Paul Mescal’sGladiator IIcharacter, Lucius, was previously featured in the originalGladiatormovie — but his father was given a different identity in the first movie than in the sequel. Set more than two decades afterthe firstGladiatorfilm,Gladiator IIsees Roman soldiers arriving at Lucius’ homestead, killing his wife, and forcing him into slavery. Inspired by Maximus’ noble crusade in the previous movie, Lucius decides to bide his time, work his way up the ranks as a gladiator, and gradually plot his revenge against the Romans who took everything from him.
Lucius appeared in the firstGladiatormovie, but he was a pretty minor character.Originally played by Spencer Treat Clark, Lucius’ rolein the original film was to drive his uncle Commodus mad with jealousy. Commodus wanted to be seen as a badass, but his nephew instead idolized the victorious gladiator Maximus. Lucius’ father was identified inGladiator, butGladiator IIhas changed who his father was. The sequel’s change to Lucius’ father’s identity confirms a long-standing fan theory about who his dad really was all along.
Lucius' Father In Gladiator Is Lucilla’s Husband Lucius Verus
Lucius Was Named After His Supposed Father
One of the most excitingoriginalGladiatoractors returning for the sequelis Connie Nielsen, who reprises her role as Lucilla. In the first movie, Lucilla was introduced as a former lover of Maximus, the sister of Commodus, and the older child of Marcus Aurelius. At the beginning of the film, Lucilla has recently been widowed. She rejects Commodus’ incestuous advances and tries to keep her son Lucius safe from her evil, unpredictable, and morally bankrupt brother.Lucius’ father is said to be Lucilla’s late husband, Lucius Verus, who the boy was named after.
Gladiator 2 Confirms Maximus Is Lucius' Real Father
Maximus Fathered His Own Biggest Fan
Thetrailer forGladiator IIcame with the surprise revelation thatLucius was actually fathered by his favorite fighter, Maximus. Despite being led to believe that his father was Lucius Verus I throughout his entire life, Lucius is actually the offspring of his mother’s on-and-off lover, Maximus. The trailer shows Lucilla delivering the shocking news to her son as he prepares for a deadly battle in the Colosseum. This bombshell completely recontextualizesLucius’ journey in the sequel. He’s not just some new character emulating Maximus’ character arc in a stealth remake; he’s following in his father’s footsteps, almost like destiny.
Gladiator IIwill be released in theaters on November 22.
In an interview withEntertainment Weekly,Mescal revealed that he knew about this paternal twist before he even signed on to star in the sequel. In his earliest discussions with director Ridley Scott, Mescal was told that Lucius was the illegitimate son of Maximus. However, despite having been told about the twist before reading the script, Mescal found it to be “an affronting thing” when he actually saw it written on the page. He said that having “that responsibility fall on your shoulders” made him interested in playing the character and digging into his mindset.
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.
By confirming that Lucius is Maximus’ son,Gladiator IIhas made Lucius a much more significant figure in theGladiatoruniverse.Previously, he was just the son of some character who never even appeared on-screen; his namesake died before the events of the film. But now, he’s the confirmed heir to the hero of the original movie.The choice to focus the sequel around Lucius now makes a lot more sense, because he’s a direct descendant of the main character from the first film.
Why Gladiator Didn’t Confirm Maximus Is Lucius' Father
It Was More Interesting To Leave It Ambiguous
The originalGladiatorfilm didn’t confirm whether Maximus was Lucius’ real father, because it was more interesting to leave it ambiguous. The film plants plenty of seeds to suggest that Lucius was fathered by Maximus, but it never makes it official. Rather than providing a clear answer as to Lucius’ parentage,Gladiatorleaves it up to individual viewers to decide who Lucius’ father is. If it gave away the answer, there would be no room for discussion. But by planting those seeds, it allowed audiences to debate it and draw their own conclusions.
WhenGladiator IIpicks up, Lucius lives in a coastal town in Numidia and has had no contact with his mother for around 15 years.
Gladiatormakes it clear that Maximus and Lucilla were lovers in the past, and leaves it ambiguous as to when they broke off their affair (and whether it overlapped with her marriage to her late husband, Lucius’ supposed father). Maximus and Lucius share a sweet moment that suggests Lucius looks up to Maximus.There was nothing in these scenes that made it explicit that Maximus was Lucius’ father, but the hints were certainly there. Audiences picked up on those hints, discussed the possibility of Maximus being Lucius’ real father, andit became a pretty prevalent fan theory that he was.
When it came time to make a Lucius-centric sequel, Scott had to confirm Lucius’ paternity one way or the other. This is an unfortunate side effect of sequels; they have to provide definitive answers to the ambiguous elements of their predecessors.
When it came time to make a Lucius-centric sequel, Scott had to confirm Lucius’ paternityone way or the other. This is an unfortunate side effect of sequels; they have to provide definitive answers to the ambiguous elements of their predecessors.French Connection IIhad to confirm what happened after Popeye Doyle chased Alain Charnier off-screen in the original movie’s iconic final scene.Jokercreated the impression that some — or maybe even all — of the movie had taken place in Arthur Fleck’s delusional mind, butJoker: Folie à Deuxhad to confirm how much of the movie was real.
What Gladiator 2 Changing Lucius' Father Means
It Means The Sequel Has A More Direct Connection To The Original
By changing Lucius’ father to Maximus,Gladiator IIhas given itself a more direct connection to the original movie. The originalGladiatormovie told the story of Maximus rising through the gladiatorial ranks to exact revenge against the Roman Empire, andnow,Gladiator IIwill tell the story of Maximus’ son rising through the gladiatorial ranks to exact revenge against the Roman Empire. This creates a direct line between the first and secondGladiatorfilms, like the direct line between Luke and Anakin Skywalker’s journeys in theStar Warssaga.
Did Ridley Scott Just Spoil The Ending Of Gladiator 2?!
Ridley Scott’s comments about where a possible Gladiator 3 could go seem to have spoiled the ending of the highly anticipated Gladiator 2.
If Lucius was really the son of Lucius Verus, then theGladiatorsequel would only have a tangential link to the original film. It would just be a rehash of the first movie with new characters in the original characters’ place, whereasGladiator IIfeels a bit more organic as it shows Maximus’ son following in his father’s footsteps. He’s not just charting the same journey as Maximus;he’s directly inspired by his father’s own vengeful crusade. With its change to Lucius’ father,Gladiator IIfeels more like a true sequel than a soft remake.
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.
