***Warning*** This article discusses plot points for Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.

While the deaths of Barca and Pietros on the first season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand didn't spark quite the same level of outrage as did the death of Ianto Jones on Torchwood, their demise did lead to a fair bit of controversy.

Pietros and Barca

Even though many fans may not have loved what happened to the two slaves, most saw it as simply part of the story. Others, however, saw their deaths as yet another example of queer characters being killed off indiscriminately — even if Spartacus killed off plenty of straight characters as well.

Still others suspected the show had never been that interested in actually showing a pair of gay lovers, despite how well Barca and Pietros' relationship had been depicted up until then.

And despite assurances from Rob Tapert and Steven S. DeKnight, the men who created Spartacus, that that the second season would again include gay characters and gay relationships, some remained skeptical it would actually happen.

When Andy Whitfield, the man who plays Spartacus, was stricken with cancer, leading the show to do Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, a six episode prequel to the first season, while Whitfield underwent treatment, many wondered if Barca would appear in the show. They also wondered about his lover Pietros. Might we learn more about their story and how their relationship came to be?

AfterElton.com recently had the chance to ask DeKnight these questions and more as the show's creator prepared to head to Comic-Con.

Before our interview, it had already been announced that Antonio Te Maioho would return as Barca for Gods of the Arena. As for Barca's love, Pietros (Eka Darville), DeKnight says unfortunately the actor won't be returning.

We couldn't get Eka back to play Pietros. Since it's a couple of years earlier in the storyline, and since Eka is already a little young, we were like ... ehhh. We didn't want to get into that. We didn't want to recast somebody who was like 16, so we adjusted the story. We tell a different kind of tale with Barca.

What kind of story exactly? And will it involve romance?

Says DeKnight, "Before Pietros got [to the ludus], Barca has a different lover, very different in all aspects. He's an actual gladiator at the ludus. We explore that relationship and what happened, and it'll inform why, in Season One, he's with Pietros and not another gladiator. There's a good reason for it."

The new gladiator's name is Auctus and DeKnight says he is very much the gladiator.

What I loved about the Barca/Pietros relationship was that it was a very tender relationship. Barca would flare up every now and then, but obviously really loved Pietros, and Pietros brought out his tender side.

Auctus and Barca have a very different relationship. They have a mutual respect, but Auctus is Barca's physical equal. He's just as good a gladiator as Barca is and just as deadly. They obviously love each other, and they have some great moments together, but they also have a very jocular love affair. They don't mind smacking each other around.

Gladiator foreplay?

But for those hoping for a happy ending for Barca and Auctus, DeKnight warns that since viewers already know that Auctus is gone by the start of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, and that gladiators didn't exactly have a long lifespan in Ancient Rome, they should be prepared for the worst.

Says DeKnight, "It ends tragically, as everything with Spartacus does. [laughs] That's not really giving anything away since you know you're in trouble when, in the prequel, there's a lot of people you haven't seen at the ludus before. Since you haven't seen them before, there's a pretty good chance there's a reason why. Usually, nobody gets free and runs off. It all ends poorly for everyone involved."

In Blood and Sand, the other gladiators were fine with Barca's relationship with a slave boy. But how might they feel about two gladiators in love? Will they approve? "Oh, absolutely," says DeKnight. " We took into account it was all about the power position, but at the end of the day, for my purposes with the show, especially down among the men, I just want it to be something that's accepted."

Has the negative reaction of some gay viewers to Barca and Pietro's death changed how DeKnight might approach the subject in the future? DeKnight says no, adding:

It still comes down to the story and what works best for the characters. The only time I had a reaction to anything that's said, is every once in a while I'll come across a comment on the Facebook site or the official site ... where someone will say — usually a guy — "I love the show but can you cut out all the gay shit." That's the only thing that will trigger a violently negative response from me.

For me, and I think Rob [Tapert] too, it's even more reason to continue including that in the story until people come to accept it. I don't understand how you can watch Season One and fixate on that, especially when I think the Barca/Pietros storyline was beautiful and tragic. I was very heartened that even people who were a little uncomfortable with the gay content, when Barca got killed, they were very upset and very moved, which I think is a step in the right direction.

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena airs on Starz in January 2011