Carter’s Road Through Captivity

This flow traces the successive trials that carry Carter from Thark captivity through Warhoon imprisonment and onward to the Zodangan court.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Captured at the Incubator

A Stranger Surrounded Discovery by the Tharks Carter watches hatchlings at a Green Martian incubator and fails to notice approaching warriors. His leap across the enclosure surprises them and temporarily averts an immediate attack. Captivity begins Tars Tarkas offers a token of peace, but the party carries Carter to Korad. His survival rests on the Tharks’ curiosity about his unusual abilities, not on a guarantee of humane treatment.

A Chieftain’s Allowance

Rank Without Freedom A captive gains status Carter’s fights earn him the metal of defeated warriors, placing him among the Thark chiefs. He can move more freely, though the community still controls where he lives and whom he may protect. A divided position He is respected as a fighter but remains a stranger to Thark ethics. This contradiction creates room for action while making every choice politically dangerous.

Taken by the Warhoons

One Captivity Replaces Another Overwhelmed in the open Carter holds off the pursuing Tharks while Dejah Thoris and Sola flee. The warriors finally surround and beat him into unconsciousness. A new ordeal announced He wakes among Warhoon fighters, who intend to use him in their Great Games. His unusual status no longer offers protection; the new captors value him as a spectacle.

The Dungeon’s Darkness

A Prisoner Near Collapse Isolation and fear Carter is chained in a lightless dungeon filled with unseen creatures and receives little information from his jailer. The confinement threatens his reason more than any open fight. A violent chance He kills the jailer and discovers keys, only to see the dungeon’s creatures drag the body away. The episode shows how even a moment of apparent escape can remain governed by forces Carter cannot see.

A False Death

Freedom Won by Deception The final contestants Carter and Kantos Kan reach the last stage of the arena contests. Rather than fight each other to the death, they arrange a convincing false victory. Escape into the night Kantos Kan leaves as the apparent winner, while Carter waits until the crowd disperses and climbs out. The escape depends on quick judgment and trust between two prisoners.

Carter’s first day on Barsoom

Several days after Carter is brought to Korad

After Carter delays the Thark pursuit

During Carter’s imprisonment in Warhoon

At dusk during the Warhoon Great Games