The Mandalorian's Massive Pedro Pascal Mistake Underlined In The New Gladiator Trailer

Summary Pedro Pascal's role in Gladiator II highlights missed opportunities in The Mandalorian, particularly in season 3.

Pascal's performance in Gladiator II showcases the potential for Pascal's Din Djarin that was wasted in The Mandalorian's storytelling.

The Mandalorian could have explored Din Djarin's reluctant leadership arc further.

Pedro Pascal skyrocketed into fame after his debut in Star Wars' The Mandalorian, but his most recent role in Ridley Scott's Gladiator II highlights how The Mandalorian missed a major opportunity with him. Pascal's breakthrough arrived in 2014 with his role as Oberyn Martell in HBO's Game of Thrones, but it was Din Djarin in The Mandalorian who truly shot him into stardom. As the first live-action Star Wars TV show, Pascal's performance as the titular Mandalorian was integral to sealing the future of all other TV shows for the franchise, and he has more than proven himself.

As the actor's fame has risen, however, his ability to be more involved with The Mandalorian has diminished. This has led him to be somewhat underutilized in The Mandalorian, particularly in its most recent installment. The Mandalorian season 3 was met with mixed reviews from Star Wars audiences, mainly due to its pivot in Din Djarin's arc and its failure to show Pascal's face at least once. Now, Pascal's upcoming role in Gladiator II has highlighted just how harmful these mistakes were to The Mandalorian, particularly in terms of the story's wasted potential.

Related All 3 Actors Who Play Din Djarin In The Mandalorian (& When They’re In The Suit) Din Djarin is an iconic Star Wars character, and three actors have worked to bring him to life. Here are all three, and when they’re in the suit.

Pedro Pascal Plays A Roman General In Gladiator II

The Actor Already Shines In His Performance

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Now that the first trailer for Gladiator II has arrived, more is known about Pascal's upcoming role as Marcus Acacius, general of the Roman Empire. In the trailer, the actor is seen leading his soldiers into battle, while also taking on his own fights expertly. Between this brutality, however, are moments of regality and softness, along with some dialogue that seems to hint this general may not be nearly as satisfied with war and expansion as Rome's emperor is. This echoes the potential path Din Djarin had going into The Mandalorian season 3.

Gladiator II 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 Barry Keoghan 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. Director Ridley Scott Release Date November 22, 2024 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures , Universal Pictures , Scott Free Productions , Red Wagon Entertainment Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures Writers David Scarpa Cast Paul Mescal , Denzel Washington , Connie Nielsen , Derek Jacobi , Joseph Quinn , Fred Hechinger , Pedro Pascal prequel(s) Gladiator Main Genre Adventure Expand

Din Djarin Could Have Played This Role In Season 3

He Was Set Up To Be Mandalore's Reluctant Leader In Season 2

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This role of a warrior leading his people into battle is exactly what Din Djarin was set up for in The Mandalorian season 2, when he won the Darksaber from Moff Gideon. This seemed to be the way things were headed until The Mandalorian season 3 pivoted and had the Darksaber change hands yet again. Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) was given the chance to redeem herself and rule again, and all the while, Din Djarin stayed at her side to aid in the reclamation of Mandalore before taking off with Grogu as soon as it was all over.

While the circumstances of these two roles, a potential reluctant leader and a Roman general, have their differences, they still share many similarities as well. It does seem like Marcus Acacius is reluctant about feeding the emperor's insatiable desire for war and expansion ("Rome has so many subjects. She must feed them."), much like how Din Djarin would have acted if he were to continue his own leadership arc. The trailer alone proves how well Pascal is able to manage this balance, and it highlights just how big of a mistake The Mandalorian season 3 really made.

The Mandalorian Missed A Huge Pedro Pascal Opportunity

Gladiator II Is Letting Pascal Shine The Way The Mandalorian Could Have

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Pascal's Gladiator II role is only part of the potential The Mandalorian had in store for Din Djarin, and this trailer alone has already proven just how major this missed opportunity was. Pascal is right at the heart of all the action like a true Mandalorian, and the way he's able to use his physical performance to enhance the story is something The Mandalorian sorely lacks in season 3. Even worse is the fact The Mandalorian season 2 set itself up for this potential so well, but season 3 (and The Book of Boba Fett) failed to follow through.

Marcus Acacius will now serve as a reminder of what The Mandalorian viewers could have gotten.

The Mandalorian could have even had more of Pascal's face if they had continued Din Djarin's season 2 story. It seemed like he would begin to permanently question the helmet rule that kept his face concealed for the first two seasons, but instead, Star Wars backtracked and had him seek forgiveness for his actions and spend an entire season inside the beskar. Given that Pascal's expressions are easily the highlight of every one of his performances, Gladiator II is already showing what The Mandalorian season 3 missed by hiding his face again.

Din Djarin did not want to be a leader, nor should he have remained a leader, but The Mandalorian season 3 truly missed a chance to at least explore this storyline more with an actor as talented as Pascal at their disposal. Marcus Acacius will now serve as a reminder of what The Mandalorian viewers could have gotten, even down to the sword-fighting that could have been Din Djarin with the Darksaber if he was given a chance to master it. It's a shame The Mandalorian cannot fix this, but hopefully, its upcoming movie will give Pascal a new chance.