WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Gladiator II.
Ridley Scott’s latest filmGladiator IImakes a big change to the original ending of his 2000 Oscar winnerGladiator. Following the highly anticipated release ofGladiator IIon Aug 04, 2025, theepic blockbuster sequel has received mostly positive reviewsand a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 71%. Paul Mescal leads thecast ofGladiator IIalongside Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, andConnie Nielsen, who reprises her role as Lucilla, the mother of Mescal’s Lucius.Gladiator II’sbox officeearned an impressive $55 million in its opening weekend, setting it up to become one of Ridley Scott’s highest-grossing films.
While early audience consensus isn’t exactly givingGladiator IIthe same Oscar buzz as its predecessor, it is still in the running for several categories, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor for Denzel Washington. Reviews forGladiator IIhave placed it in a similar realm as the original action classic even though the film only features Maximus actor and Oscar winner Russell Crowe in flashbacks from the original.Gladiator IItakes place roughly 16 years afterGladiatorendsbut introduces one additional scene that extends the original film’s ending and reveals why Lucilla parted ways with her and Maximus’s son, Lucius.
How Gladiator 2 Adds A New Scene To Gladiator’s Ending
Gladiator II reveals what happened moments after Maximus’s death
Towards theend ofGladiator II, which draws several direct inspirations from the original film, a flashback scene reveals what happened to Lucius and Lucilla moments after Maximus killed Commodus in the Colosseum. The new scene shows Maximus’s body being taken out of the arena as Lucilla takes Lucius and speaks to him in a hidden location just outside the Colosseum.With tears in his eyes, a young Lucius listens to his mother tell him that he must flee Romeat once because he is the only true heir to the throne of Rome and is in less danger outside of the city walls than within it following the death of Commodus.
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With Lucius out of the picture, Rome would be robbed of its true leader for nearly two decades until Lucius returned and defied the odds to reclaim the throne that was once his. At the end of the additional scene,Lucilla orders a Roman soldier to place Lucius on a horse and get him out of the city immediately. Lucius ends up in Numidia, which is far from Rome on the northern coast of Africa where he becomes known as “Hanno.” He marries his wife, Arishat, who gets killed after Acadius and a Roman fleet take the city in the name of Lucius’s true empire. In the end, Lucius would make himself known but would lose his mother in the process.
Why Lucilla Sent Lucius Away After Gladiator’s Ending
Lucilla felt like she had no other choice but to send Lucius away for him to be safeafter Commodus’s death. With the throne now open and Lucius the only rightful heir, she suspected that there would certainly be conspiracies and usurpers who wished to kill Lucius and claim the throne for themselves. Lucilla knew firsthand, particularly through the egregious mistreatment of Maximus, how Rome could treat even its most valiant heroes. Lucius himself makes this point to Rome as a gladiator knowing fully well who he truly is and showing Rome firsthand the “poison” that exists at its core.
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Knowing Lucius would become a noble and capable leader,Lucilla feared that his integrity and natural skill as Emperor would put a target on his back. He was also just a boy at the time and thus, more defenseless. She knew that, as Maximus’s son, he would be able to fight his way back into Rome when the time was right. It appears, however, that Lucilla may have given up hope that Lucius was still alive at some point, or had just become jaded by the mundane routines of her royal role, as she was amazed to see him as an adult years later. In the end, her plan to hide Lucius away until he was old enough to fend for himself worked and Rome found its true ruler.
Gladiator 2 Reframes The Original Movie
Gladiator II expands on the original’s motifs and characters
Gladiator IIadds several significant scenes and information that expand on the original film. Apart from the addition of the Lucilla and Lucius scene, the sequel also confirms what was suggested to be true in the original movie by confirming that Maximus is Lucius' father.The sequel also doubles down on several of the original themes and motifs of the original moviequite directly, going even harder on the “dream of Rome” ideology and the famous “what we do in life echoes in eternity” line. In some ways,Gladiator IIfeels like a remake of the original action epic with several direct expansions in its story and characters.
