| “ | Oh please, you were just waiting for a winner! | „ |
| ~ Aldarich scoffing at help from Reik Hadgan and Segestes |
Aldarich was a supporting character in the 2020 Netflix television series Barbarians. He was portrayed by the German actor Arved Birnbaum.
The Reik (King) of the Germanic Marsi tribe, Aldarich was an ally to the Cherusci tribe and its leader Segimer. A large, older man he was generally an easy going man, who took personal insults in stride and had a reputation as something of a drunk. However, Aldarich would not put up with insults to his tribe's honor and was prepared to physically defend the Marsi's honor.
When the new Roman governor Publius Quinctilius Varus arrived in Germany after being appointed to the position by the Emperor Augustus, one of his first acts was to demand tribute from all the villages in amounts that the tribes could not provide.
Following the demand of Metellus to give tribute, Segimer met with Aldarich Soon after the Romans demanded tribute, the leaders of the various Germanic tribes met to discuss the situation. Despite the consternation over the crippling tribute they were being ordered to give, Aldarich voted with a majority of the other Reiks to keep the peace with Rome.
After Segimer's son Arminius returned from Rome and decided to stand with his people, Aldarich was one of the first Reiks to support him. At the wedding of Arminius and Thusnelda he wished them the blessings of the gods and a household full of screaming children before promising 2,000 of his warriors to Arminius.
Once the Germanic tribes decided to stand up to Rome, Aldarich was one of the most steadfast supporters of Arminius and his plans to fight the three Roman legions present in Germania. He led his tribe in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, which was a massive victory for the Germanic tribes. Late in the battle Reik Hadgan and Segestes joined the battle along with Hadgan's men. When Hadgan told Aldarich that barbarians had to stick together, Aldarich scoffed, knowing full well if the battle had gone the other way the they would have swooped in to deliver the coup de grace for the Roman forces.