All 9 Deaths In Gladiator 2 Explained

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Gladiator II.

Gladiator II is even bloodier than its predecessor, as nearly every major character dies in the sequel. Gladiator‘s ending features the death of Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) and Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), with Maximus’ death and his legacy continuing to loom over the events and characters in Gladiator II. The original Gladiator also includes the deaths of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), Antonius Proximo (Oliver Reed), Maximus’ wife (Giannina Facio), and Maximus’ son (Giorgio Cantarini).

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Between General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) and his troops invading Numidia, the bloodshed during the gladiator games in the Colosseum, and the backstabbing conducted by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), there is copious bloodshed throughout the story and during Gladiator II‘s ending. Lucius Verus Aurelius (Paul Mescal) is one of the few prominent characters to survive the sequel. While many characters die in Gladiator II, this list only covers the named characters who perish.

9 Arishat

Played by Yuval Gonen

Image via Paramount Pictures

Just as Maximus’ wife and son were killed, Lucius’ quest for vengeance is born out of his wife, Arishat (Yuval Gonen), being killed when General Acacius and his troops invade Numidia. When Numidia is under attack, Arishat fights alongside her husband and the other defenders, and uses a bow and arrow to defend her home from the invaders. During the battle, Arishat is killed when a Roman archer fires an arrow into her chest. She topples into the water below where a heartbroken Lucius cradles her.

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Related Every Real Person In Gladiator 2 & What Happened To Them In Real Life

Gladiator II follows in the footsteps of the first Gladiator movie by featuring many characters based on or inspired by real historical figures.

Arishat is killed to help shape Lucius’ hatred toward General Acacius and the Roman armies, along with his desire to destroy them. She serves the same purpose as Maximus’ wife, although she is given slightly more agency and characterization. Before they learn of the Romans’ impending invasion, there is a brief glimpse of the peaceful and loving life that Lucius and Arishat have built together, and she also takes an active role in fighting to defend Numidia.

8 Jubartha

Played by Peter Mensah

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Jubartha (Peter Mensah) is a chieftain in Numidia who helps lead Lucius, Arishat, and the other defenders against the Roman invaders. He has been a mentor to Lucius during the past 16 years in Numidia. Lucius and Jubartha are among the battle’s survivors who are taken captive and sold into slavery. Jubartha makes peace with the fact that he is about to reach the end of his life and refuses to fight and become a gladiator for the Romans’ entertainment.

When he is tossed into a pit with Lucius and several others, they are faced with a horde of feral baboons. Jubartha does not make any effort to fight back as one of the baboons savagely mauls him. His death is another injustice that fuels Lucius’ hatred and desire for vengeance. It also severs Lucius’ last living connection to Numidia, which is necessary since Lucius’ future is in Rome and in restoring Gladiator‘s dream of Rome that his grandfather, Marcus Aurelius, and his father, Maximus, died to protect.

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7 General Marcus Acacius

Played by Pedro Pascal

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At Macrinus’ suggestion, General Acacius is sent to fight to the death in the Colosseum as punishment for plotting to overthrow Emperor Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Emperor Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). Acacius knows Lucius’ real identity, but out of love for Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), Acacius refuses to kill Lucius, and throws down his weapon. Lucius is commanded to execute Acacius, but he also discards his weapon in a show of solidarity and mercy.

Macrinus knows that Acacius was a hero adored by the Roman people and that they will lose faith in Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla after they sent Acacius to his death.

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Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla do not accept this surrender and order the Praetorian Guard to fire their arrows at Acacius. His death is part of Macrinus’ plan to destabilize Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla’s regime. Macrinus knows that Acacius was a hero adored by the Roman people and that they will lose faith in Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla after they sent Acacius to his death. Acacius’ demise also requires Lucius to step in and complete the plan that was already in motion to take Rome away from despotic rulers and to rekindle Marcus Aurelius’ dream.

6 Emperor Geta

Played by Joseph Quinn

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As Macrinus gains more favor with Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla, he deviously turns the two brothers against each other. He ultimately plans to dispose of both of them and to take the throne for himself. Since Emperor Geta is more in control, Macrinus chooses to kill him first. Macrinus makes Emperor Caracalla believe that his brother is conspiring against him and that this not only poses a threat to him, but to Emperor Caracalla’s pet monkey, Dondas.

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Emperor Geta is killed by Macrinus, who severs the fallen leader’s head and later presents it to the Roman senators. With Geta removed, Macrinus is emperor in all but name. Emperor Caracalla is too unstable to rule, as evidenced when he names Dondas his first consul. By naming Macrinus his second consul, Macrinus now has the power needed to do as he pleases, which includes being able to command the Praetorian Guard led by Tegula (Rory McCann).

5 Viggo

Played by Lior Raz

Viggo (Lior Raz) is a gladiator trainer who works for Macrinus. His training methods are brutal, including when he forces Lucius to practice rowing for hours and even as the skin is chafed from his hands. Ravi (Alexander Karim), who is a doctor, former gladiator, and a friend to Lucius, hands over the keys to the gladiators’ cells. This allows Lucius and the other gladiators to leap out of their cells and begin their uprising against the Roman establishment.

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Lior Raz is the co-creator and star of the Netflix series
Fauda
.

