Warning! This article contains spoilers for Gladiator 2.
Gladiator 2’s ending concludes the sequel with expected sword fights, Colosseum battles, and political machinations, but not without a familiar helping hand closing out the film.Gladiator 2’s cast of charactersis led by Paul Mescal’s Lucius Verus, who begins the film under the alias Hanno. After having his home destroyed by the Roman Army, Lucius becomes embroiled in the world of gladiatorial combat, echoing the story of Maximus Decimus Meridius that concluded withGladiator’s emotional ending.
Throughout the film, Lucius - one of the manyGladiatorcharacters based on real people- reckons with his true heritage as a grandson of Marcus Aurelius and the son of Maximus. Rather than bury his head in the sand and remain content to carry out wrathful vengeance, Lucius embraces his familial connections and begins fighting for the good of Rome via the Colosseum, epic fight scenes, and strong performances that contributed toGladiator 2’s positive reviews. By the time ofGladiator 2’s ending, Lucius’ destiny is altered, an Empire is changed forever, and a long-lasting legacy lives on.
Whose Hand Is That In Gladiator 2’s Final Scene?
Maximus' Legacy Looms Over Gladiator 2’s Ending
In the final scene ofGladiator 2,Lucius returns to an empty Colosseum just as Djimon Hounsou’s Juba did inGladiator. Lucius kneels in the sand as the purple sky above him signifies the dawn of a new Rome, asking his father, Maximus, to speak to him. As Lucius does so, the film shows a familiar scene fromGladiatorof a hand grazing the stalks of grain fields.
Gladiator 2’s Maximus & Lucius Relationship Explained
The relationship between Maximus Decimus Meridius and Lucius Verus is one that has undergone some development with the release of Gladiator II.
Maximus' dreams inGladiator’s endingsaw him journey to Elysium, the blissful Roman afterlife, to reunite with his deceased wife and son. These scenes were shown again inGladiator 2’s ending to signal that Maximus' legacy lives on through Lucius. Maximus' character is summed up in both films by an iconicGladiatorline:“What we do in life echoes in eternity.“Maximus fought for what was right, allowing him to leave peacefully in eternity via Elysium. Lucius is now intending to do the same, with the flashes of his father’s hand typifying this inGladiator 2’s ending.
Lucius Becomes The Prince Of Rome, Fulfilling His Destiny
Lucius' intention to continue Maximus' beliefs and fight for what is right is summed up in the conclusion of his character arc. Unlike Maximus, who died a gladiator, Lucius transcends Roman slavery and embraces his rightful place as the true ruler of the Roman Empire.Gladiator’s historical accuracyis often thrown into question, but the idea of Roman Emperors being chosen by a multitude of methods - from cutthroat manipulations to lineage or being picked by the senate - is often consistent with history.
InGladiator 2’s ending, Lucius stakes his claim to Rome via the connection he holds toGladiator’s elderly cast member, Marcus Aurelius. Lucius is the grandson of the former Emperor and, despite hiding his lineage for much of his life, reveals this fact inGladiator 2’s ending. The climax of the film sees Lucius and Denzel Washington’s Macrinus standing between two armies: the Roman legions and the Praetorian guard. The Roman Army was already loyal to Lucius thanks to Pedro Pascal’s General Acacius and the reveal of the former’s heritage, but the Praetorian guard was serving Macrinus.
Denzel Washington’s performance as Macrinus is being widely praised, with many hoping it earns him another nomination at the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor.
Lucius stands in front of the two armies after defeating Macrinus and proclaims himself as the prince of Rome. This allows the wavering Praetorian guard to follow Lucius as Rome’s new ruler. After spending decades hiding from his destiny,Lucius finally becomes what he was always meant to be and tries to usher in his grandfather’s dream of Rome.
How Lucius Succeeds In Restoring The Dream Of Rome
Marcus Aurelius & Maximus Live On Through Lucius
The dream of Rome is mentioned at length throughout bothGladiatorandGladiator 2.This dream began with Marcus Aurelius, and was the ideal that Rome would eventually stop being ruled by Emperors with conflicting ideologies, beliefs, and temperaments, and instead be ruled by the people. This dream links to the real-world systems of dictatorship and republics, with Marcus Aurelius wishing for Rome to be the latter, something Lucius somewhat succeeds in achieving inGladiator 2’s ending.
