# Mark — The Big Time character guide

> Mark in The Big Time by Fritz Leiber.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Marcus Vipsaius Niger, Marcus, Mark slurpy

**First appearance:** 0000-i-enter-three-hussars

## Snapshot

A Roman legate who wakes from the Void quoting Ovid, surveys the party, and pronounces nine the proper number for a gathering.

## Who they are

Marcus Vipsaius Niger arrives shiny-booted and black-clad, blinking at the Place like a man who died bravely and woke up somewhere stranger. He refuses Falernian wine for scotch and soda, trades legionary anecdotes about sugar and salt, and flashes looks at Kaby that suggest his real interest lies elsewhere. His warm Roman smile and easy gravity give the outfit a steadying, old-world counterweight to Erich's noise.

## Relationships

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_professional_

Mark is a competent and reliable colleague who works closely with the narrator in their shared duties.

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_professional_

Mark is a competent and reliable colleague who works closely with the narrator in their shared duties.

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_professional_

Mark is a competent and reliable colleague who works closely with the narrator in their shared duties.

## In the story

### [I: Enter Three Hussars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/i-enter-three-hussars)

Roman Soldier, arrives with Erich and Bruce, appears badly injured.

### [VII: Time to Think](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/vii-time-to-think)

Hot for battle, tries to wrestle the bomb chest away from Maud, protective of Rome's interests.

### [VIII: A Place to Stand](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/chapters/viii-a-place-to-stand)

Referenced by Bruce as someone whose ideas are 'those of a wolf pack of unimaginative sluggers two thousand years younger.'

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters/mark
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_time_se/characters