Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Gladiator II.
Much like its predecessor, many of the prominent characters inGladiator IIare based on real-life historical figures. At the beginning of the originalGladiator, Rome is ruled by Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris).In real life, Marcus Aurelius was also one of Rome’s rulers, and is associated with an idealized version of what Rome could be. However,Gladiator’s main character, MaximusDecimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) was not a real individual, although he was inspired by several historical influences.
Unlike Maximus, most ofGladiator II’s main charactersare named after historical figures from Roman history, and many of them are inspired by these figures as well. The characters' fates do not necessarily align with their historical namesakes, though, including the manner in which many of them die duringGladiator II’s action-packed ending. The sequel is not a historical adaptation of real events and is a historical epic made for entertainment purposes, but there are still some meaningful similarities between the characters and the real-world influences.
6Lucius Verus
Played by Paul Mescal
Gladiator II’s Lucius Verus(Paul Mescal) is most similar to the historical figure Lucius Verus II. Just like the character in the sequel,Lucius Verus II was the son of Lucilla, who is played by Connie Nielsen in bothGladiatormovies. Lucius Verus II was the son of Emperor Lucius Verus, who ruled Rome alongside Emperor Marcus Aurelius. While Maximus is Lucius' father inGladiator II, both the fictional and real-life versions of Lucius are descendants of the royal bloodline.
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The similarities do not extend much further as Lucius Verus II, along with Emperor Lucius Verus and Lucilla’s other children, died at a young age. Meanwhile,Gladiator II’s Lucilla sends Lucius away from Rome after Maximus' death for his protection. She worries that Lucius' royal lineage will prevent him from ever being safe. After Numidia is conquered by the Romans 16 years later and Lucius' wife, Arishat (Yuval Gonen), is killed, Lucius is brought back to Rome as a slave who becomes a gladiator. The Roman public knows him by the name “Hanno.”
Lucius was also known as Hanno during the 16 years he spent living in Numidia.
Despite the odds stacked against Lucius, he manages to survive the sequel’s bloody events. With Emperor Geta (Joseph Quinn), Emperor Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), Macrinus (Denzel Washington), General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), and Lucilla dead, Lucius is now poised to lead Rome. He unites all factions at the end of the movie and is respected due to his bloodline and his actions. If a thirdGladiatormovie happens, it will likely see Lucius as the new leader of Rome, living a reality that Lucius Verus II never experienced due to his premature death.
5Lucilla
Played by Connie Nielsen
Much like the fictional character,the real Lucillawas the daughter of Marcus Aurelius and a powerful figure in Roman politics. She was also the sister of Commodus, who was played by Joaquin Phoenix in the originalGladiator.The real Lucilla became more powerful than her fictional counterpartthrough her marriage to Emperor Lucius Verus, which made her a Roman empress. She also lost more power than the fictional Lucilla, who remains a pivotal political figure in bothGladiatorandGladiator II.
InGladiator II, Lucilla is married to General Acacius, is still a respected authority figure, and is part of a plot to dethrone Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla.
After the death of Emperor Lucius Verus, Lucilla lost her status as empress and had to become a private citizen. She was involved in a failed plot to assassinate Commodus and was later exiled, hunted down, and killed by Commodus' minions. InGladiator II, Lucilla is married to General Acacius, is still a respected authority figure, and is part of a plot to dethrone Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla. She is killed in the Colosseum when Macrinus fires an arrow into her chest.
4Emperor Geta
Played by Joseph Quinn
Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla ruled Rome together for a time in real life and inGladiator II. As perBiography,the real Geta did not always rule beside his brother. The real Geta only became co-emperor after his and Caracalla’s father, Septimius Severus, passed away.Gladiator IIis set 16 years after the original movie, and while it is never confirmed exactly how long Geta and Caracalla have been in power, there are many clues that they have been ruling together for a while.
The real Geta and Caracalla did not rule together for long, as Caracalla ordered Geta’s death to take place a relatively short amount of time after the death of their father. While the brothers' joint rule was seemingly more extensive inGladiator II, their relationship ends in a similar manner as Macrinus manipulates Caracalla into turning against Geta and Macrinus kills him. Another key difference is that the real Geta and Caracalla were not twins, while their fictional counterparts are twins inGladiator II.
