Gladiator’s Emperor Commodus is based on the real-life leader of Rome, though the film makes notable changes to his characterization.Joaquin Phoenix’s Emperor Commodus isGladiator’s primary villain as the object of Maximus Decimus Meridius' revenge. The latter, played by Russell Crowe, desires vengeance for the former’s murder of Marcus Aurelius, the attempted assassination of Maximus himself, and the needless killing of Maximus' wife and son. By the time ofGladiator’s climactic ending, Maximus succeeds in enacting his revenge.
After building his way up to the Colosseum as a gladiator, Maximus makes himself known to Commodus and challenges him. In the film’s final act, Maximus kills Commodus before dying himself, setting up his legacy to continue intoGladiator II’s story.Gladiator II’s cast will be headed byPaul Mescal as Lucius, another son of Maximus and the nephew of Commodus. As such, Commodus has a big impact on both films, raising the question of how the character was presented in comparison to his real-life counterpart.
Commodus' Rise To Power Was Solidified By Marcus Aurelius' Death
Firstly, it is worth exploring Commodus' rise to power. In Roman history, Commodus was born in 161 AD, making him much younger thanGladiatorpresents him as. Commodus had a twin brother who died at a young age, making him the only surviving son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Despite Marcus Aurelius dying in 180 AD, the earliest recording of Commodus being mentioned as Emperor came in the mid-170s. Commodus was only 18 when his father died, placing him as a very young Emperor of Rome.
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In comparison to Marcus Aurelius' reign, the early days of Commodus' leadership were described as relatively peaceful, from a military perspective. However, Commodus' time as Emperor brewed much political strife. Due to Commodus' lack of agency within Rome’s political landscape, he became the subject of many attempted conspiracies and coups. This caused Commodus to take more of an active role as Emperor, albeit in a dictatorial manner compared to previous leaders, especially Marcus Aurelius.
Lucilla Started A Conspiracy Against Commodus In 182 AD
Lucilla Attempted To Have Commodus Killed
One of the more important coups in Commodus' early reign came from his sister, Lucilla.Lucilla is part of theGladiatormovie, played by Connie Nielsen, but her character takes a different turn from what happens in real life.Gladiatorshows Lucilla conspiring with various senators to overthrow Commodus and aid Maximus' plot to do so; this plot fails, and Lucilla is forced into obedience by Commodus who threatens her son Lucius. In real life, the plot and its outcome happened very differently.
These men were hired to kill Commodus as he entered a theater, but their plot was foiled. The men were killed and Lucilla was forced into exile…
In 182 AD, Commodus inherited most of his father’s advisers, including the second husband of his eldest sister, Lucilla. Due to Commodus' lack of respect for Rome’s political welfare, Lucilla hatched a plot with two of her alleged former lovers. These men were hired to kill Commodus as he entered a theater, but their plot was foiled. The men were killed and Lucilla was forced into exile on the island of Capri. Eventually,Lucilla was found and killed by Commodus' men.
Commodus Became A Brutal & Narcissistic Emperor Of Rome
Commodus Declared Himself A Demigod As Opposed To A Mortal Man
The attempt on Commodus' life by Lucilla saw several others who despised him follow suit. After these attempted assassinations, Commodus became somewhat of a recluse and spent the majority of his time on his family’s estate away from Rome. Years later, in around 190 AD, Commodus began to fall victim to megalomania and narcissism.Commodus had always stressed his unique status as a god-like man, often comparing himself to Hercules, the son of the Roman god Jupiter. This narcissism led Commodus to seek to reshape the entire Roman Empire in his own image, somewhat like Commodus inGladiator’s fictional timeline.
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Conveniently, the city of Rome was damaged by a great fire in 191 AD, giving Commodus a reason to enact his plans. Commodus declared himself the new Romulus - the founder of Rome - and renamed the city after himself. The 12 months of the year were renamed after his own names, as were several other aspects of the Empire’s infrastructure; the army, fleet, senate, Commodus' palace, and even the Roman people were renamed with variations of his name, leading Commodus to declare himself as the figurehead of the entire kingdom.
Commodus Was Assassinated In 192 AD
The Other Politicians Of Rome Took Matters Into Their Own Hands
Gladiator’s historical accuracy, or lack thereof, somewhat changes this depiction of Commodus. While his megalomaniacal tendencies are included in the movie, Maximus' involvement in the story means he never gets a chance to act them out. Furthermore, Maximus killing Commodus changes his real death from 192 AD, which saw the Emperor assassinated by other members of the senate who conspired against him.
The trio hired Commodus' wrestling partner, Narcissus, to strangle the Emperor in his bathtub…
This plot came from a list of people Commodus wrote, containing the names of those he intended to have executed. On that list of names were Commodus' mistress, Marcia, the Praetorian Prefect, Laetus, and Commodus Chamberlain, Eclectus. As a result, the three conspired to have the Emperor killed. Initially, Marcia attempted to poison Commodus, yet the Emperor vomited up the poison. After this failed attempt, the trio hired Commodus' wrestling partner, Narcissus, to strangle the Emperor in his bathtub.
Gladiator’s Praetorian betrayal of Commodusin the film’s final act was likely inspired by the actions of Laetus, though, evidently, the method of Commodus' murder was much different. Nonetheless, Commodus' death brought about what was supposed to be a swift change for the Roman Empire. However,Commodus' legacy led to much more strife even beyond his death.
Commodus' Legacy As Rome’s Emperor
Commodus' Reign Was A Turning Point For Rome
After Commodus' death, Rome fell into a period of civil war. Even before this, though, Commodus' legacy as Roman Emperor was somewhat destroyed. After his assassination, the senate enacted a process calleddamnatio memoriae -the Latin phrase for “condemnation of memory.” This saw many records of Commodus' reign destroyed, statues of the former Emperor demolished, and the various aspects of Rome’s infrastructure that were renamed returned to their original states.
Septimius Severus, a future Roman Emperor, tried to have Commodus' reputation reversed and the former leader deified, in order to gain favor with Marcus Aurelius' surviving family members.
Commodus' legacy is also a poor one due to the fact that he officially ended the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. This began in 96 AD and ended with Commodus' death, leading to a period of civil war known as the Year of the Five Emperors. This saw five suitors to the throne vying for power, eventually ending with Septimius Severus as Emperor. Due to his tendencies as a narcissistic, dictatorial Emperor, Commodus' legacy is one of failure. This is typified by the ending of an entire dynasty and Rome’s ensuing civil war that saw the villain ofGladiatordemonized by Rome’s future leaders.
Gladiator
Cast
Gladiator follows Maximus, a Roman general betrayed by the new emperor Commodus. After escaping execution, he is enslaved and becomes a gladiator. Set in ancient Rome, the story portrays his struggle for survival and quest for vengeance as he battles for his freedom in the arena.
