Gladiator 2 Deleted Scenes Prove One of the Best Characters Was Completely Cut From the Movie

When Gladiator II hit theaters back in November, a lot of fans realized that one of the most intriguing members of the cast didn’t make the film’s final cut. May Calamawy, known for her role in Marvel’s Moon Knight series, was cast in Ridley Scott’s sword and sandal epic, but was hardly seen in the version of the movie that was released on the big screen. She could be seen in one or two shots alongside Denzel Washington’s Macrinus but the appearances were brief and she had no dialogue.

Now that Gladiator II is available on 4K and Blu-ray (you can grab your copy here), fans have had an opportunity to dig into the deleted scenes and learn just how great a character Fortuna could have been. She is a focal point of two different deleted scenes on the Gladiator II home release, both of which show a lot about her character and how she fit into the story of Lucius.

Both of Fortuna’s deleted scenes see the character interacting with Lucius. The first is at a party where Fortuna reveals that she was betting on Lucius in a fight. The second takes place later, while Lucius is in his cell, and Fortuna is sent by Macrinus.

In these conversations, we learn that Fortuna, like Lucius, is under the control of Macrinus, having essentially been born into a role working for him. While he fights in the arena, she is used as a pawn in his social and political affairs.

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What makes Fortuna such a great fit for the story is that she is unlike most of the other non-gladiator characters, representing the working people of Rome in a way that no one else in the film does. She has no desire for power and no ability to start a coup. But she is well aware that change is possible and has used her position to gain a deep understanding of the city’s politics.

Fortuna is also the kind of character that Lucius needs around him in order for him to be a more interesting lead. One of the main criticisms of Gladiator II was that Lucius was far less interesting than Maximus, and having Fortuna in the actual movie could’ve helped a lot in that regard. She is quick to call him out when he tries to hide his true thoughts or intentions, and she clearly sees through the defenses he puts up around him.

This is the kind of character we didn’t get to see in either Gladiator movie, and it’s a shame she was removed from the final cut of the sequel. Had Fortuna been in the mix, we could’ve had a better understanding of both Lucius and the people of Rome. Not to mention the fact that Calamawy is fantastic in her deleted scenes and could’ve easily been one of the standout performers in a stacked cast. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see more of her.

Gladiator II is now available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD.