Warning: This article contains spoilers for Gladiator II.Gladiator II It depicts a difficult time in the historical setting of the Roman Empire, with various politicians and conquerors trying to shape the future of the ancient world. Surprisingly, Pedro Pascal's fictional character Acacius, the general of the Roman army in the film, may have the most accurate view of the state of the empire, even when history does not necessarily characterize him as a political genius. Seen as a war hero and married to Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), another popular figure, Acacius holds significant political influence in Rome.
Gladiator IIThe ending of apparently sees the realization of Rome's dream and the impossible hope that Rome could once again become a republic. Lucilla's son, Lucius (Paul Mescal), follows in the footsteps of several members of his family in fighting for a better Rome. However, both Gladiator the films are slightly influenced by the fact that the audience knows that the Roman Empire no longer exists. However, the way in which real history can influence the film's themes finds voice in Acácio, who ironically says several times exactly what will happen in the future.
Acacius expresses concern about excessive expansion at the beginning of Gladiator 2
Acacius tells the emperors that they will have to feed the people they conquer
In the first case, Acacius has just returned from the conquest of Numidia and is greeted by a celebration in Rome, as are the emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). The rulers just want to conquer more territory, without worrying about the consequences of this. Acácio, as seen in the trailer for Gladiator IIwarns: “Rome has so many subjects. She must feed them.” Their concerns are rejected, with an indirect threat to Acácio and Lucília if they protested more forcefully.
However, the Roman Empire would eventually collapse, in part, due to excessive expansion. The empire actually reached its maximum before the timeline of Gladiator IIwith no significant new territories conquered in the next few centuries before its end. Acacius is also personally concerned about the death of both sides in the war of royal conquest, but his comment is more accurate than anything else anyone says in the film. The Roman Empire eventually struggled to govern, enforce, and sustain its territories, leading to its division into the Western and Eastern Empires, and then coming to an end altogether.
Acacius says bluntly that the Roman Empire will eventually fall
When the emperors threaten Acacius with obscurity, he says that will be their fate eventually
Another line spoken by Acácio has enormous historical implications, but does not have much of a presence in the film's themes. After he and Lucilla are arrested for treason and the emperors threaten him with losing all his fame, Acácio says: “Everything is forgotten over time. Empires fall. Emperors too.“ The story then moves forward with the other characters trying to save Rome after Lucius fails to kill Acacius, emphasizing that Rome as it currently exists is what the characters know, and they will strive to maintain it – but this line haunts the narrative.
Acacius is absolutely right: the Roman Empire will eventually cease to exist. The average person today is probably not very familiar with the life of a random Roman emperor unless they have specifically studied this period in history or have become aware of certain figures through fictional pop culture. If everything Geta and Caracalla do is for an immortal legacy, it is ultimately meaningless. Even if the Roman Empire returns and prospers for many more centuries, nothing lasts forever, as many years of history before this point can tell you.
How much does Acácio really believe in the future of Rome in Gladiator 2?
The dream of Rome is most associated with the characters of Lucius, Lucilla and Maximus
The historical characters in Gladiator II don't make it too clear what they think the lasting impact of what they will achieve will be; the idea of the dream of Rome seems very heavy and implies a kind of rebirth, seeming like they want their civilization to last much longer. However, Acácio is a pessimistic voice in all of this. He is the military force behind the rebellion and no doubt believes that deposing the twin emperors is in the best interests of the Roman people.
The feeling that things are coming to an end is subtly present in Gladiator II, as it portrays a time when Rome was historically in decline.
However, Acácio's planned actions revolve around this military movement, while Lucila and her allied senators talk more about what comes next. As he himself says; he is not a politician – the larger ideas of democracy and the dream of Rome are more tied to the characters of Lucilla and Lucius, the descendants of the last great emperor. Acácio himself has few dialogues in the film explicitly about this topic.
Acacius probably wants to do what is right by Lucilla and the Roman people at the moment, It doesn't matter how long it will last. He knows that new conquests will lead to the death of more of his soldiers, just as he knows that Rome cannot follow this path indefinitely. The feeling that things are coming to an end is subtly present in Gladiator II as it depicts a time when Rome was historically in decline, but the various characters have different perspectives on what is still possible to achieve.