File Name: Gutierrez, David M.
Rank: Staff Sergeant, USMC
Birthplace: Oakland, CA
Primary Military Specialty: Marine Force Recon
Secondary Military Specialty: Hand-to-hand Combat Instructor


Former Marine and Professional Kickboxer, David Gutierrez was on his way to a Charity Exhibition match with his wife Kerrie when he hit a patch of black ice and lost control of his car, sending it flying off the narrow pass and into the ravine below. He awoke inside the local hospital with minor injuries he was told by the rather sinister-looking attending physician that his wife was in a coma, and if he ever wanted to see her again he would cooperate. He was led to what appeared to be some sort of underground arena, where he was outfitted with ancient weapons and armor, and forced to do battle with other prisoners in similar situations. Because of his military training and martial arts prowess, he quickly rose up through the ranks, although he was frequently punished for refusing to deliver the "death-blow" after his victories. The arena was lit in such a way that he could never see the audience, although he suspected that the size of the crowd varied between a few dozen and several hundred from night to night. He quickly became proficient with all forms of Roman-style Gladiatorial weapons and was able to develop unique fighting styles that greatly pleased the crowd - although Gutierrez was simply trying to stay alive so that he could see Kerrie again.

Nearly three years passed, and despite being shown occasional video footage of his wife (still comatose) by his captors, Gutierrez was growing more and more desperate, but the means to escape eluded him and he feared that escaping would seal Kerrie's fate once and for all. One night before an epic "Battle Royale", a guard approached him secretly and gave him the news: his wife had died shortly after the car crash - the video footage he was shown had been faked, and he was going to be killed the next day in the ring along with the other combatants. Gutierrez quickly made contact with the other prisoners and devised a plan for a "revolt." The next day, Gutierrez could tell that the arena was packed with spectators. They had just finished the dog fights and "caged beast" matches and had left the surviving animals in the ring to add more chaos to the Battle Royale. On David's signal, the Gladiators quickly demolished the cage surrounding the arena (the electric field shut down unexpectedly by the mysterious "guard" who had visited the night before.) Although many of the spectators were armed with pistols and other small arms, the Gladiators made quick work of many of them once the ringside guards were dispatched. Panic ensued as the arena crowd burst out of the fire exits and daylight flooded the arena, bathing Gutierrez and his compatriots in natural light for the first time in years. As the fighting continued into the streets, Gutierrez noticed one of the dogs from the previous matches trying to fend off three blue-uniformed antagonists. He had already lost an eye, but continued to fight valiantly. Gutierrez, feeling a strong sense of kinship with this dog, leapt to his aid and took down two of the blue-shirts while the dog took out the remaining one. His eyes now adjusting to the daylight, Gutierrez noticed a large billboard in the distance: "Welcome to Springfield."

At that same moment, a column of US Military-styled vehicles moved up the main street and engaged the blue-uniformed soldiers. Remembering the rumors he had heard during his time in the Marines, Gutierrez decided that the blue-shirts must be the Domestic Terrorist organization Cobra, and their attackers were the mythical GI Joe Team. Rounding up his Gladiatorial allies, he continued taking the fight to the Cobras - years of rage and despair driving them forward. Finally, with the enemy routed, he noticed the mysterious "guard" from the night before -- this time wearing a Hawaiian shirt and chatting with the GI Joe team leader.

Col Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy approached Gutierrez and explained the situation: the "guard" had been his undercover agent inside Cobra, and had discovered the existence of the Gladiatorial Arena and the prisoners. Realizing Gutierrez's military background, and uncovering the evidence of his wife's death, they decided to allow Gutierrez to create the diversion to make their Springfield Operation a success and to exact some measure of revenge for the prisoners. The Joes helped Gutierrez find his wife's remains, and relocated them to their family plot where she could finally be laid to rest. Hawk then offered Gutierrez a spot on the Joe team, which he immediately accepted, eager to punish Cobra even further for the damage they'd done.

With a sense of historical irony, he adopted the code name "Spartacus", after the famed Thracian Gladiator and leader of the Third Servile Revolt against the Romans. He looked at his new best friend, the injured fighting dog with whom he'd formed a bond, and named him "Crixus" after the real Spartacus' brother-in-arms and Co-Commander of the revolt. With faithful Crixus by his side, he now serves as Patrol Leader and Point Man for various Joe missions, and also provides hand-to-hand combat training to the other team members, specializing in "Gladiatorial-style" combat.