Warning: this article contains spoilers for Gladiator 2
Gladiator 2is the latest modern legacy sequel to hit theaters, set a few years after the events of Ridley Scott’s 2000 historical epic,Gladiator. The film tells the story of another gladiator to be put into the Roman Colosseum trying to earn his freedom, this time named Lucius Verus Aurelius, played by the excellent Paul Mescal. While Mescal gives a great performance as Lucius, one of the best aspects ofGladiator 2’s castis Macrinus, played by Denzel Washington.
Gladiator 2’s great reviewsare in large part bolstered by Washington’s performance and the character of Macrinus himself, who is one of the most intriguing parts of the film as a whole.He spends much of the movie plotting behind the scenes, scheming his way into the highest tier of society in order to achieve his lofty ambition of becoming the Emperor, with many different pieces in play.Gladiator 2’s storyrevolves almost entirely around Macrinus' plan, with most parts of the film eventually leading back to him and his desire for power.
Everything Revealed About Macrinus' Backstory In Gladiator 2
His History Informs Everything About His Character
WhileGladiator 2never fully explains Macrinus' backstory in detail, there is enough there to give the audience a pretty clear picture of who Macrinus was before he became the noble man he is presented as in the film.He was a slave, a prisoner of war similar to Lucius, who spent much of his Roman life serving Marcus Aurelius, Lucius' grandfather and former Emperor of Rome. He managed to fight his way out of the gladiatorial arena, before eventually becoming an arms dealer and securing his freedom.
Macrinus gaining the ultimate seat of Imperial power would be the truest expression of what it meant to be a Roman.
Macrinus’Gladiator 2backstoryisn’t a huge plot point, only coming up briefly in two conversations, but it is extremely important for revealing Macrinus' character and why he is the way he is. While Macrinus is presented as yet another Roman aristocrat searching for as much power as possible (which, to be fair, he is), giving the audience this glimpse into his backstory shows thathis true reasons for everything he has done is to get the ultimate revenge on his former master, and because of what he believes the true nature of the Roman Empire to be.
Macrinus becoming the Emperor would end theline of Emperors present throughout theGladiatorfilms, destroying the legacy of his old master, Marcus Aurelius, and finalizing his revenge, butit would also reinforce his view of the Roman Empire, being that power is the only thing that matters. Aurelius had total power over him as a slave, and Macrinus gaining the ultimate seat of Imperial power would be the truest expression of what it meant to be a Roman, at least according to Macrinus.
Macrinus' Role As An Arms Dealer In Gladiator 2 Explained
His Position Affords Him Exactly What His Plan Needs
At the start ofGladiator 2, Macrinusis not in any major position of power in the government, he is just an arms dealer that supplies weapons and armor to the Roman armies. The power of his position is deceiving, however, because as an arms dealer, he has a great amount of influence over Rome’s most important asset, its armies.His position grants him access to many of the most important individuals in Rome, as well as a way to barter with those people, shown throughout his interactions with much of the wealthy elite of Rome.
Macrinus obviously has some level of access to the most important people in the Empire, those beingGladiator 2’s representation of the twin Emperors, Geta and Caracalla, as he attends a party with them soon after he arrives in the city of Rome. However,his influence is most clear when it comes to Thraex, the senator who owes Macrinus money, and eventually sells out Lucilla and Marcus Acacius’s plot. While Macrinus' power over Thraex is due specifically to Thraex’s gambling issues, he was only ever able to get to that point because of his position.
How Macrinus Uses Lucius & The Other Gladiators For His Own Gain
He Uses Everyone Around Him To Achieve His Goals
Every element of Macrinus' plan was vital to its success, but perhaps the most important was the gladiators he was able to find, althoughLucius, as the son ofGladiator’s Maximus, does end up being the most integral one of the bunch. The first benefit that the gladiators provide Macrinus is giving him direct leverage over Thraex, asLucius is the one who earns him his first win against Thraex, causing him to owe Macrinus a large sum of money. Thraex then tells Macrinus about the coup, and he subsequently informs the Emperors, finally earning his place beside the most important people in Rome.
