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Gladiator 2 promises epic battles, political intrigue, and emotional drama — but how much of it is actually accurate? In this video, we break down 10 things the movie gets right about Ancient Rome… and the moments that stray far from historical truth. From gladiator combat to Roman culture, here’s what Gladiator 2 nailed and what it completely got wrong.
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00:00This ring belonged to Maximus. Now I give it to you.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at plot points in Gladiator 2 that contain historical truth,
00:11and others that are purely for your entertainment.
00:14There will be spoilers.
00:16The gods have broken!
00:22Number 10. Gaeta and Caracalla's rivalry.
00:25Right. Gladiator 2 gets more than a few things wrong about twin siblings Gaeta and Caracalla,
00:31who rule over Rome as co-emperors.
00:34There are victories yet still to come.
00:37For starters, they were not twins, Caracalla being at least a year older.
00:41Emperor Gaeta is a sadistic, ruthless emperor.
00:45He rules Rome alongside his fraternal twin, Emperor Caracalla.
00:49However, the brothers indeed ruled side by side, for a period.
00:53Their father, Emperor Septimius Severus, appointed Gaeta an Augustus, making him a co-emperor.
01:00After Severus died, it was decided that Gaeta and his older brother would rule as joint emperors.
01:05While Gladiator 2 showcases their rivalry, they were even more antagonistic toward one another in reality.
01:11They even considered splitting the empire in two.
01:15Caracalla was to rule in the west, and Gaeta in the east.
01:19The two refused to be in each other's presence without their mother, Julia Domna, who is absent from the film.
01:25While Domna maintained peace for a little while, the brothers ultimately didn't know how to share.
01:31Number 9. Caracalla's Monkey.
01:33Wrong.
01:34With his brother out of the way, Caracalla grants the title of consul to his most trusted ally, his pet monkey.
01:40Like, in a lot of your scenes, you literally have a monkey on your back.
01:44As funny and unhinged as this moment is, it will come as a surprise to learn that Caracalla didn't have a monkey who wore a little Roman outfit and diaper.
01:53I love Ridley Scott's films.
01:56I would have never thought that I would have a monkey on my shoulder as well as being in there.
02:00However, this plot point is somewhat grounded in myth.
02:03It's been rumored that Caracalla had a deep affection for his horse.
02:07He adored his horse so much that Caracalla supposedly wanted to make it a consul or senator.
02:13Of course, even this story is nothing more than a legend, with most historians agreeing it's either exaggerated or untrue.
02:19If the film was going to turn Caracalla mad, though, might as well make him bananas.
02:25Number 8. Gladiators Had Doctors.
02:27Right.
02:28Upon becoming a gladiator, Lucius Hano Verus befriends Ravi, a doctor who once fought in the arena before winning his freedom.
02:35There is plenty of pain waiting for you in the next life.
02:39Ravi isn't based on any specific historical figures, but evidence suggests that gladiators did receive medical aid.
02:46One may assume otherwise, since some gladiators were slaves who occasionally fought to the death.
02:52Seeing how gladiators were essentially the ancient Roman equivalent of athletes, though,
02:56it makes sense that they would have a team of physicians to keep them in fighting condition.
03:00Galen of Pergamon was one such physician who treated gladiators.
03:04While he kept many gladiators alive, Galen also studied their dead bodies for medical research.
03:10Eventually, he would leave the arena to become the personal physician to four Roman emperors.
03:16Although there might not have been a lot of gladiators turned doctors, Ravi isn't out of place here.
03:22The odds are against you.
03:23The odds are always against me.
03:25Number 7. Sharks in the arena.
03:27Wrong.
03:28How do you top the tiger from the first film?
03:31By pitting the hero against baboons, rhinos, and sharks.
03:35It's all in good fun, but are Lucius' animal opponents historically accurate?
03:39In general, gladiators rarely faced animals.
03:42When they did, baboons weren't entirely uncommon.
03:46It's believed that rhinos might have been at the Colosseum,
03:49although it's unlikely a warrior rode on one's back and charged at an opponent.
03:53The toughest pill for historians to swallow would be sharks in the arena.
03:57There's nothing concrete supporting this.
04:00Even in the movie's context, we're not sure how they would have moved the sharks
04:03from their natural habitat to the Colosseum.
04:05As cool as the action is,
04:08history buffs may argue this is where the film jumps the shark.
04:12Number 6. Flooded Colosseum Battles.
04:15Right.
04:15While the shark battles may be pure fiction,
04:18the Flooded Colosseum set piece isn't without historical backing.
04:21Ready to run!
04:24After all, the Colosseum was constructed on the site of an artificial lake.
04:29Although they drained the lake,
04:31the Colosseum had a hydraulic system to supply water.
04:34Beneath the amphitheater, the network of circular channels
04:36distributes the stored water quickly and evenly into the arena floor.
04:41Commemorating the Colosseum's completion in 80 AD,
04:44Emperor Titus supposedly held two Namekii,
04:48mock naval battles.
04:49They were held alongside other aquatic spectacles
04:52on natural and artificial bodies of water around Rome.