This power could see Lucius instill a republic, finally completing the dream that began with Marcus Aurelius…
In embracing his place as the prince of Rome, Lucius now holds the power to make Marcus Aurelius' dream - and by extension, that of Maximus - a reality. Lucius has power over the Roman people, the Roman Army, and the Praetorian guard due to the deaths ofGladiator 2’s twin Roman Emperorsand the scheming Macrinus. This power could see Lucius instill a republic, finally completing the dream that began with Marcus Aurelius, was fought for by Maximus, and shaped the entire story ofGladiator 2.
What Lucilla’s Death & Arrow Mean
Another character who believed in the dream of Rome was Lucilla, the mother of Lucius and the daughter of Marcus Aurelius. InGladiator 2’s final act, though, Lucilla is tragically killed. In an attempt to secure his power by turning the Roman people against the remaining twin Emperor, Caracalla, Macrinus organizes Lucilla’s execution in the Colosseum. Lucilla’s death means that the Roman people lose all faith in Caracalla and Geta, despite both being killed due to the machinations of Macrinus.
Gladiator: What Happened To Lucilla In Real Life
What happened to Lucilla, Commodus’ sister, in real life, and how was it different from what happened to her character in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator?
Moreover, Lucilla’s death - specifically the cause of this event - has greater symbolic meaning. ThroughoutGladiator 2, Lucius is shown keeping hold of an arrow shaft, torn from the projectile that killed his wife in the film’s opening. This arrow was a symbol of Lucius' revenge quest, fueling him in his desire to kill Acacius. However, Lucilla is killed by an arrow shot by Macrinus, signifying that he - or, more aptly, men like him - should have been the object of Lucius' quest all along.
Acacius is revealed as someone who does not like war despite waging it, only doing so to protect Lucilla from the madness of Caracalla and Geta. The final act reveals this, all while showing Macrinus asGladiator 2’s true villain.The arrow sticking from Lucilla reminds Lucius that Acacius was never someone who he should have held contempt for, but that it is Macrinus who needs to dieto secure Rome’s democratic future, linking back to the arrowGladiator 2’s protagonist retrieved from his wife’s dead body.
How Gladiator 2’s Ending Is Similar To Gladiator 1’s
Both Films Use Similar Plot Points
Since the trailers for Ridley Scott’s 2024 sequel were released,Gladiator 2has been dubbed a stealth remakeof its predecessor. Although the former includes enough new elements to stand on its own as a sequel, there is no denying that it uses many similar elements from the originalGladiator, especially those that proved effective in 2000. The ending ofGladiator 2proves this by being closely connected to the final moments ofGladiator. For instance, as Lucius talks about the dream of Rome, the iconic song “Now We Are Free” begins playing.
This song can be heard as Lucius kneels in the Colosseum, just as it can be in the first movie when Juba does the same.Gladiator 2’s final shot is also the aforementioned scene of Maximus brushing the grain stalks as he reunites with his family, which is one of the last shots in the original movie. Overall, these similarities are used to convey the thematic similarities betweenGladiatorandGladiator 2, reinforcing the idea that both films are about legacy, honor, sacrifice, and fighting for what is right.
Does Gladiator 2 Set Up A Third Movie?
The last major question stemming fromGladiator 2’s ending is whether it sets up a third movie in the franchise. While many did not believeGladiator 2was even necessary, the film’s strong international opening weekend and good reviews prove that a return to Ridley Scott’s version of Rome is welcome. With that in mind, a trilogy could be crafted out of some seeds planted inGladiator 2, as well as comments from Scott himself to French film magazinePremiere.
Ridley Scott Already Has Ideas For Gladiator 3, Compares Potential Sequel To The Godfather
Director Ridley Scott already has ideas for Gladiator 3 and teases plot details for the potential sequel with comparisons to The Godfather.
Scott’s idea stems from his love ofThe Godfather, withGladiator 2’s ending echoing the iconic film series by Francis Ford Coppola; Lucius is now in a position he did not originally want. Lucius has taken the legacy of his father and grandfather and found himself as the prince of Rome, and while he is committed to doing what is right, it is not a position he wanted for himself initially. This allowsGladiator 2’s ending to tease a sequel, with the third film potentially exploring Lucius’ quest to realize the dream of Rome and troubles fulfilling this legacy.
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.
