Warning: Spoilers ahead for Gladiator II!Macrinus was a villain inGladiator IIwith an intriguing backstory, but he made a major mistake by not killing Lucius Verus Aurelius. Thecast ofGladiator IIincludes Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, and Pedro Pascal. While Mescal’s Lucius was building on the legacy of his father, Maximus, played by Russell Crowe in the firstGladiatorfilm, Washington’s Macrinus was the character that stood out the most in the movie. There are many similarities between Lucius andMacrinus inGladiator II. However, unlike Lucius, Macrinus did not come from influential parents.
Even though Washington’s character was presented as a villain inGladiator II,Macrinus was actually seeking revenge against the Roman Empire after serving as a slave to Marcus Aurelius for much of his life. After his time enslaved, Macrinus became a gladiator owner, arms dealer, and eventually a Roman Emperor. In the film, Macrinus manipulated and overthrew Geta and Caracalla to become Emperor, but not dealing with Lucius sooner ultimately led to his own death at theend ofGladiator II.
Lucius Was Too Popular As A Gladiator For Macrinus To Kill
Just Like Maximus, Lucius Entertained The Roman People
When Macrinus first purchased Lucius inGladiator II, he was impressed by his fighting skills and had no reason to know that he was the son of Maximus and Lucilla. However, throughout the sequel,Macrinus began to recognize that Lucius may be a more important figure than he initially thought. While it was not outright stated, it is heavily implied that Macrinus knew Lucius was Lucilla’s son inGladiator II. Once he realized the truth, Lucius was already the most popular gladiator in Rome.
Since Lucius was the son of Lucilla and a descendant of Marcus Aurelius, his birthright meant that he had a claim to rule Rome.
After meeting with Lucilla about halfway throughGladiator II, Macrinus worked out how old her exiled son would be if were still alive, which was the same age as Lucius. Since Lucius was the son of Lucilla and a descendant of Marcus Aurelius, his birthright meant that he had a claim to rule Rome. Therefore,Lucius posed a massive threat to Macrinus since he was scheming to take control of Rome. Still, Macrinus likely didn’t want to immediately kill Lucius since he had become so popular after fighting in the arena.
Macrinus Wanted To Use Lucius To Further His Rise To Power
Macrinus Owned Lucius In Gladiator 2
Instead of killing Lucius, Macrinus wanted to use Lucius to help his rise to power. DuringGladiator II, the Roman people were on the verge of turning againstEmperors Geta and Caracalla. Since he wanted to become the next Roman Emperor, it was very important that he was well-liked by the Roman people.Having Lucius as his gladiator likely brought Macrinus good favor with the Romans,given that they were fans of his performances in the arena.
Denzel Washington Gives Gladiator 2 A Massive Difference To The First Movie That I Did Not Expect
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.
Owning a deadly gladiator also could have been beneficial for Macrinus as Emperor, as he could have placed any of his own enemies into the arena, basically confirming they would die at the hands of Lucius. This was seen in the film when Geta and Caracalla forced Acacius to enter the arena, knowing he would never make it out alive. Since Lucius was literally trapped in a cage, Macrinus probably thought he could control him. However,Macrinus gravely underestimated Lucius, and this led to his death right after he took control of Rome.
Macrinus Likely Would’ve Killed Lucius After Becoming Emperor Of Rome
Lucius Won The Final Battle Against Macrinus
Lucius may have been popular with the Roman people, but so was his mother, Lucilla. InGladiator II,Macrinus acknowledged how loved Lucilla was by the Romans but still decided to kill her anyway, seeing as she was too big of a threat to him. Even though Lucius was valuable while Macrinus was still rising to become the Emperor, he likely would have chosen to kill his gladiator when he had taken full control of Rome.
What Happened To Denzel Washington’s Macrinus In Real Life & How Gladiator 2 Compares
Denzel Washington’s villainous yet charismatic character Macrinus is based on a real historical figure, although there are several key differences.
Macrinus did control Rome during the climax ofGladiator II, but only for a very short period. By the time Macrinus betrayed Emperor Caracalla, a rebellion had already broken out in Rome. Macrinus tried to flee the city, but Acacius' army was blocking his escape. This led to a final battle between Lucius and Macrinus, during which Lucius killed his former owner, proving that he was always the man’s main threat 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.
