Gladiator 2 ending explained: Does Lucius die?

According to Ridley Scott, the director is already “toying” with a threequel – but does the Gladiator 2 ending set up enough questions left to be answered?

For many fans, it’s a miracle we’re even getting a new movie in Gladiator world, let alone a potential third one. But if we’re to believe reports, we won’t be waiting 20-odd years for another.

Nick Cave’s never-developed script following Russell Crowe’s Maximus in the afterlife likely won’t be the subject, but Paul Mescal’s Lucius has picked up the mantle for Rome’s freedom.

As expected, there’s a lot to unpack in Scott’s sequel. But what happens in the Gladiator 2 ending, and is three a crowd? Warning: major spoilers ahead!

Gladiator 2 ending: Lucius follows in Maximus’ footsteps

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Before we dive into the Gladiator 2 ending, let’s set the scene. Around 20 years after the death of Maximus, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is living in Numidia as a full-grown man. He’s got a wife of his own, with his home life mirroring how we were first introduced to Crowe’s hero outside of warfare. Funnily enough, Lucius is also an army general.

We meet him as he faces off against the Roman army, led by their general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal). Numidia falls, people die – including Lucius’ wife – and the rest are hauled on ships to the Empire. Here, Mescal gets picked out from slave traders’ haul and is handed to one Macrinus (Denzel Washington).

Macrinus has his own agenda – pick the best of the best gladiators, train them to fight, and then use them as tools to make his way to the throne. At the same time, Acacius returns home as a hero to Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). The people love him, but his leaders warn Acacius must continue to conquer if he wants to be left in peace.

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We’re also reintroduced to Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), better known as Maximus’ lover and Lucius’ mom. She’s now married to Acacius and is largely keeping a low profile away from Geta and Caracalla. She still has allies like Senator Gracchus (Derek Jacobi) and tries to make her way back to her son when she finds out he’s now a Gladiator.

As expected, Lucius starts to make his way up the gladiatorial rankings, becoming more respected by his fellow slaves the more he fights. He bites a monkey to death in a mini arena(where we see a number of Numidian soldiers die), he fights a guy twice his size at a party for the Emperors, and he beheads a rival with a rhino in the very real Colosseum.

Lucius continues to make one thing clear, though. No matter how many others fall by the wayside, or how much grueling training he has to go through (there’s a lot), he will never act in the personal interest of Macrinus. At this stage, Macrinus doesn’t really gauge how serious Lucius is about committing to this.

A *lot* of people get killed

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This is a Gladiator movie, so by the midway point, our cast begins to die off. Lucilla and Acacius are secretly trying to overthrow Geta and Caracalla, who are tyrannical monsters. Their plans are scuppered before they can get off the ground, and Acacius is made to fight Lucius as punishment.

Up until this point, Lucius has assumed Acacius as the enemy – he did kill his wife and most of his city, after all. But it’s here he realizes that Acacius is loyal to the beliefs of Marcus Aurelius. While Lucilla is forced to watch, this is somehow conveyed between the two, causing them to lay their weapons down in defiance. Geta signals for the guards, and Acacius is killed. The crowd turns on him, hinting at the start of a rebellion.

Things stay frosty between Lucilla and Lucius, though. They talk about his Dad, and Lucius even gets his ring from the original movie, but there’s still an overarching sense of distrust.

Meanwhile, things aren’t much better for Geta. Macrinus has been massaging the egos of absolutely everybody in the political sphere, and he’s convinced Caracalla that his brother needs to be killed. After seeking some courage from his pet monkey Dondas, Caracalla beheads him while a crowd of angry Roman citizens rage outside. Geta is used as a sacrifice to try and calm people down, with Macrinus now having total control over Caracalla.

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The next day, Geta’s head is brought to the Senate as a warning. Macrinus is getting closer to the throne, and nobody can stop him. Caracalla names him as Second Council (with Dondas the monkey as First Council, obviously), seemingly unaware that he’s being played.

It’s here that things kick up a gear. All hell breaks loose at the Colosseum, with Macrinus exposed as the villain he truly is after slyly killing Caracalla in plain sight. Effectively, Macrinus is left as Rome’s new leader – let’s face it, it’s not as if Dondas can pipe up and complain.

