Pedro Pascal joined thecast ofGladiator IIas Acacius, an accomplished Roman general.
However, the beginning ofGladiator IIpresents Acacius as a villain, rather than a Roman hero.
EvenGladiator II’smain character,Maximus' son Lucius, seeks revenge against Acacius.
Acacius leads the Roman army to victory over the Numidians.
In contrast, Maximus was completely loyal to Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius at the beginning of the firstGladiatorfilm.
Maximus even celebrates Rome’s conquests at the start of the first movie.
Gladiator II’sopening battle proves that the Roman army invaded other cities just for the sake of it.
That’s why Acacius takes the time to honor the dead after the battle is won.
Maximus was a general when Rome was at the height of its power.
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.
Marcus Aurelius was a loved and respected Emperor, so Maximus had every reason to be loyal to him.
However,the Roman people were much more unhappy during the reign of Emperors Geta and Caracalla.
The Roman Empire was in decline, and Acacius recognized that there needed to be a change.
From certain perspectives,both Acacius and Maximus could be viewed as villains.
However, bothGladiatormovies show that they were men who loved their families and wanted what was best for Rome.
