Russell Crowe Blasts Gladiator II For Getting One Major Element Wrong (And He’s Absolutely Right)

Before Gladiator II finally hit theaters last fall, a sequel to the Best Picture winning epic was bandied about for decades. There were some truly bonkers concepts being developed, which would have found a way to bring Russell Crowe back as his iconic character Maximus. Ultimately, Crowe did not appear in the version of Gladiator II we got, but the creative team still found a way to connect him to the story. It’s revealed that Maximus was the father of Lucius, Lucilla’s son who was just a small boy in the original film. It was a revelation that changed the way some viewers look at Maximus, and Crowe isn’t very happy about that.

In an interview with Triple J (via Entertainment Weekly), Crowe lobbied a pointed critique at Gladiator II, explaining why he felt the sequel fell short of its predecessor. “I think the recent sequel that we don’t have to name out loud is a really unfortunate example of even the people in that engine room not actually understanding what made the first one special,” Crowe said. “It wasn’t the pomp, it wasn’t the circumstance, it wasn’t the action — it was the moral core.”

He continued, “There was a daily fight on that set — it was a daily fight to keep that moral core of the character. The amount of times they suggested sex scenes and stuff like that for Maximus, it’s like, you’re taking away his power. What are you talking about? So you’re saying that at the same time [that] he had this relationship with his wife, he was f—ing this other girl? What are you talking about? It’s crazy.”

Russell Crowe Is Right About Gladiator II

To be fair, the twist about Lucius’ parentage doesn’t come entirely out of nowhere. The original Gladiator alludes to a romantic history between Maximus and Lucilla. Through their exchanges, it’s clear they had a previous relationship with each other before setting out on separate paths. The intention behind the reveal in Gladiator II was most likely to build on that specific plot point, adding an extra layer to Maximus’ dynamic with not just Lucilla but also Lucius. In the first Gladiator, Maximus develops a strong bond with the boy, so some could read Gladiator II as a way to deepen that connection. Lucius spends the sequel following his father’s footsteps.

Still, Gladiator fans would be forgiven if they felt this didn’t all add up. Early on in Gladiator, Lucilla mentions that Lucious is nearly 8 years old, and Maximus notes that his own son is the same age. The obvious takeaway there is that Maximus was having an affair with Lucilla while he was married and starting a family with his wife. That’s an action that goes against the strong “moral core” that Crowe alludes to in his comments, painting the character of Maximus in a different light. Crowe understood what made Maximus so special; he’s a noble, humble leader who is greatly committed to those closest to him. Maximus’ entire motivation in the first film is avenging his murdered wife and son, so the fact that he fathered a child with another woman undercuts that a bit.

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Instead of attempting a radical swing with Gladiator II (early concepts played with an exploration of the afterlife), the filmmakers arguably fell victim to the typical legacy sequel trappings. Most of these kinds of projects make an effort to bridge the older and newer generations. It’s true that there are plenty examples that have proven to be highly successful (Top Gun: Maverick, for instance), but this approach carries a significant amount of risk. If connections between franchise installments aren’t handled delicately, they potentially can come across as ham-fisted and unnecessary.

There wasn’t really a need to have Maximus be the actual father of Lucius. It would have been enough to use their friendly relationship in Gladiator as a foundation for Lucius’ arc in the sequel. He didn’t have to be following in the footsteps of his biological father for the story to work. It’s clear in the first Gladiator that Maximus is someone Lucius looks up to and admires, so he could have spent the film just trying to live up to his role model’s standard and the emotional impact still would have been the same. Knowing Maximus is Lucius’ father doesn’t add much depth to the movie, and it would have been better if Ridley Scott and Co. kept Maximus’ morality intact.

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