In the underbelly of the arena, Lucius begins to rally the other gladiators into fighting the powers that be. We’ve seen quite a few flashbacks of Maximus up until this point, but his legacy now takes on a whole new meaning.

In the end, it’s Lucius vs. Macrinus

The Gladiator 2 ending sees Lucius take on Macrinus in one final battle, with Macrinus being killed in a nearby stream. Rome’s armies agree to no longer fight, with new leader Lucius left alone to emancipate those enslaved.

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Here’s what’s happening on the surface. With the help of Maximus’ ring (we see Lucilla give this to him in the trailer), Lucius manages to get word to Acacius’ army on the outskirts of the city. Around 5,000 soldiers are there, and they’ve been called in to help, and essentially overthrow Macrinus.

With no opposition, Macrinus is able to assemble his own 5,000 soldiers to try and intercept them. It’s now a three-way battle between the two armies and Lucius’ gladiators. There’s a catch, though – Lucilla is tied to a post in the middle of the Colosseum as bait, with more Macrinus cronies on their way to kill her.

Only defectors like Gracchus are on hand to defend her, so Lucius needs to fend them off before he can get to either army. As you can imagine, an absolute bloodbath ensues, and it leaves everyone dead except for Lucius himself. Just as he’s about to untie her, Lucilla is killed with an arrow, with Lucius left crying over her death… only a few meters away from where he watched his dad die.

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Still, this is only half the battle. Lucius has to suck it up and head to Rome’s outskirts, where both armies are just about to meet. Macrinus leads his troops, while Lucius intercepts the others. Before any blood can be shed, Lucius tries to talk to Macrinus, 1-to-1.

While Lucius lobbies for Rome’s freedom, Macrinus is having absolutely none of it. There’s only one thing left to do – be the last man standing. Both armies watch on as the pair have an epic battle in a nearby stream, with Lucius emerging victorious.

Macrinus gets his hand cut off before drowning, leaving Lucius to address both armies. He calls for a stop to all the fighting, emancipation for the enslaved, and basically everything Marcus Aurelius has been trying to change since the start of the first movie.

Thankfully, they’re all in agreement, and there’s peace in the Empire… for now.

Is there a post-credits scene?

No, there isn’t a post-credits scene in Gladiator 2. However, fans will likely be talking about the final shot seen in the movie.

Paramount Pictures

As the sequel wraps up, the parting shot shows the hand of an unnamed person floating through a field of golden wheat. Fans will likely recognize this as Maximus watching on from the afterlife (think Nick Cave’s vision of what that could have been), perhaps at peace by knowing the ‘prophecy’ has been fulfilled.

However, this isn’t confirmed and is left ambiguous. What we absolutely know for certain is that it isn’t Crowe himself, even if it’s implied to be Maximus. We see numerous flashbacks to him throughout the movie, but all of this footage comes from the original.

Aside from the obvious reasons, it’s a move that makes sense. Lucius hasn’t only honored his dad in spirit, but has physically used both Maxmius’ ring and armor to win his own battle. Maximus’ legacy is an essential part of the plot, and it’s a fitting goodbye to assume he’s finally at peace.

Will there be a Gladiator 3?

Nothing is confirmed at this stage – but as we’ve already mentioned, Gladiator 3 isn’t something that Scott’s ruled out.

Paramount Pictures

According to French magazine Premiere, Scott explained “I’m already toying with the idea of ​​Gladiator 3. No, seriously! I’ve lit the fuse. The ending of Gladiator II is reminiscent of ‘The Godfather,’ with Michael Corleone finding himself with a job he didn’t want, and wondering, ‘ Now, Father, what do I do? ‘ So the next [film] will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is.”

Given what we’ve just seen, this route makes the most sense. It’s now solely on the shoulder of Lucius to build Rome back up – and if the Year of Five Emperors is anything to go by, there’s likely to be someone else coming out of the woodwork to challenge his leadership.

Other possible alternatives could include a prequel following the earlier reign of Marcus Aurelius before his death in 180 AD, or following Maximus as he rises through the ranks to become a general.

Gladiator 2 comes to cinemas on November 15 in the UK and November 22 in the US. Catch up with filming locations, why the sequel is getting hated on, and when it takes place.

You can also check out more new movies streaming this month.