During this struggle, Lucius kills Viggo by stabbing him in the throat with the point of a wooden sword. Given how Viggo tried to push and hurt Lucius throughout the story, it was only a matter of time until Lucius killed him. Viggo is a byproduct of a corrupt institution led by individuals like Macrinus, Emperor Geta, and Emperor Caracalla. In order to create a better system, they are not the only ones who need to be eliminated, with minions like Viggo also needing to be defeated.

4 Senator Gracchus

Played by Derek Jacobi

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Senator Gracchus (Derek Jacobi) and Lucilla are the only actors from the previous movies who reprise their roles in Gladiator II. Gracchus is still loyal to Marcus Aurelius, and is therefore loyal to his Marcus Aurelius’ daughter, Lucilla. Despite his clandestine efforts with Lucilla and General Acacius to dethrone Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla, Gracchus does not live to see his rebellious and well-intentioned efforts come to fruition.

His death gets rid of one of the last living links to Marcus Aurelius and makes it all the more necessary for Lucius to be the one to actualize the dream of Rome
.

Gracchus, along with Lucilla and other “treasonous” senators, are brought into the center of the Colosseum in the aftermath of their treachery being discovered. Unfortunately, Gracchus is killed during the bloodshed that ensues in the Colosseum. Gracchus is killed because of his lifelong support of Lucilla and Marcus Aurelius. His death gets rid of one of the last living links to Marcus Aurelius and makes it all the more necessary for Lucius to be the one to actualize the dream of Rome.

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3 Emperor Caracalla

Played by Fred Hechinger

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While manipulating Emperor Caracalla was useful in Macrinus’ ascent to power, it becomes clear during the gladiators’ revolt that Macrinus no longer needs him. At this point, Emperor Caracalla is little more than a liability. The Praetorian Guard are already looking to Macrinus for orders, and he cannot afford Emperor Caracalla’s childish instability in a time of such chaos. Macrinus murders Emperor Caracalla by stabbing him in the ear, officially bringing an end to the twin emperors’ reign.

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Emperor Caracalla outliving his brother has nothing to do with being a superior ruler and is only because Macrinus knew he would be easier to manipulate. Once Emperor Caracalla’s usefulness expired, so did the need for Macrinus to keep the emperor alive. Emperor Carcalla and Emperor Geta are outraged at General Acacius, Lucilla, and Senator Gracchus, but it is Macrinus, their trusted friend, who ultimately proves to be their undoing. With Emperor Caracalla out of the way, Macrinus is now able to fully assume the position of being Gladiator II‘s primary villain.

2 Lucilla

Played by Connie Nielsen

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Lucilla is not only brought into the center of the Colosseum, but is held captive on a stage for all to see as she is executed. Her execution does not go according to plan when Lucius and the other gladiators revolt. After killing Emperor Caracalla, Macrinus improvises by firing a bow into Lucilla’s chest before Lucius can free her. Macrinus murdering Lucius’ mother is a point of no return and cements that there will be no justice unless Lucius kills him.

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Related Gladiator 2 Gives Lucilla A More Meaningful Ending Than The One She Got In Real Life

Gladiator 2 gives its fictionalized Lucilla character a much more meaningful ending than her real-life counterpart got in the history books.

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After Maximus’ death, it was largely left up to Lucilla to continue Marcus Aurelius’ dream. With Lucilla gone, that responsibility now falls on Lucius’ shoulders, and he is able to rise to the occasion by bringing a peaceful resolution between Rome’s factions. Lucius is now living not only to honor the memories of his wife, father, and grandfather, but for his mother as well. If Gladiator 3 happens, her legacy will loom over Lucius in the way Maximus’ legacy does in the sequel.

1 Macrinus

Played by Denzel Washington

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After Macrinus kills Lucilla, he flees the Colosseum and is pursued by Lucius. As the Praetorian Guard and General Acacius’ troops prepare to fight, Macrinus and Lucius decide the outcome of the conflict through their own duel. As a former gladiator whose fighting prowess earned him his freedom, Macrinus is not just a manipulative politician, but is also a skilled warrior. He also claims that Lucius’ bloodline does not matter and that ruling Rome can only be won through power.

Lucius’ story and the restoration of Rome would not have been complete without Macrinus’ death.

Macrinus proves himself wrong as Lucius bests him in combat. Lucius cuts off Macrinus’ hand and then kills him, as the bloodied Macrinus sinks into the depths of the river. Lucius’ story and the restoration of Rome would not have been complete without Macrinus’ death. He is the sequel’s ultimate villain, is responsible for killing Lucilla, and Rome would only slide into further tyranny if Macrinus became the emperor. Just as Gladiator had to end with Commodus dying, Gladiator II needed to end with Macrinus dying.

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8/10 70 7.7/10 Gladiator II RActionDramaEpicHistoryAdventure

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.

Director Ridley Scott Release Date November 22, 2024 Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures Writers David Scarpa , Peter Craig , David Franzoni Cast Paul Mescal , Pedro Pascal , Denzel Washington , Connie Nielsen , Joseph Quinn , Fred Hechinger , Derek Jacobi , May Calamawy , Peter Mensah , Matt Lucas , Alexander Karim , Tim McInnerny , Lee Charles , Chidi Ajufo , Alfie Tempest , Riana Duce , Chi Lewis Parry , Paul Candelent , Hadrian Howard , Alexander Simkin , Mikhail Basmadjian , Matthew Charlery-Smith , Maxime Durand , Lior Raz Runtime 148 minutes Expand

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Category: Entertainment