Gladiator II (aka Gladiator 2), a sequel to the original film, is a quintessential popcorn epic and has a ton of sizable, bloody kills to go along with the high-octane action.
The end of the film features a duel as the film’s two factions come to a head. The end may be surprising to some, and it leaves us with a lot of hints about the original film as well.
Here’s what happens at the end of Gladiator II, including who lives, who dies and who will now lead Rome.
Everyone slowly learns Lucius’ identity
Though this was probably clear to most people throughout the movie, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is in fact the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and Maximus (Russell Crowe) from the original film. This means that he is the heir to the throne and has an ultra-compelling claim. He was away from Rome as a child for safety after his father was killed. Now, he ended up a prisoner before being taken back to Rome after a successful campaign led by Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) to fight in the Colosseum. He grabs the eye Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who enlisted him as a treasured fighter.
Lucilla connects the dots and realizes that Lucius is her son. She tells Acacius, who is her current husband. She seeks to save her son, and she and Acacius come up with a plot to overthrow the current emperors. However, their plot is discovered by Macrinus and they both are arrested. Initially wanting revenge on Acacius for his imprisonment and his wife’s death, Lucius now gets his turn in the arena with Acacius. Lucius is ready to fight him to the death, but Acacius tells him who he is to him and that they are not enemies. Lucius then refuses to kill Acacius, but he is still shot by an order from Macrinus.
How did Macrinus find himself in power?
Macrinus begins to turn the brother emperors Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn), against each other. As the arena freaks out following the death of Acacius, considered a hero, they turn against Caracalla and Geta. Macrinus Emperor Caracalla then orchestrates the seemingly mentally ill Caracalla’s killing of Geta. Then, in the chaos at the arena, then kills Caracalla, usurping power for himself. Lucilla is also killed in the chaos.
The final battle in ‘Gladiator II’
Lucius tells Ravi (Alexander Karim), the physician for the gladiators, to take Acaius’s ring to his armies that are still loyal to him to let them know Acaius is dead and they need help. Meanwhile, Lucius gets all of the gladiators to revolt as well to take down Macrinus and the establishment. Right outside of Rome, Macrinus and Lucius battle. They have a duel, and Lucius is victorious.
How does ‘Gladiator II’ end?
Both armies cheer for Lucius, and he reveals himself to be the heir of the throne and promises to unite and lead Rome.
In the last scene of the movie, he goes back to the Colosseum and grabs some dirt in his hand, which appears to be an homage to the original film. Footage from the first film is also shown.
The post ‘Gladiator II’ Ending, Explained: Who Makes It Out Of The Bloody Duel And Ends Up In Power? appeared first on Blavity.
