Voluptuous Arteriosclerosus

“	Optio: Just what I was saying...Voluptuous: WHEN I WANT YOUR OPINION I'LL ASK FOR IT, IDIOT! THIS INDIVIDUAL HAS NOT CONVINCED ME! HE IS A SUSPECT!Optio: Yes sir!	„
 	~ Voluptuous, Asterix and the Soothsayer 	
Voluptuous Arteriosclerosus, known as Caius Faipalgugus in original French version and either just the Centurion or General, is a notable reoccurring antagonist from the Asterix series, originating from the 1972 story Asterix and the Soothsayer.
While he is not a reoccurring character in comic series itself, (only appearing in 1972 comic album and special albums like Asterix and Obelix's Birthday) his design is used frequently in other Asterix media, notably as a major villain in the Asterix animated movies from 1986 up to 1994, and as a template for the Centurion enemy type in the 1992 Arcade game by Konami.
== Biography ==
=== Asterix and the Soothsayer ===
Voluptuous Arteriosclerosus is introduced as the current Centurion of Compendium (they change in each Asterix comic story), one of the four fortified camps surrounding the Gaul village. His Optio and legionaries are bringing the captured Prolix (aka the Soothsayer) to him.
Voluptuous informs to Prolix that per orders, he is to arrest all Gaul soothsayer. Prolix tries to worm his way out to avoid arrest, telling that he is a mere hustler who has been swindling the Gaul village that the Romans are trying to conquer. Although the Optio wants to lock Prolix away, Voluptuous hatches a plan to exploit the Gaul village's newly developed dependence on Prolix.
He forces Prolix to go the village and tell that the village has been cursed, that the terrible stench will soon contaminate it. All Gauls, sans protagonist Asterix (who is actively trying to prove that Prolix is a fraud) and sidekick Obelix, believe the warning and leave the village and go hiding in a small island. Afterwards, Prolix goes back to Voluptuous, telling that the all Gauls have left (oblivious to Asterix, Obelix and Getafix's not being among them).
The Romans, lead by Voluptuous, march in the unoccupied village, declaring success at last. Unbeknownst to them, Asterix and co. are planning to discredit Prolix by making the stench prediction come true. All the while, Voluptuous orders a message that they have finally taken the village and proceeds to occupy the village's chief chair. Soon, he begins the smell something bad and the foul stench overcomes the village. The Romans are forced to retreat, fearing potential pestilence.
Upon return to the Compendium camp, Voluptuous is bittersweet about Prolix's prediction coming true. As a result, he soon starts to think Prolix is a legit soothsayer with accurate predictions. Because Prolix fears retribution, he basically just says everything Voluptuous wants to hear, including the prospect of taking the throne from Caesar.
However, the Gauls, having been convinced of Prolix's fraud thanks to Getafix substantiating Asterix's claims, raid the Compendium, devastating the camp and trouncing both Prolix and Voluptuous in process. Voluptuous rages at Prolix for giving him false predictions, but the former ends in hot water when the Roman officials appear, telling that the previously reported "conquered" village wasn't conquered at all, and that the officials got beaten up by the returning Gauls. The officials punish Voluptuous for this by stripping him of his rank, demoting him to a legionnaire.
Voluptuous continues to rage at Prolix and orders him to be locked up, but as he is effectively demoted, his Optio refuses to take orders from him (not to mention if Prolix is a fake, then orders to arrest a soothsayer don't apply.) The Optio orders Voluptuous, now a legionnaire, to take up sweeping duties and cleaning up the mess at the camp.
=== Asterix in Britain (film) ===
“	Motus: When I catch those guys, I'll boil them and throw them to the lions!Stratocumulus: Yes, General.Motus: We'll serve them with mint sauce!!Stratocumulus: Yes, General.[Stratocumulus leaves in nervous hurry]Motus: Yuck. Those poor lions.	„
 	~ Voluptuous/General Motus, Asterix in Britain. 	
