Sumith Prasad
Ridley Scott’s historical film ‘Gladiator II’ is a sequel to the filmmaker’s 2000 epic period drama ‘Gladiator,’ starring Russell Crowe. In the original movie, Crowe portrays General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who turns against Emperor Commodus when the latter murders the former’s wife and son. As the general sets out to exact vengeance on his family’s killer, he comes across the young Lucius Verus Aurelius, the son of his former lover, Lucilla. The sequel, ‘Gladiator II,’ centers on the same Lucius, who follows in the footsteps of Maximus to save the Roman empire. The protagonist does not wear the late general armor and fights with his sword for no reason! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Lucius Verus Aurelius is the Son of Maximus Decimus Meridius
In the original ‘Gladiator,’ Lucius is presented as the son of Lucilla and her husband, Lucius Verus. Even though he idolizes Maximus and spends time with the gladiator, the latter’s attention remains on exacting his vengeance on Commodus for eliminating his family. The former Roman general even becomes obsessed with his desire to fulfill his plan of revenge, which explains the ordinary relationship between him and the young Lucius. However, ‘Gladiator II’ reveals that Lucius’ real father is Maximus rather than Lucius Verus. Even though the revelation is astounding, it is understandable. The 2000 movie does present Lucilla and Maximus as former lovers.
In the film, Maximus also reveals that his own son is around the same age as Lucius, which indicates that the latter was conceived right before the general parted ways with the daughter of Marcus Aurelius to marry another woman and welcome another child. Lucilla must have kept the truth about the father of her son a secret to protect the honor of herself and her family, including her father and husband. She may have even feared the possibility of Commodus hurting her child to get back at Maximus, which further explains why she remains silent about the truth about his birth.
Irrespective of Lucilla’s reasons, it was significant for Ridley Scott and his writers to keep Lucius’ actual father a secret for the narrative of ‘Gladiator.’ The 2000 film is all about Maximus losing everyone he held closer to his heart and exacting vengeance on Commodus to satisfy his rage. For this revenge storyline to work properly, Maximus has to lose his loved ones. The introduction of Lucius as his son would have diminished the intensity of this particular arc and diverted the gladiator’s focus to his surviving child. In addition, even though Maximus is the father of Lucius in the movie series, that is not the case in real life.
In reality, Lucius was the son of Lucius Verus rather than Maximus, a fictional character. Contrary to his portrayal in the sequel, he died when he was a young child and never grew up to become a gladiator and fight the emperors Geta and Caracalla.
Lucius Verus Aurelius’ Heritage Gives Him a Purpose and Legacy in Gladiator II
When it comes to ‘Gladiator II,’ the tables have turned. The revelation of Lucius as the son of Maximus becomes a significant detail in the sequel’s main narrative. The realization that he is the son of a great gladiator motivates the young man to protect the Roman empire from selfishness and greed like his father did in the past by killing Commodus. Until he receives clarity concerning his heritage, Lucius hates everything about the Roman realm and sees the same as something built on the blood and bones of the countless individuals who died in wars, including his wife, Arishat. However, the revelation convinces him that he has a duty to safeguard the empire as the son of Maximus, who died doing it.
‘Gladiator II’ is ultimately all about Lucius accepting his heritage and fulfilling the expectations of him. His actions and decisions are tied to his ancestors, which is why he sets out to kill Macrinus when the latter destroys the empire from within to secure the throne. These ties will be even more significant in the already announced ‘Gladiator III’ since Ridley Scott sees the protagonist as a historical version of ‘The Godfather’ film series’ Michael Corleone, who is forced to accept responsibilities because of his existence as the son of Vito Corleone.
“The ending of ‘Gladiator II’ is reminiscent of ‘The Godfather,’ with Michael Corleone finding himself with a job he didn’t want and wondering, ‘Now, Father, what do I do?’ So the next [film] will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is,” Scott told Première. Therefore, we can expect Lucius to grapple with his familial ties even more in the upcoming third installment in the ‘Gladiator’ film series.
Read More: Where Was Gladiator 2 Filmed?
