Lucilla is an important political figure in Rome in bothGladiatorandGladiator II, and she tried to execute the exact same plan to overthrow the Emperors in both films. As the daughter of Marcus Aurelius, one of the most influential figures in Roman history, Lucilla had a lot of sway over Roman leaders. However, she could never control the power-hungry Emperors inGladiatorand its sequel. Therefore, she enacted plans to overthrow Commodus in the first film, thenEmperors Geta and Caracalla inGladiator II.
There are many similarities between bothGladiatormovies. Severalcharacters inGladiator IIfollow similar arcs and mirror iconic figures from the first film, such as Lucius and Acacius mirroring Maximus, and Geta and Caracalla ruling in a similar fashion as Commodus. SinceGeta and Caracalla were deranged and unpredictable, just like her late brother, Lucilla planned to overthrow them. However, this plan did not work out for her, since Lucilla tragically died at theend ofGladiator II.
Lucilla Works In Secret With Gracchus To Overthrow The Emperor In Both Gladiator Movies
Lucilla And Gracchus Both Return After The First Gladiator Movie
Along with Lucilla, Gracchus is another character from the first film who returns inGladiator II. Gracchus was an influential Roman senator, and served as an ally for Lucilla in bothGladiatormovies. In the firstGladiatorfilm andGladiator II,Lucilla works with Gracchus and other Roman senators who are against the Emperors. The rebellion in the first film was more personal for Lucilla, since Emperor Commodus was her brother, and had killed their father to take control of Rome.
Lucilla is in a prime position to lead the rebellion against Geta and Caracalla, whom she believes are leading Rome to ruin.
InGladiator II, Lucilla does not have a direct connection with Emperors Geta and Caracalla, but is still a powerful figure in Ancient Rome, since the legacy of her father lives on. Therefore, Lucilla is in a prime position to lead the rebellion against Geta and Caracalla, whom she believes are leading Rome to ruin. In the second film,Lucilla leads the rebellion with Gracchus and her husband, Acacius. Unfortunately, the rebellion does not go according to plan in eitherGladiatormovie.
Lucilla Urges Loved Ones To Command Armies To Defeat Rome’s Emperors In Both Films
Lucilla Loved Both Maximus And Acacius
Part of Lucilla’s plan in bothGladiatormovies is convincing prominent Roman generals to use their armies against the Emperors. Lucilla has connections to several generals in theGladiatorfranchise. In the first film,Lucilla was the former lover of Maximus, who still had thousands of soldiers loyal to him despite becoming a gladiator. InGladiator II, Lucilla was married to General Acacius, who had an army of thousands waiting for his command just outside of Rome.
Gladiator 2 Shows How Easily Maximus Could’ve Been A Villain In The First Movie
Pedro Pascal’s complicated Gladiator 2 character, Roman General Acacius, proves that Maximus could actually be viewed as a villain in the first movie.
Lucilla urged both Maximus and Acacius to convince their armies to help overthrow the Emperors. In the first film, Maximus actually ended up fighting Commodus himself. However, inGladiator II, Acacius was already planning to use his loyal army to fight against the Emperors' soldiers. While Acacius was eventually captured and ended up dying in the arena, his army still shows up at the end of the film. At the end ofGladiator II,Lucius stood with Acacius' army when he fought Macrinus. Lucius killed Macrinus, but managed to avoid any bloodshed between armies and unnecessary lives lost.
Gladiator 2 Shows Lucilla Didn’t Learn From Her Mistakes In The First Movie
Lucilla Died At The End Of Gladiator 2
Similar to Acacius, Lucilla was also captured inGladiator IIand ended up being killed in the arena. While the Emperors were overthrown in bothGladiatormovies, neither of Lucilla’s plans went smoothly. After the first film, she had to send her son, Lucius, away to protect him from those who wanted to rule Rome after Commodus' death. Then, inGladiator II,Macrinus shot Lucilla with an arrow after he successfully overthrew Emperors Geta and Caracalla.
As seen in theGladiatorfilms, one had to be very careful with their political plans in Ancient Rome. While Lucilla was fighting for the right cause in bothGladiatormovies, her repeating the same plan from the first film proves that she didn’t learn much afterMaximus' deathand Lucius' exile. Even thoughshe had strong allies who were determined to save Rome from tyrannical Emperors, neither of her rebellions went according to plan. This ultimately led to her own tragic death at the end ofGladiator 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.
