Although Denzel Washington's Macrinus was one of the best characters in Gladiator IIhe could have been a much better villain if he had more time to rule Rome. The story of Gladiator II follows Lucius, who is forced to become a gladiator and fight in the arena as he plots his revenge against the Roman Empire for the death of his wife. In the film it is revealed that Lucius is actually the son of Russell Crowe's Maximus from the first Gladiator film. Therefore, there are many similarities between Gladiator II and the original film.
In addition to Washington, the cast of Gladiator II includes Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger. Although several characters in Gladiator II are very similar to the iconic characters from the original film, Macrinus of Washington is one of the most unique additions to the sequence. Macrinus is an arms dealer and gladiator owner who eventually overthrew the Roman emperors. However, he ends up being killed at the end of Gladiator IIchanging his ending from the real-life version of Macrinus.
Gladiator 2 kills Macrinus before he becomes official emperor of Rome
Macrinus' rule over Rome was interrupted in Gladiator 2
Macrinus is one of the most interesting characters in Gladiator II because he was actually once a slave owned by the former Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Therefore, now that he is free and has become an influential businessman, Macrinus also seeks revenge against the Roman Empire. After being a slave for so long, Macrinus wants all the power for himself. In Gladiator IIhe positions himself as one of the most trusted advisors to the twin emperors Geta and Caracalla.
However, Macrinus ends up turning Caracalla against Geta. With the help of Macrinus, Caracalla kills his own brother, becoming the sole emperor of Rome. Macrinus' intrigues don't stop there and he ends up killing Caracalla as well. After the death of both emperors, Macrinus takes control of Rome. The real-life version of Macrinus also ruled Rome, but the version seen in Gladiator II in fact, he is not officially named emperor of Rome because he dies very quickly at the hands of Lucius.
Macrinus ruled Rome for a year in real life after Caracalla's death
The real-life version of Macrinus didn't kill Caracalla himself
The real-life figure Washington Gladiator II character it is based on was named Marcus Opellius Macrinus. In real life, he served as Emperor Caracalla's praetorian prefect, a high-ranking title in the Roman Empire. He handled many of the civil affairs in Rome, but feared for his own life under Caracalla's rule. Therefore, Macrinus plotted to kill Caracalla and allegedly sent an army officer to assassinate the Roman emperor..
Macrinus is known as the only Roman emperor who never set foot in Rome during his rule, but still tried to improve the Empire.
Macrinus was leading a campaign against the Parthians in present-day Iran when Caracalla was assassinated, but still proclaimed himself emperor after his death. As Macrinus had the support of the Roman army, the Senate had no choice but to support his government. Macrinus is known as the only Roman emperor who never set foot in Rome during his rule, but still tried to improve the Empire. However, Not everyone agreed with his decisions as emperor, which led to Macrinus being executed alongside his sonwhom he proclaimed co-emperor, just a year after taking control of Rome.
Why Gladiator 2 So Drastically Changed Macrinus' Story as Emperor of Rome
Macrinus' rule over Rome in Gladiator 2 was completely different
Gladiator II made several significant changes to the real Macrinus' rule as emperor. Instead of being named emperor while leading a war campaign, Macrinus of Washington assumes control of Rome from within the city. In Gladiator II, Macrinus is directly responsible for the deaths of Geta and Caracallaand successfully becomes the ruler of Rome. However, as he is in Rome, Macrinus' government is much more unstable than it was in real life.
In Gladiator IIMacrinus' rule over Rome is interrupted to provide Lucius with a satisfactory ending. Although Marinus is one of the most prominent characters in the Gladiator IILucius is the central character of the film. Macrinus also seeks revenge against the Roman Empire, but Lucius is presented as the far more honorable character in the film. Therefore, the climax of Gladiator II focuses on Lucius breaking free and defeating Macrinus.
At the end of Gladiator IIMacrinus places Lucilla, Lucius' mother, in the arena. Lucius and the other gladiators try to save her life, but Macrinus ends up killing Lucilla himself by shooting her with an arrow. This leads to the final duel between Lucius and Macrinus in Gladiator II. Lucius catches up with Macrinus as he tries to flee the city, fully aware of the danger he faces in Rome. Lucius kills Macrinus at the end of the film, which means that Gladiator II Macrinus's version barely ruled Rome before his death.
Denzel Washington would need Gladiator 3 to tell the real story of Macrinus correctly
There's no reason for Macrinus to appear in Gladiator 3
As Macrinus does not gain full control of Rome until the climax of Gladiator IIhis death seems a little rushed. The real-life Macrinus also did not have a long reign as emperor, but he was able to make some significant decisions during his rule. Right when Gladiator II Macrinus takes control of Rome, he is immediately thrown into battle with Lucius, who loses. Therefore, Gladiator II I didn't have time to tell the real story of Macrino's government. This is disappointing because Taking more inspiration from Macrinus' real life would have made Washington's character even more intriguing.
However, Macrinus would need to stay alive for Gladiator 3 to properly explore more aspects of your government. If Macrino survived the events of Gladiator IIa third film could have introduced his son, who would have become co-emperor. Gladiator 3 it could also have shown the execution of Macrinus and his son, which would have created an intense and somewhat tragic moment in the film. However, as it stands, telling the real-life story of Macrinus was not the priority of Gladiator IIand the intriguing character did not survive the events of the film.