What To Remember Before Spear Returns From the Dead

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Visionary creator Genndy Tartakovsky has returned to his epic prehistoric saga Primal for a third season, which sees the fierce caveman Spear (Aaron LaPlante) making a shocking return. It seems that not even death can stop the savage Spear, but how exactly did the show leave off with his character? With Season 3 set to premiere on Adult Swim this weekend, it’s time to rewind and recap the saga of Spear and his Tyrannosaurus rex companion, Fang (Frank Welker), in Primal Season 2.

Spear and Fang Embark on an Epic Journey in ‘Primal’ Season 2

Spear riding Fang alongside other dinosaurs in Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal — Spear riding Fang alongside other dinosaurs in Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal

In the Season 1 finale, Spear befriends a young woman named Mira (Laëtitia Eïdo), who is fleeing from Viking slavers who later recapture her at the episode’s conclusion. As Season 2 opens, Spear and Fang embark on a dangerous quest to save Mira, and the three eventually confront the Vikings, led by the warrior Rikka (MyAnna Buring). Consumed with rage, Spear and Fang kill Rikka and the other Viking warriors, which results in Rikka’s husband, the Viking Chieftain (Fred Tatasciore) and his son, Eldar (also Tatasciore), pursuing them in search of revenge.

Spear manages to once again defeat his enemies, but he, Mira, and Fang are taken captive by the barbarous Egyptian Queen, Ima (Amina Korona), and held aboard her gargantuan warship, the Colossaeus. Spear and Fang’s situation only worsens, as they, alongside an imposing Bantu man, Kamau (Imari Williams), are forced to fight for the tyrannical despot, with Mira, Kamau’s innocent daughter, and Fang’s clutch of eggs held as hostages. Across many lands and continents, Ima wages war and conquest, with Spear, Kamau, and Fang slaughtering soldiers and even innocent villagers at her behest.

After Spear, Mira, and Fang’s initial unsuccessful attempt to escape, Ima orders Kamau to execute them. Instead, Kamau frees the group, inciting the other slaves into a violent uprising aboard the Colossaeus, with Kamau finally killing Ima by throwing her off the warship to her death. Finally free, Spear, Mira, Fang, and Fang’s newly hatched infants depart from the Colossaeus to return to Mira’s homeland.

A person in a loincloth holding a spear and riding a T-Rex in Primal.

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The prehistoric sci-fi hit last aired in 2022.

Spear Is Mortally Injured in ‘Primal’ Season 2

Spear and Fang initially join Mira in her village, where Mira reunites with her old friends and kin, but Spear is uneasy in his new home, melancholy over the tribe and family he lost. Yet the Viking Chieftain returns, now in possession of supernatural powers granted to him by the Fire Giant, an all-powerful demon from the underworld. Spear suffers mortal burn wounds but successfully beats the Viking Chieftain in combat, who is stripped of his powers and forcibly dragged back to the underworld by the Fire Giant.

As Spear lies on his deathbed, Mira notices a mural that Spear has drawn on his hut. Recognizing that Spear has been longing for a family, a home, and a way to continue his legacy, Mira sleeps with the dying Spear before he succumbs to his wounds. An epilogue set years later depicts Mira with her and Spear’s daughter, who now rides one of Fang’s children as her own mount. It was a sad yet fitting emotional conclusion for Spear’s story and the perfect bookend to the first two seasons. With the main hero’s death and a bittersweet ending, Tartakovsky brings his amazing and operatic saga to a close. Well, not so fast…

Spear’s Story Continues in ‘Primal’ Season 3

Even though Spear literally died in Primal Season 2, his story is not over just yet. The details of Spear’s resurrection are not yet clear, but according to the official synopsis, “the third season opens with a shocking twist that resurrects Spear in a new form—stripped of memory and humanity—and forces him to roam a brutal, untamed world as a shadow of his former self. As Spear battles savage landscapes and deadly foes, faint echoes of his past begin to stir, leading him toward an emotional and explosive reunion that will test the limits of survival.” Spear’s amnesia would explain the footage in the Season 3 trailer showing him about to fight his trusted companion, Fang, if he no longer possesses the memory of their bond.

Primal Season 2 previously showcased supernatural forces and powerful demonic entities at work, which could explain Spear’s resurrection. Hopefully, Season 3 will also provide more insight into the Fire Giant and its goals, including why it wanted the Viking Chieftain to eliminate Spear. Season 3 doesn’t need a happily ever after ending, but a joyous emotional reunion between Mira and Spear would be the best-case scenario, as well as Spear discovering that he has a daughter. Even if Spear’s destined to die once again, hopefully, he does so with the knowledge of his child.

Based on the trailer, Spear’s undead form contrasts with the form of the resurrected Viking Chieftain in Season 2, so perhaps another godlike entity or power is causing Spear’s undead, decaying state. If the conclusion of Samurai Jack is any indication, Tartakovsky knows how to satisfyingly wrap up his epic sagas. Ultimately, the premise for Primal Season 3 has us totally hyped for the return of the Emmy Award-winning Adult Swim animated series on January 11.