Caligula Minus

* Book
* Book (disguised)
* Animated film
* Animated film (disguised)

Caligula Minus is a Roman legionary who appears in the comic book Asterix the Gaul (1959) and the animated film of the same name (1967). He is sent to the Gaulish village as a spy, where he discovers the secret of their strength and manages to try the magic potion.

## Appearance

Caligula Minus is short and thin, about the same height as Asterix. He has a long head with an indiscernible neck, and a long nose with small nostrils visible from the sides. His hair is black. His tongue hangs out nearly all the time. His Gaulish disguise includes a long shirt with long sleeves, a red wig with two braids, a red clip-on moustache and a helmet with small horns similar to that of Obelix.

## Comic Book

Caligula Minus first appears on Page 9. He serves in the camp of Compendium under centurion Crismus Bonus. The centurion needs a volunteer who would enter the Gauls’ village undercover to find out the secret of their strength, but no one wants to go on such a mission. With a game of musical chairs, Caligula Minus is chosen as a spy, but he refuses to go until the centurion threatens to roast him alive. Other Romans dress him up in Gaulish attire, complete with a braided wig and a fake moustache, and chain him up. When Crismus Bonus explains the plan to Caligula, he doesn’t understand it.

The Romans head towards the Gaulish village with Caligula Minus as their “prisoner”. He complains on the way, mentioning that he joined the army for fame and fortune. As they walk past a tree they get attacked by Asterix and Obelix jumping from above, with Caligula being the only one to be spared. The Gauls carry him away from the battlefield and break his chains. When asked his name, Caligula Minus introduces himself as Caliguliminix from Lutetia.

Asterix and Obelix lead Caliguliminix to their village. He nearly blows his cover by greeting Vitalstatistix with “ave” and quickly corrects himself to say “how do you do”. Following Asterix’s advice, he takes a stroll around the village and is shocked to see the habitants work using superhuman strength.

Later that day Asterix invites Caliguliminix to dinner. The Roman spy can’t get Asterix to tell him the secret of their strength, so he lies about having a family in Lutetia that’s worried about him and not being able to get home because of Romans in the way. Asterix makes the decision to take the visitor to Getafix.

Getafix is busy gathering mistletoe when Asterix, Obelix and Caliguliminix come to him. The druid refuses to reveal the secret even when Caliguliminix claims to be a guide for tourists at nighttime. Caligula then starts walking away, saying that he’ll try to get home regardless, he may get captured by the Romans who will likely feed him to the circus lions, and it will be all Getafix’s fault. The druid overhears him and sees Asterix and Obelix glaring at him, and finally agrees to show him the secret.

When the magic potion is ready, Caliguliminix is contemplating stealing the cauldron with it. Getafix pours him a bowl and he drinks it. He points out that the potion tastes like vegetable soup and it doesn’t make him feel any different. The druid tells him to lift a large rock nearby. He’s in disbelief, but tries anyway and succeeds. Excited, he throws the rock vertically, starts dancing and gets crushed with the same rock. His helmet breaks, but he’s only dazed for a bit.

The Gauls form two lines for a dance, Caliguliminix stands next to Obelix and opposite to Asterix. Cacofonix plays the music and tells the participants what to do. To the Roman spy’s horror, Cacofonix tells the dancers to pull each other’s moustache, and he soon finds his moustache taken by Asterix. The short Gaul realizes who’s in front of him, denounces Caligula and shouts to capture him, but the Roman dashes out of the village with no resistance and runs back to Compendium.

Caligula Minus excitedly tells Crismus Bonus about the discovery. The centurion tells him to attack his comrades, including his second-in-command Marcus Ginantonicus, which the small Roman gladly does. Bonus is pleased to see the results, but wishes to know the magic potion’s recipe. Ginantonicus suggests cutting Minus open, who of course isn’t willing to sacrifice himself. Page 22 marks the last appearance of Caligula Minus in the book. Bonus tells Minus to lift up a large rock and hold it until the potion wears off. Several hours later the small Roman drops the rock on himself. After he gets out, Ginantonicus and a few other Romans pounce at him and beat him up. His further fate is unknown.

## Animated Film

The film is very faithful to the book, however after Caligula Minus gets beaten up by his comrades, he still makes a couple of brief appearances in the second half of the film. When the Romans surround the tent with Asterix and Getafix at night, Minus is carrying weapons, a shield and a standard, and he gets knocked off his feet. When the Romans rush to form a line to the magic potion (which will boost their hair growth instead of their strength), they push Minus out of the way while he is happily jumping in place. It’s unknown whether he drank this potion or not.

## References

Caligula Minus' two pages on the official Asterix website (both listed in the Romans category):

* https://www.asterix.com/en/portfolio/caligula-minus/?portfolioCats=33 (normal)
* https://www.asterix.com/en/portfolio/caliguliminix/?portfolioCats=126 (disguised)

## Trivia

* His name is consistent in many translations.
* In the book, on the way to the Gaulish village, Minus mentions eating tapioca made by his mother. Tapioca is made from the roots of cassava, a plant that originated from South America.
* Like other characters, the visual appearance of the Roman changes throughout the book. The elongated shapes of his head and nose become more rounded.
* In different book prints and web illustrations his Gaulish shirt comes in different shades of pink or crimson. In the animated film it’s lavender blue. On his Playmobil figurine it’s dark pink.
* The book has moments where Asterix and the centurion lead Caligula Minus by holding his hand. This is not the case in the animated film.
* In the cartoon, he seems to have his own musical theme. A simple high pitch tune plays in scenes with him.
* In the cartoon's beginning, while Asterix is beating up Romans, his arm gets replaced by that of Caligula Minus (with a blue sleeve) for a split second. This is likely a case of low budget rather than a simple animation error.

Full view of the Playmobil figurineDifferent heads for the Playmobil figurine