Gladiator 2 Undercuts The Real History Of Denzel Washington's Macrinus

Even though Denzel Washington's Macrinus was one of the best characters in Gladiator II, he could've been a much better villain if he had more time to rule over Rome. The story of Gladiator II follows Lucius, who is forced to become a gladiator and fight in the arena as he plots his revenge against the Roman Empire for the death of his wife. In the film, it is revealed that Lucius is actually the son of Russell Crowe's Maximus from the first Gladiator movie. Therefore, there are a lot of similarities between Gladiator II and the original film.

In addition to Washington, the cast of Gladiator II includes Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, and Fred Hechinger. While several characters in Gladiator II are very similar to iconic characters from the original film, Washington's Macrinus is one of the more unique additions to the sequel. Macrinus is an arms dealer and gladiator owner who eventually overthrows the Roman Emperors. However, he is eventually killed at the end of Gladiator II, changing his ending from the real life version of Macrinus.

Gladiator 2 Kills Macrinus Before He Could Become Rome's Official Emperor

Macrinus' Rule Over Rome Was Cut Short In Gladiator 2

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Macrinus is one of the most interesting characters in Gladiator II because he was actually once a slave owned by former Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Therefore, now that he is free and has become an influential businessman, Macrinus is also seeking revenge against the Roman Empire. After being a slave for so long, Macrinus wants all the power to himself. In Gladiator II, he positions himself to be one of the most trusted advisors of twin Emperors Geta and Caracalla.

Related Gladiator 2's Surprise Villain Has a Better Revenge Story Than Paul Mescal's Lucius While Lucius is the lead in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, Denzel Washington's Marcinus has a much more compelling revenge story in the sequel.

However, Macrinus ends up turning Caracalla against Geta. With the help of Macrinus, Caracalla kills his own brother, becoming the sole Emperor of Rome. Macrinus' scheming doesn't stop there, though, and he ends up killing Caracalla, as well. After the death of both Emperors, Macrinus takes control of Rome. The real life version of Macrinus also ruled over Rome, but the version seen in Gladiator II isn't actually officially made Emperor of Rome because he dies too quickly at the hands of Lucius.

Macrinus Ruled Rome For One Year In Real Life After Caracalla's Death

The Real Life Version Of Macrinus Didn't Kill Caracalla Himself

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The real life figure that Washington's Gladiator II character is based on was named Marcus Opellius Macrinus. In real life, he served as a praetorian prefect for Emperor Caracalla, which was a high ranking title in the Roman Empire. He handled many of the civil affairs in Rome, but feared for his own life under Caracalla's rule. Therefore, Macrinus plotted to have Caracalla killed, and allegedly sent an army officer to murder the Roman Emperor.

Macrinus is known as the only Roman Emperor to never set foot in Rome during his rule, but he still attempted to improve the Empire.

Macrinus was leading a campaign against the Parthians in modern-day Iran when Caracalla was murdered, but still proclaimed himself Emperor upon his death. Since Macrinus had the support of the Roman army, the Senate had no choice but to support his rule. Macrinus is known as the only Roman Emperor to never set foot in Rome during his rule, but he still attempted to improve the Empire. However, not everyone agreed with his decisions as Emperor, which led to Macrinus being executed alongside his young son, whom he had proclaimed co-Emperor, just one year after he took control of Rome.

Why Gladiator 2 Changed Macrinus' History As Rome's Emperor So Drastically

Macrinus' Rule Over Rome In Gladiator 2 Was Completely Different

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Gladiator II made several significant changes to the real Macrinus' rule as Emperor. Instead of being named Emperor when he was leading a war campaign, Washignton's Macrinus takes control of Rome from within the city. In Gladiator II, Macrinus is directly responsible for the deaths of both Geta and Caracalla, and successfully becomes the ruler of Rome. However, since he is in Rome, Macrinus' rule is much more unsteady than it was in real life.

In real life, Carcalla's aunt, Julia Maesa, declared her 14-year-old grandson, Elagabalus, as Emperor and challenged Macrinus' rule.

In Gladiator II, Macrinus' rule over Rome is cut short to provide Lucius with a satisfying ending. While Marinus is one of the most prominent characters in Gladiator II, Lucius is the central character of the movie. Macrinus is also seeking revenge against the Roman Empire, but Lucius is presented as the much more honorable character in the film. Therefore, the climax of Gladiator II focuses on Lucius freeing himself and defeating Macrinus.

At the end of Gladiator II, Macrinus places Lucilla, Lucius' mother, in the arena. Lucius and the other gladiators attempt to save her life, but Macrinus ends up killing Lucilla himself by shooting her with an arrow. This leads to the final duel between Lucius and Macrinus in Gladiator II. Lucius catches up with Macrinus as he is attempting to flee the city, fully aware of how much danger he is in within Rome. Lucius kills Macrinus at the end of the film, which means that Gladiator II's version of Macrinus barely ruled over Rome before his death.

Denzel Washington Would've Needed Gladiator 3 To Tell Macrinus' Real History Properly

There Is No Reason For Macrinus To Appear In Gladiator 3

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Since Macrinus doesn't gain full control of Rome until the climax of Gladiator II, his death feels slightly rushed. The real life Macrinus did not have a long reign as Emperor either, but he was able to make some significant decisions during his rule. Right when Gladiator II's Macrinus takes control of Rome, he is immediately thrust into battle with Lucius, which he loses. Therefore, Gladiator II did not have the time to tell the real life story of Macrinus' rule. This is disappointing, as taking more inspiration from the real life Macrinus would've made Washington's character even more intriguing.

Related Denzel Washington Gives Gladiator 2 A Massive Difference To The First Movie That I Did Not Expect Denzel Washington brought something to Gladiator 2 that I never expected to see in the sequel: comedy. Macrinus is a laugh riot in this movie.

However, Macrinus would've needed to remain alive for Gladiator 3 to properly explore more aspects of his rule. If Macrinus did survive the events of Gladiator II, a third film could have introduced his son, who would become co-Emperor. Gladiator 3 could have also showed Macrinus and his son's execution, which would have made for an intense and somewhat tragic moment in the movie. However, as it stands, telling the real life story of Macrinus wasn't the priority of Gladiator II, and the intriguing character did not survive the events of the movie.