Gladiator II

Warning : contain likely SPOILERS for Gladiator II

Gladiator IIpromises to be an explosive update to the long - dormant franchise , yet grounds from the pic ’s second trailer suggests that the movie may end up compromise a cardinal panorama of the original film ’s conclusion . It ’s not strange for movies to reveal authoritative info in trailers . While some choose to keep plot point in time to a minimum , others arrange out a well-defined tale in an attempt to heighten interview expectancy . Gladiator IIcertainly falls into the latter category .

Released September 23 , 2024 , theupdatedGladiator IItrailershed some important light on several of the film ’s most crucial character . Denzel Washington ’s Macrinus , for example , is express freely scheming to attach ability and oust the twin emperors Gaeta and Caracalla . Most disgraceful of all , however , was the revelation ( leave by Connie Nielsen ’s Lucilla ) thatPaul Mescal’sGladiator IIcharacter is , as many have theorized , Maximus ' son . This has heavy implications for the story of both flick , transform the entireGladiatorsaga . However , because it is so seismal , this development also risks ruiningGladiator ’s original end .

Gladiator II Official Poster

Lucius Being Maximus' Son Undermines His Family Reunion In The Afterlife

It Totally Changes The Arc Of His Story

Maximus ' devotion to his family was perhaps the big driver behindGladiator ’s account . His conclusion to protect them and loser to keep them safe is what actuate his mission for revenge , compelling him to defy the might of the emperor . It ’s also what helped make the movie ’s ending so emotionally evocative . The sight of Maximus being ushered into the afterlife with the promise of a reunion with his wife and child is simultaneously poignant and fondness - rending – a just reward for his determination and sense of obligation .

Gladiator ’s finale is an indication that Maximus can finally be at pacification and that his principle of honour , loyalty , and devotion that so defined his service to Marcus Aurelius apply as to his family life . However , the bombshell that he had an affair with Lucilla completely undermines this . all of a sudden , Maximus ' repute as a close and perpetual " soldier of Rome " is compromised . If he had an thing , there is suddenly a question mark over how devoted he really was to his category – tainting his legal action throughout the original film .

… there ’s now an unavoidable common sense that Maximus did n’t really have to die to be with his kinfolk – he already had one waiting for him in Rome .

Maximus dying in Gladiator 1 and Lucius in Gladiator 2

Custom image by Ana Nieves

The prospect of Maximus ' reunion with his married woman and kid is also somewhat sullied by Lucilla ’s effusion . Where once it seemed like a satisfying ending for a character who had suffered so much , there ’s now an inescapable sense that Maximus did n’t actually have to die to be with his family – he already had one waiting for him in Rome . consecrate that , before escort their bodies burn and crucify in the ashes of his Pancho Villa , Maximus had n’t seen his married woman and son for " Two days , two hundred and sixty - four days and this morning,“Gladiator II ’s Lucius revelationsuddenly calls into question how near he really was to two previously cardinal figures .

Lucius' Maximus Connection Totally Changes How You See Gladiator

It Transforms Several Key Scenes

Maximus fathering a child with Lucilla has profound implications forGladiator ’s story beyond its ending . Initially , it seems that Maximus ' hysteria over his house ’s expiry is a simple pursuit for retaliation . After lessen into a deep depression , this gives him clarity of role – something that makes his death a natural conclusion to the account . When his missionary station is done , he and his love ones can finally be at ataraxis . The ideathat Lucius is Maximus ' Logos subtly exchange all this .

More than 20 age after the original Gladiator , the sequel arrive in 2024 . Here is everything you require to know about Gladiator 2 .

At a diagonal , Maximus ' adult motivation becomes guilt trip , rather than retribution . While the guilt that he could not protect them was always an important psychological factor , it comes to the bow when you consider that , while on campaign , he had an affair . The factthat Lucius and Maximus ' son are both articulate to be around " eight " also indicates that they were conceptualize around the same metre – infer a complex personal biography for the Roman full general . All this must have been raging around the fibre ’s psyche throughout the first moving-picture show , giving even more profoundness to a previously straightforward revenge arc .

A composite image of Russell Crowe’s Maximus from Gladiator over a picture of Paul Mescal

Custom image by Yailin Chacon

There May Be More To Gladiator II’s Trailer Reveal Than You Think

There Could Be More To Uncover About Lucius' Parenthood

Lucilla ’s declaration is a shocking narrative second in a trailer full of impressive spectacle . However , as revelatory as her claim seems , it ’s also important to take its implications with a collar of salt – specially when valuate its retrospective impact onGladiator . It ’s not clear , for instance , if Maximus had any estimation whether or not Lucius was actually his son – knowledge that would undoubtedly have influenced his actions in life .

It may be that she is manipulating Lucius – whirl him a Trygve Lie that creates a connectedness to a legend of the arena , perhaps give him the inner feeling that he too can survive .

There is also the question of how trustworthy Lucilla is . In the first film , Maximus name her as one of the emperor ’s " serious assassins " , highlight her power to pull wires and cozen . Her political expertness is on full display when she operates behind Commodus ' back to help bring him down . It may be that she is control Lucius – spin him a Trygve Lie that create a connection to a legend of the domain , perhaps giving him the privileged belief that he too can survive . Without more information , it ’s unmanageable to say . However , whatever the the true , Lucius ' parenthood is now a major storyline in advance ofGladiator II ’s release .

Lucius Lucilla and Maximus standing as a trio

Custom image by Yailin Chacon

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Cast

Headshot Of Paul Mescal In The 77th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs)

Headshot Of Pedro Pascal In The 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

Movies

Gladiator II