3Emperor Caracalla
Played by Fred Hechinger
The real Caracalla was appointed as co-emperor by his father, Septimius Severus. They ruled together for more than a decade before Severus passed away. This is much different than the Caracalla ofGladiator II, who largely follows Geta’s lead until Macrinus makes Caracalla believe that he is being manipulated by his brother. Due to the experience that the real Caracalla had, he was more reminiscent ofGladiator II’s Geta, who had more control in shaping Rome as he saw fit.
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The sequel also sees Caracalla as an unstable individual who is divorced from reality, including the decision to name his pet monkey, Dondas, as his first consul after Geta’s death. As opposed to the real Caracalla, this behavior is more in line with the Emperor Caligula, who, according toHistory, was believed to have given his beloved horse, Incitatus, a house, and had the horse fed oats mixed with gold flakes. Some historians believe this behavior was a way for Emperor Caligula to humiliate his opponents, which differs from Caracalla’s reasoning behind giving his pet monkey a position of power.
In addition to elevating Dondas to first consul after Geta’s death, Caracella names Macrinus his second consul. Macrinus continues to manipulate Caracalla, until he stabs him in the ear and kills him when Lucius and the other gladiators revolt in the Colosseum.The real Caracalla was assassinated and was succeeded by Macrinus, although there are significant differences between the historical Macrinus and the fictional version played by Washington.
2Macrinus
Played by Denzel Washington
According toSmithsonian, the real Macrinus was a lawyer and bureaucrat who took control of the Praetorian Guard. With the support and allegiance of the Praetorian Guard behind him, Macrinus was able to become the emperor of Rome, even though he was the first individual to have this position without belonging to the senatorial class. Unlike his predecessor, the cruel and militaristic Caracalla, Macrinus relied more on diplomacy. Macrinus eventually lost his sway over the Roman army when he decreased the pay of new recruits. He was later captured and murdered, and his head was sent to his successor, Elagabalus.
Gladiator II’s Macrinus is inspired by Emperor Macrinus, but is less of a direct adaptationthan Lucilla, Emperor Geta, or Emperor Caracalla are.Washington’s wildGladiator IIperformancedepicts Macrinus as a charismatic and ambitious figure within the world of Roman politics. He was once a slave and a gladiator. After earning his freedom, he became an arms dealer and an owner of gladiators. He worked hard to ingratiate himself within Rome’s politics and the upper echelons of the empire’s social hierarchy. This includes becoming a trusted friend and advisor to Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla.
Macrinus' ambitions are ultimately defied by Lucius, who severs Macrinus' hand and kills him.
Macrinus plays the long game, as he believes he is destined to lead Rome. Making Lucius his prized gladiator and manipulating both Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla works well for Macrinus and nearly gives him his desire. Similar to the real Macrinus, he gains the loyalty of the Praetorian Guard and their leader, Tegula (Rory McCann). However, Macrinus' ambitions are ultimately defied by Lucius, who severs Macrinus' hand and kills him. If the fictional Macrinus had become the emperor of Rome, it is highly unlikely that he would have shared the real Macrinus' penchant for diplomacy.
1Senator Gracchus
Played by Derek Jacobi
While his role is not as prominent as most of the sequel’s other characters based on real individuals, Derek Jacobi returns to play Senator Gracchus. Jacobi and Nielsen are the only members of the originalGladiatorcast who reprise their roles in the sequel. In the previous movie, Senator Gracchus was loyal to Marcus Aurelius and worked with Lucilla and Maximus to undermine Commodus. Gracchus was arrested and stripped of his senatorial position. However, duringGladiator’s ending, one of Maximus' dying wishes is for Gracchus to be reinstated as a senator, as he knows Gracchus will honor Marcus Aurelius' dream.
Djimon Hounsou was originally going to reprise his role as Juba inGladiator II.
16 years later,Gracchus' loyalties remain consistent, which is why he works with Lucilla and General Acacius to overthrow Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla. Unfortunately, Gracchus is killed during the mayhem that erupts in the Colosseum duringGladiator II’s ending, and he does not live to see Lucius restoring hope for his grandfather’s dream. Senator Gracchus was likely inspired by Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, who, according toBritannica, served in the tribune. They sought agrarian reform that would redistribute land to the poor, which is consistent with Senator Gracchus fighting for a more fair and equal Rome inGladiator II.
Gladiator II
Cast
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
