GladiatorEmperor Commodus is based on the real-life leader of Rome, although the film makes notable changes to his characterization. Joaquin Phoenix’s Emperor Commodus is GladiatorThe main villain of Maximus Decimus Meridius as the object of Maximus Decimus Meridius’ revenge. The latter, played by Russell Crowe, desires revenge for the former’s murder of Marcus Aurelius, the attempted murder of Maximus himself, and the unnecessary murder of Maximus’ wife and son. At the time of GladiatorIn the climactic ending, Maximus manages to enact his revenge.
After arriving at the Colosseum as a gladiator, Maximus introduces himself to Commodus and challenges him. In the film’s final act, Maximus kills Commodus before dying, setting up his legacy to continue in Gladiator IIthe story. Gladiator IIThe cast will be led by Paul Mescal as Lucius, another son of Maximus and nephew of Commodus. As such, Commodus has a huge impact on both films, raising the question of how the character was presented in comparison to his real-life counterpart.
Commodus became emperor of Rome in 180 AD, following the death of Marcus Aurelius
Commodus’ rise to power was solidified by the death of Marcus Aurelius
Firstly, it is worth exploring Commodus’ rise to power. In Roman history, Commodus was born in 161 AD, making him much younger than Gladiator presents it as. Commodus had a twin brother who died young, making him the only surviving son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Although Marcus Aurelius died in 180 AD, the first recording of Commodus being mentioned as Emperor occurred in the mid-170s. Commodus was only 18 years old when his father died, placing him as a young emperor of Rome.
Compared to the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the early days of Commodus’ leadership were described as relatively peaceful, from a military point of view. However, Commodus’s time as emperor generated many political conflicts. Due to Commodus’ lack of agency in Rome’s political scene, he became the target of many conspiracy and coup attempts. This caused Commodus to take a more active role as Emperor, albeit in a dictatorial manner compared to previous leaders, especially Marcus Aurelius.
Lucilla began a conspiracy against Commodus in 182 AD
Lucilla tried to kill Commodus
One of the most important coups at the beginning of Commodus’ reign came from his sister, Lucilla. Lucila is part Gladiator film, played by Connie Nielsen, but her character takes a different direction than what happens in real life. Gladiator shows Lucilla conspiring with several senators to overthrow Commodus and aid Maximus’ plot to do so; this plot fails, and Lucilla is forced to comply by Commodus, who threatens her son Lucius. In real life, the plot and its outcome happened very differently.
These men were hired to kill Commodus when he entered the theater, but their plot was foiled. The men were killed and Lucilla was forced into exile…
In 182 AD, Commodus inherited most of his father’s advisors, including his older sister’s second husband, Lucilla. Due to Commodus’ lack of respect for Rome’s political well-being, Lucilla hatched a conspiracy with two of her supposed ex-lovers. These men were hired to kill Commodus when he entered the theater, but their plot was foiled. The men were killed and Lucilla was forced into exile on the island of Capri. Possibly, Lucilla was found and killed by Commodus’ men.
Commodus became a brutal and narcissistic emperor of Rome
Commodus declared himself a demigod as opposed to a mortal man
The attempt on Commodus’ life by Lucilla caused several others who despised him to follow suit. After these assassination attempts, Commodus became somewhat of a recluse and spent most of his time at his family’s estate, far from Rome. Years later, around 190 AD, Commodus began to fall victim to megalomania and narcissism. Commodus always emphasized his unique status as a divine man, often comparing himself to Herculesson of the Roman god Jupiter. This narcissism led Commodus to seek to reshape the entire Roman Empire in his own image, a bit like Commodus in Gladiatorfictional timeline.
Conveniently, the city of Rome was damaged by a massive fire in 191 AD, giving Commodus a reason to put his plans into action. Commodus declared himself the new Romulus – the founder of Rome – and renamed the city after himself. The 12 months of the year were renamed after themselves, as were several other aspects of the Empire’s infrastructure; the army, fleet, senate, Commodus’ palace, and even the Roman people were renamed with variations of his name, leading Commodus to declare himself the figurehead of the entire kingdom.
Commodus was murdered in 192 AD
Rome’s other politicians took matters into their own hands
GladiatorCommodus’s historical accuracy, or lack thereof, alters this depiction of Commodus somewhat. Although his megalomaniacal tendencies are included in the film, Maximus’ involvement in the story means he never gets the chance to act them out. Furthermore, Maximus killing Commodus changes his actual death from 192 AD, which saw the Emperor assassinated by other members of the Senate who conspired against him.
The trio hired Commodus’ fighting partner, Narcissus, to strangle the Emperor in his bathtub…
This plot came from a list of people that Commodus wrote, containing the names of those he intended to execute. On this list of names were Commodus’ mistress, Marcia, the praetorian prefect, Laetus, and Commodus Chamberlain, Eclectus. As a result, the three conspired to kill the Emperor. Initially, Márcia tried to poison Commodus, but the Emperor vomited the poison. After this failed attempt, the trio hired Commodus’ wrestling partner, Narcissus, to strangle the Emperor in his bathtub.
GladiatorThe praetorian betrayal of Commodus in the film’s final act was likely inspired by Laetus’ actions, although evidently the method of Commodus’ murder was very different. However, Commodus’ death brought about what was supposed to be a rapid change for the Roman Empire. However, Commodus’ legacy led to much more conflict, even after his death.
Commodus’ legacy as emperor of Rome
Commodus’ reign was a turning point for Rome
After Commodus’ death, Rome entered a period of civil war. Even before this, however, Commodus’ legacy as Roman emperor was somewhat destroyed. After his assassination, the Senate enacted a process called danatio memoriae – the Latin phrase for “condemnation of memory”. This saw many records of Commodus’ reign destroyed, statues of the former emperor demolished, and several aspects of Rome’s infrastructure that had been renamed returned to their original states.
Septimius Severus, a future Roman emperor, attempted to reverse Commodus’ reputation and deify the former leader in order to gain the favor of the surviving members of Marcus Aurelius’ family.
Commodus’ legacy is also poor due to the fact that he officially ended the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. This began in AD 96 and ended with the death of Commodus, leading to a period of civil war known as the Year of the Five Emperors. This saw five claimants to the throne competing for power, ending with Septimius Severus as emperor. Due to his tendencies as a narcissistic and dictatorial emperor, Commodus’ legacy is one of failure. This is typified by the end of an entire dynasty and the ensuing civil war in Rome, which saw the villain of Gladiator demonized by the future leaders of Rome.