Warning: This article contains spoilers for Gladiator 2
Gladiator 2 is the latest modern legacy sequel to hit theaters, set a few years after the events of Ridley Scott’s 2000 historical epic, Gladiator. The film tells the story of another gladiator who is placed in the Roman Coliseum trying to gain his freedom, this time called Lucius Verus Aurelius, played by the excellent Paul Mescal. Although Mescal gives a great performance as Lucius, one of the best aspects of Gladiator 2The cast is Macrinus, played by Denzel Washington.
Gladiator 2The rave reviews of are largely bolstered by Washington’s performance and the character of Macrinus himself, which is one of the most intriguing parts of the film as a whole. He spends much of the film plotting behind the scenesplotting your way to the highest level of society in order to achieve your lofty ambition of becoming Emperor, with many different pieces in play. Gladiator 2The story of Macrinus revolves almost entirely around Macrinus’ plan, with most of the film eventually leading back to him and his desire for power.
Everything revealed about Macrinus’ story in Gladiator 2
Your story tells everything about your character
While Gladiator 2 never explains Macrinus’ backstory in detail, there is enough there to give the audience a pretty clear picture of who Macrinus was before he became the noble man he is presented as in the film. He was a slave, a prisoner of war similar to Lucius, who spent much of his Roman life serving Marcus Aurelius.grandfather of Lucius and former emperor of Rome. He managed to fight his way out of the gladiatorial arena, before eventually becoming an arms dealer and securing his freedom.
Macrinus gaining the final seat of imperial power would be the truest expression of what it meant to be Roman.
Macrino’ Gladiator 2 The backstory isn’t a major plot point, only appearing briefly in two conversations, but it’s extremely important in revealing Macrinus’ character and why he is the way he is. Although Macrinus is presented as yet another Roman aristocrat seeking as much power as possible (which, to be fair, he is), giving the audience a glimpse of his backstory shows that his true reasons for everything he did is to get revenge on his former masterand because of what he believes to be the true nature of the Roman Empire.
Macrinus becoming Emperor would put an end to the line of Emperors present throughout the world. Gladiator films, destroying the legacy of his former master, Marcus Aurelius, and finalizing his revenge, but it would also reinforce his view of the Roman Empire, with power being the only thing that matters. Aurelius had complete power over him as a slave, and Macrinus gaining the final seat of imperial power would be the truest expression of what it meant to be Roman, at least according to Macrinus.
Macrinus’ Role as Arms Dealer in Gladiator 2 Explained
Your position gives you exactly what your plan needs
At the beginning of Gladiator 2Macrinus does not hold any important position of power in the government, he is just an arms dealer who supplies weapons and armor to the Roman armies. The power of his position is deceiving, however, because, as an arms dealer, he has great influence over Rome’s most important asset, its armies. His position grants him access to many of Rome’s most important individualsas well as a way of negotiating with these people, demonstrated throughout his interactions with much of Rome’s wealthy elite.
Macrino obviously has some level of access to the most important people in the Empire, these being Gladiator 2representation of the twin emperors, Geta and Caracalla, when participating in a party with them shortly after arriving in the city of Rome. However, his influence is clearest when it comes to Thraex, the senator who owes money to Macrinusand eventually sells Lucilla and Marcus Acacius’ plot. Although Macrinus’ power over Thraex is specifically due to Thraex’s gambling issues, he was only able to reach this point because of his position.
How Macrinus uses Lucius and the other gladiators for his own gain
He uses everyone around him to achieve his goals
Every element of Macrinus’s plan was vital to its success, but perhaps most important were the gladiators he managed to find, although Lucius, as the son of GladiatorMaximus ends up being the most integral member of the group. The first benefit that gladiators provide Macrinus is to give him direct influence over Thraex, as Lucius is the one who gained him his first victory against Thraex, causing him to owe Macrinus a large sum of money.. Thraex then tells Macrinus about the coup, and he subsequently informs the emperors, finally earning his place alongside the most important people in Rome.
The gladiators also serve to further influence the people of Rome against the emperors Geta and Caracalla.as gladiator fighters become heroes in the eyes of the people and emperors are vilified as they try to kill them. Macrinus convinces the emperors to place Acacius, Pedro Pascal’s general, absolute hero of the Roman people, in the arena after his betrayal, against Lucius, believing that Lucius would have no qualms about killing him, an action that would cause the Roman people to turn around. against the emperors to an even greater extent.
Why Macrinus turns Emperor Caracalla against Geta
One emperor is easier to control than two
One of the most shocking parts of Macrinus’ plan was convincing Caracalla to kill his brother and co-emperor Geta, in a fit of rage and paranoia. Marcino’s main objective in this part of his plan was to deteriorate the Imperial Senate’s confidence in the Emperor.and established himself as an obvious choice for a replacement. Geta was always the most cunning and intelligent of the Gladiator 2Macrinus’s twin emperors, and although he was definitely also manipulated by Macrinus, Caracalla was incredibly easy for Macrinus to control, demonstrated by how quickly he killed his brother because of Macrinus’ lies.
Caracalla’s disease in Gladiator 2 made him very unstable, and Macrinus knew he could use this to undermine the confidence the Senate placed in him, especially when he became sole emperor, as his erratic tendencies could now not be moderated by his brother. His first action as emperor was to appoint his pet monkey as consul, which Macrinus immediately seized on as proof to the Senate that Caracalla was unfit to rule. Without his brother, Caracalla was an easy target for Macrinus to control and eventually depose.
Why Macrinus killed Lucilla in Gladiator 2
Lucilla’s death was the final stage of his plan
While Macrinus killed Lucilla in Gladiator 2 may have seemed to come out of nowhere, Macrinus explains very clearly to Lucilla herself why she had to be killed for his plan to succeed. With the beloved Marco Acácio having already been killed by the Emperors, Killing his equally beloved wife would complete the Roman people’s hatred for Caracallaallowing Macrinus to become a savior, avenging Lucilla by killing the emperor and taking control of Rome. Initially, his plan was to go through the Senate to finally get rid of Caracalla by executing him for crimes against the Roman people.
However, when his plans were thwarted by Lucius releasing the other gladiators to protect his mother, he decided to improvise, hoping that he could still achieve his goals despite the obstacle. The Colosseum was in total chaos, with citizens fighting the praetorian guard or running away from them, so he took the opportunity to kill Caracalla and then Lucilla. Macrinus hoped to remain unnoticed in the chaosbefore returning when the situation had calmed down and he could officially blame Caracalla for his death, giving the people another person to focus their hatred on while he took control.
How Lucius Ended Macrinus’s Plan to Become Emperor
Macrinus was overthrown for his most prized possession
Macrinus’s plan depended on a number of things going well, but he was also able to take advantage of many unexpected situations and use them to his advantage. However, although Lucius was instrumental in his plans, he was also ultimately responsible for the failure and death of Macrinus. The point at which Macrino’s plans fell apart was near the end of the Gladiator 2, when Lucius freed the rest of the gladiators to protect his motherand organized the remaining troops loyal to Marcus Acacius, preparing them to march on Rome.
Macrinus initially planned for Lucius and Lucilla to die in the arena, completely turning the public against Caracalla and allowing him to assume the role of Roman savior. However, when Lucius brought the gladiators to defeat the Praetorians, Macrinus knew that the people would unite behind Lucius, so he was forced to resort to fighting him. If Macrinus had won Gladiator 2In Lucius’ final struggle, he probably would have been able to assume power as he wished, with no one opposing his rule, but Lucius prevailed, killing Macrinus and ending his ambitions once and for all.