and he could run long distances.
- Combatant: Spear was a very strong and skilled fighter. His most valuable weapon was his namesake which he could also use to great effect in combat.
- Weapon Proficiency: Spear was a capable combatant and deadly fighter, able to use any weapon he comes across. Furthermore, Spear could turn anything he finds into a weapon. For example, he is seen using the exoskeletons of cave beetles as spiked knuckles to fight a large pack of wild dogs.
- Spear Proficiency: Spear used his namesake as both a weapon and a tool to deadly effect.
- Club Proficiency: Spear was capable of using a club in close-quarters combat, seen during his fight against the Monkey-men.
- Bow Proficiency: Despite having seen it in action only once, Spear used Mira's bow and his own weapon of choice to impale three Monkey-men at the same time.
- Sword Proficiency: After killing a Viking he and Fang encountered, Spear took up the Viking's sword, after his spear had been broken, and quickly figured out how to wield it and even place it in a sheathe when not using it.
- Stealth: Spear demonstrated brilliant stealth as he is capable of using mud on his body for camouflage simply to blend in tall grass so that he can't be seen by prey during hunting.
- Intelligence: Contrary to stereotypes, Neanderthals possess a higher level of intelligence that may not be immediately apparent, and Spear serves as a prime example of this intellect. He showcases exceptional observational skills, meticulously noting the details of various situations and targets. For instance, he astutely deduced that the Night Feeder harbored a fear of light and cleverly utilized this knowledge to trap and eliminate the creature. Spear's problem-solving abilities are remarkable, as he consistently devises effective strategies to overcome adversaries alongside his companion, Fang. His resourcefulness is evident in his willingness to adapt and employ unorthodox solutions, such as reinforcing his punches with bugs. Moreover, Spear displays a keen understanding of how to navigate complex scenarios, as demonstrated when he deciphered the intentions of a mammoth herd and resolved the conflict peacefully by returning the tusk of their fallen kin. However, certain phenomena can still confuse and baffle Spear, as seen when encountering Mira. Despite being initially puzzled by her behavior, he quickly recognized her distress and ingeniously employed Fang's assistance to free her from restraints without causing harm. Spear and Mira overcame the language barrier by using drawings, enabling them to communicate and share their respective experiences. At a pivotal moment, after Mira was taken away by slavers, Spear demonstrated his comprehension of the concept of names by verbally uttering Mira's name. These instances collectively highlight Spear's higher cognitive abilities and his capacity to adapt, problem-solve, and communicate effectively in challenging circumstances.
- Hunting: Spear's expertise in hunting was unrivaled as he deftly wielded his spear to hunt game and spear-fish. A skilled tracker, he adeptly determined the nature of his prey and devised strategic approaches to bring them down, utilizing his environment and eventually forming an unbreakable bond of trust with Fang, his hunting partner. Spear's mastery extended to survival, displaying exceptional knowledge in finding sustenance, locating water sources, constructing shelters, starting fires, and utilizing animal skins for warmth in harsh, cold conditions. His remarkable hunting and survival abilities showcased his profound understanding of the natural world and his ability to thrive in challenging circumstances.
Mutated form[]
- Superhuman strength: Drinking the black liquid enhanced Spear's strength even further, making him powerful enough to brush off the ape-men after his transformation, knock away Krog and the triceratops skull he is wearing with a punch, violently rip off Krog's arms to use as clubs to savagely beat him to death and then slaughter the entire ape-men tribe.
- Superhuman resilience: After his transformation, Spear was able to endure a few punches from Krog, showing little pain.
Góa[]
Trivia[]
- His name along with Fang's was based on the Robert E. Howard short story, Spear & Fang.
- Mira's name is the only word Spear was ever seen spoken.
- In an interview, Genndy Tartakovsky revealed that before the production of the show started, Spear was the one who would die at the end of the story to conclude the character's overall arc. Tartakovsky also joked that if he killed off Fang, there would be an outcry among fans of the show.[1]
- Tartakovsky also described Spear as the last Neanderthal and that the mural he drew in "Echoes of Eternity" was Spear not only telling his story, but also how he believed there was no place in the world for him and how alone he truly felt.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Primal creator talks shocking finale and how season 3 could transform the show". Entertainment Weekly (September 17, 2022).
- ↑ https://www.indiewire.com/2022/07/genndy-tartakovsky-interview-primal-season-2-1234743398/
- ↑ James, Tito W. (June 19, 2019). "Annecy 2019: Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal Is A Primordial Epic Filled With Visceral Emotion". COMICON.
- ↑ "Spear and Fang Pitch Animatic". (Video) Adult Swim.