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The gladiators also serve to further sway the people of Rome against the Emperors Geta and Caracalla, as the gladiator fighters become heroes in the eyes of the people, and the Emperors become vilified as they attempt to get them killed. Macrinus convinces the Emperors to putPedro Pascal’s general Acacius, an absolute hero to the Roman people, in the arena after his betrayal, against Lucius, believing that Lucius would have no qualms about killing him, an action that would cause the Roman people to turn against the Emperors to an even greater extent.
Why Macrinus Turns Emperor Caracalla Against Geta
One Emperor Is Easier To Control Than Two
One of the most shocking parts of Macrinus' plan was convincing Caracalla to kill his brother and co-Emperor Geta, in a fit of rage and paranoia.Marcinus' main goal in this part of his plan was to deteriorate the Imperial Senate’s trust in the Emperor, and set himself up as an obvious choice for a replacement. Geta was always the more cunning and intelligent ofGladiator 2’s twin emperors, and while he was definitely also manipulated by Macrinus, Caracalla was incredibly easy for Macrinus to control, shown by how quick he was to kill his brother because of Macrinus' lies.
In real-world history, Caracalla did have his brother Geta killed, but it was mostly due to his own ambition, and he ruled for a few years as sole Emperor before he was killed by Macrinus.
Caracalla’s illness inGladiator 2caused him to be very unstable, and Macrinus knew he could use that to erode the senate’s trust in him, especially when he had become the only Emperor, ashis erratic tendencies were now unable to be tempered by his brother. His first action as Emperor was to appoint his pet monkey as his consul, which Macrinus immediately jumped on as proof to the senate that Caracalla was unfit to rule. Without his brother, Caracalla was an easy target for Macrinus to control and eventually, depose.
Why Macrinus Killed Lucilla In Gladiator 2
Lucilla’s Death Was The Final Stage Of His Plan
WhileMacrinus killing Lucilla inGladiator 2might have seemed to come out of nowhere, Macrinus very clearly explains to Lucilla herself why she had to be killed in order for his plan to succeed. With the beloved Marcus Acacius having already been killed by the Emperors,killing his equally beloved wife would complete the Roman people’s hatred of Caracalla, allowing Macrinus to swoop in as a savior, avenging Lucilla by killing the Emperor and taking over Rome. Initially, his plan was to go through the senate to finally get rid of Caracalla, executing him for crimes against the Roman people.
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However, when his plans were upended by Lucius freeing the other gladiators to protect his mother, he decided to improvise, hoping he could still achieve his goals despite the obstacle. The Colosseum was in total chaos, with the citizens either fighting the Praetorian guard or running from them, so he took the opportunity to kill Caracalla and then Lucilla.Macrinus was hoping to go unnoticed in the chaos, before returning when the situation had calmed down and could officially blame her death on Caracalla, giving the people someone else to focus their hatred on while he took control.
How Lucius Ended Macrinus' Plan To Become Emperor
Macrinus Was Brought Down By His Most Valuable Asset
Macrinus' plan was contingent on a number of things going well for him, but he was also able to take advantage of plenty of unexpected situations and use them to benefit him. However, while Lucius was instrumental in his plans, he was also ultimately responsible for its failure and Macrinus' death. The point at which Macrinus' plans had mostly fallen apart was nearthe end ofGladiator 2,when Lucius freed the rest of the gladiators to protect his mother, and organized the remaining troops loyal to Marcus Acacius, readying them to march on Rome.
Macrinus had initially planned for both Lucius and Lucilla to die in the arena, fully turning the public against Caracalla and allowing him to take over as a Roman savior. However, when Lucius brought the gladiators out to defeat the Praetorians, Macrinus knew that the people would rally behind Lucius instead, so he was forced to resort to fighting him. If Macrinus had wonGladiator 2’s final fight, he would likely have been able to take over as he wished, with no one to oppose his rule, but Lucius prevailed, killing Macrinus and ending his ambitions, once and for all.
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.
