The sequel to Ridley Scott’s epic 2000 sand-and-sword revenge drama “Gladiator,” “Gladiator 2” brings audiences back to the Roman Colosseum by way of a parallel revenge story, one that pits Hanno (Paul Mescal) against disillusioned Roman General Acacius (Pedro Pascal). Like “Gladiator,” succession to the Roman throne plays a key role in the storytelling, making the eventual revelation of Hanno’s true name as Lucius Verus Aurelius, heir to his maternal grandfather, the assassinated emperor Marcus Aurelius, and son of Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe), critical to the plot.
The tale is set two decades after the events of the first film that saw then-emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) choose Maximus as his successor after deeming his unstable son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) unfit for the Roman throne. The sequel begins with Hanno, a general in North Africa, leading a defense of Numidia against Acacius and his army’s invasion, which sees Hanno’s wife Arishat (Yuval Gonen) killed and Hanno enslaved along with his fellow countrymen. Taken to Rome to become a gladiator, Hanno finds his mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), now the wife of Acacius, who we learn sent Hanno away as a child to escape the Roman army. After recognizing her son, she tells him his father was the gladiator Maximus, confirming the Lucius identity theory hinted at in the “Gladiator II” trailer that is later confirmed by Acacius in the gladiator ring.
The real Lucius Verus’ story was wildly different
Just as “Gladiator” was riddled with historical inaccuracies that make the movie better, “Gladiator II” completely reimagines the history behind the tale in the interest of making a better film. During the period of Imperial Rome, it was common practice for emperors to adopt an heir intended to inherit the throne after their death or retirement. The real Lucius Verus was not the grandson but the adopted brother of Marcus Aurelius, with the pair serving as co-rulers together for several years until Verus’ death after a campaign against Germanic tribes.
Lucilla’s real-world counterpart was the daughter of Marcus Aurelius, but she was never Lucius Verus’ mother. That honor went to a noblewoman named Avidia Plautia. Technically Verus’ niece by way of adoption, the real Lucilla became Lucius Verus’ wife through an arranged marriage and soon after, mother to his three children. A few years after Lucius’ death, it was actually Lucilla who became concerned with Commodus’ unhinged behavior, conspiring with a handful of senators to plot his downfall. Unfortunately for Lucilla, Commodus caught on and imprisoned her along her daughter, who also happened to be his wife, before executing them both in 182 AD. The real brothers Geta and Caracalla, who were never twins, actually came along much later, ruling jointly for a very brief period in 211 before their rivalry culminated in Caracalla’s brutal killing of his brother. General Acacius, however, was completely fictional character that Pedro Pascal embodied perfectly in his character’s brutal fight to the death with Paul Mescal’s Lucius.
