"The King of the Gauls", Vercingetorix succeeded in uniting all the tribes of Gaul under his banner through their mutual animosity towards Rome. He is defeated by Caesar at the Battle of Alesia, and surrenders in an official ceremony. He is then imprisoned and brought to Rome in chains, where he is thrown into a dark and filthy dungeon. In captivity, Vercingetorix's health declines dramatically due to the poor conditions in which he is kept, and he is transformed from his former vigorous and imposing figure to an emaciated wreck, broken in body and spirit. During Caesar's triumph he is executed by garrotting. His body is dumped in a trash heap outside the city, but is recovered by loyal Gauls who give him a proper funeral pyre. Though none weep, the emotion of that final farewell to their chief is written clearly across the faces of all present.
In appearance, Vercingetorix was a tall and (before his imprisonment) strongly-built man with a dignified bearing. He had long red hair, deep-set eyes and a prominent nose. In his regalia and mounted on his horse, he appeared every inch a leader. It is implied that Caesar respected him as a worthy opponent: in the episode Triumph, Caesar comes to visit Vercingetorix in his dungeon and softly says to him "Farewell, old friend."