In the film, it is revealed that Lucius is actuallythe son of Russell Crowe’s Maximusfrom the firstGladiatormovie.
Therefore, there are a lot of similarities betweenGladiator IIand the original film.
Macrinus is an arms dealer and gladiator owner who eventually overthrows the Roman Emperors.
After being a slave for so long, Macrinus wants all the power to himself.
InGladiator II, he positions himself to be one of the most trusted advisors of twinEmperors Geta and Caracalla.
However, Macrinus ends up turning Caracalla against Geta.
With the help of Macrinus, Caracalla kills his own brother, becoming the sole Emperor of Rome.
Macrinus' scheming doesn’t stop there, though, and he ends up killing Caracalla, as well.
After the death of both Emperors,Macrinus takes control of Rome.
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.
InGladiator II, Macrinus' rule over Rome is cut short to provide Lucius with a satisfying ending.
Therefore,the climax ofGladiator IIfocuses on Lucius freeing himself and defeating Macrinus.
At the end ofGladiator II, Macrinus places Lucilla, Lucius' mother, in the arena.
This leads to the final duel between Lucius and Macrinus inGladiator II.
Therefore,Gladiator IIdid not have the time to tell the real life story of Macrinus' rule.
Denzel Washington brought something to Gladiator 2 that I never expected to see in the sequel: comedy.
Macrinus is a laugh riot in this movie.
However,Macrinus would’ve needed to remain alive forGladiator 3to properly explore more aspects of his rule.
