The Sparta Leonidas meme stems from the 2006 film '300,' specifically the scene where King Leonidas, played by Gerard Butler, kicks a Persian messenger into a bottomless pit. Accompanied by the thunderous roar of 'This is Sparta!', this moment became an instant viral sensation in the mid-2000s. It is widely used to represent a forceful rejection of something or a display of extreme, often exaggerated, dominance and defiance. Over the years, it has evolved through countless remixes and image macros, remaining a cornerstone of early internet culture and a symbol of epic intensity.