In the 1986 animated adaptation of Asterix in Britain, Voluptuous Arteriosclerosus appears as General Motus (which is a name of a completely different Roman character from Asterix and the Banquet album). Here, he takes the role as the commander of the Caesar's occupation of Britain, replacing characters like Encyclopaedicus Britannicus in process. Here Stratocumulus acts as his right-hand man in their mission to stop Asterix, Obelix and Anticlimax from delivering the magic potion to Anticlimax's village.
=== Asterix and the Big Fight (film) ===
Because the movie is a amalgamated adaptation of both Asterix and the Soothsayer and Asterix and the Big Fight, he has the same role as he had in the former story. Much like the former story, he also ends the movie demoted into a legionnaire and forced to sweeping-duties to clean the camp destroyed by the Gauls. He bears his original name, Caius Faipalgugus, in French language version of the movie, and is called General Caous in the British Dub and Bossa Nova in the American dub.
=== Asterix Conquers America (1994 film) ===
Voluptuous Arteriosclerosus, appearing here just as "the Centurion", is introduced preparing for attack on the Gaul village. He is first distracted by a cat that got punched by a magic potion powered mole out of the said village.
Before starting the attack, he makes his legionaries do various shield wall formations (much like near the end of Asterix in Britain animated movie). As the final formation, he orders the legionaries to form a massive spike ball. He orders charge against the Gaul village, but the legionaries are still in the ball formation and begins to roll towards him. He attempts to run away, but the ball rolls over him, but is not severely harmed.
The ball of legionaries rolls at the Gaul village and is swiftly blown appart by the influx of the magic potion-powered villagers. The Centurion eggs on the legionaries, who are being smacked around by the Gauls, to no avail. Eventually Obelix finds him, who proceeds to throw him sky high.
The scene transitions to Rome where the Centurion is headed towards the bathhouse where that the Roman senate - including Julius Caesar and Lucullus - are attending. The Centurion, unable to see due to the bathhouse's thick steam, slips and falls to the water at Caesar's delight. However, the Centurion hesitantly delivers the message, with the mention of "the Gauls" outright causing outcry from the senate. The Centurion's message will prompt Caesar and Lucullus to concoct a plan to get rid of the village druid, Getafix, by launching him off the "edge of the world."
Lucullus proves seemingly successful in his mission (while Asterix, Obelix and Getafix are not dead, they are temporarily cut off from the Gaul village), which prompts Caesar to see the final siege on the Gaul village. Caesar orders the Centurion and his men to bombard the village until the villagers run out of the remaining magic potion. The Centurion is later shown to demonstrate a "lion catapult" to his legionaries, absentmindedly explaining the weapons use while almost getting mauled by the lion. The Centruion proceeds to launch the lion, which lands on Caesar's lap, who was overseeing legionaries at another location.
When Asterix and friends end up smoking some pipe full of hallucinogens, given by the villainous Medicine Man, he has a vivid dream about the Centurion arming a fire ballista, shooting it at the village while villagers' disembodied voices yell for help. Asterix deems this a mere nightmare at first, but when he and his friends arrive back to the Gaul village, most of it is in ruins, burning lightly, indicating that "the nightmare" might have been a vision of what was actually happening.
At the Centurion's fortified camp, the Romans are celebrating their victory while the Gaul villagers are caged. The Centurion taunts the villagers before walking way. Subsequently, Asterix and Obelix sneak into the camp and provide magic potion to the caged villagers, allowing them to break free and begin a big brawl in the camp.
The Centurion is later shown being thrown out of the camp, barely conscious on the ground, while Julius Caesar, who is hiding in a barrel, walks over his body and sneaks away undetected.
=== Asterix and Obelix's Birthday ===
In the album Asterix and Obelix's Birthday, Voluptuous Arteriosclerosus makes a cameo as one of the four Centurions who are sent to the Gaul village by Julius Caesar to pay tribute.
== Other appearances ==
TBA
== Personality ==
In all of his appearances, he is a authoritative leader who is rather quick to anger. His level of intelligence tends to change between his appearances, from being arguably the sane man of the Roman occupation of Britain to slapstick buffoon in Asterix Conquers America. In Asterix and the Soothsayer, he appears to have quite delusional commitment in the Soothsayer's ability, although he effectively makes the Soothsayer say what he wants to hear.