04:56That meant the Colosseum had to be flooded,
04:58which was possible thanks to the structure's waterproof concrete.
05:01Naval battles at the Colosseum were eventually retired,
05:04with the last recorded one being held in 107 AD.
05:08The timeline is a little off,
05:09since Gladiator 2 apparently takes place around 211 AD.
05:13A few historical gripes aside,
05:15this sequence surprisingly contains a boatload of truth.
05:19Number 5.
05:20Gaeta's Beheading.
05:21Wrong.
05:22Gladiator 2 portrays Macronus as a puppet master
05:25who manipulates Caracalla into beheading his brother,
05:28shoving the blade into his hand and doing half the work himself.
05:31Whose head could I give you that would satisfy this fury?
05:35The entire Roman army's.
05:37Too much.
05:37Macronus even keeps the head for show-and-tell at the Senate.
05:40There's no proof that Macronus played a role
05:43in the co-emperor's assassination.
05:45I must have power.
05:47While Caracalla was likely responsible for Gaeta's death,
05:50it played out much differently.
05:52Concluding that his brother had to die,
05:54Caracalla tried and failed to kill Gaeta at the Saturnalia Festival.
05:58When that didn't pan out,
05:59Caracalla asked his mother to set up a peaceful negotiation.
06:02Gaeta showed up without any guards,
06:04permitting Caracalla's centurions to assassinate him.
06:07The image of Julia Domna,
06:09who had once held the reins of imperial power,
06:13now cradling the lifeless body of her son,
06:16would haunt the empire for generations.
06:18With Gaeta dying in his mother's arms,
06:21Caracalla became the sole emperor,
06:23for the time being.
06:25Number 4.
06:25Macronus was involved in Caracalla's death.
06:28Right.
06:29Macronus might not have been behind Gaeta's death,
06:31but Caracalla is another story.
06:33I knew it from the start.
06:34Granted, the film takes some huge liberties
06:37as Macronus stabs Caracalla through the ear in the Coliseum,
06:40subsequently declaring himself emperor.
06:42Although it's definitely the Hollywood version,
06:45Macronus was part of a conspiracy to murder Caracalla.
06:48Macronus served as Caracalla's praetorian prefect.
06:51Let the gods decide his fate.
06:53Let the gods decide.
06:54While his exact motivations are debatable,
06:57Macronus was apparently concerned
06:58for his well-being under Caracalla's rule.
07:01To save his life,
07:02Macronus allegedly enlisted a soldier
07:04named Justin Martialis to assassinate Caracalla.
07:07After Caracalla's death,
07:09Rome went a few days without an emperor
07:10until Macronus seized control for himself.
07:14Caracalla died without a son,
07:16so there was no obvious heir.
07:18Even if Gladiator 2 speedruns through the process,
07:21Macronus' ascension to power
07:23was more than likely soaked in blood.
07:26Rome must fall.
07:28I need to only give it a push.
07:30Number 3.
07:31Macronus died in battle.
07:32Wrong.
07:33In the film,
07:34Macronus is basically emperor for less than a day.
07:37Almost immediately after killing Caracalla and Lucilla,
07:41Macronus squares off with a vengeful Lucius.
07:43Their duel culminates with Lucius slaying Macronus
07:46and declaring himself the throne's true heir.
07:48You will be my instrument.
07:50I will never be your instrument
07:52in this life or the next.
07:54While Macronus' time as emperor
07:56was short-lived in real life,
07:58it wasn't that brief.
07:59He didn't lose his arm and life
08:01in glorious battle either.
08:03Rumors started circulating that Caracalla
08:05had fathered an illegitimate son named Elagabalus,
08:08who was actually his cousin.
08:10Even so, Elagabalus soon became Rome's new emperor,
08:13ending Macronus' roughly year-long reign.
08:16Although Macronus tried fighting to remain in power,
08:18he was ultimately captured.
08:20Following an escape attempt,
08:22Macronus was executed,
08:23with his head being sent to Elagabalus.
08:26Macronus was killed on the 8th of June, 218.
08:30Number 2.
08:30Macronus was dark-skinned.
08:32Right.
08:33When it was announced that Denzel Washington
08:35would be playing an emperor of ancient Rome,
08:37many online argued that the filmmakers
08:39were prioritizing diversity over historical accuracy.
08:42This is what they believe.
08:43Power.
08:47Those people clearly did not do their homework.
08:50Violence is the universal language.
08:52He takes advantage of every situation.
08:55With a Berber heritage,
08:57Macronus was born in what has since been established
08:59as Algeria, North Africa.
09:01While depictions of Macronus have been whitewashed in the past,
09:05modern historians believe that Macronus' complexion was dark.
09:08The film doesn't get everything about Macronus right.
09:11There isn't much evidence supporting the claims
09:13that Macronus was a former slave,
09:15or that he owned gladiators.
09:16It is an art.
09:17Choosing gladiators.
09:21They're usually prisoners of war.
09:24Yet Washington's casting isn't at all off-base.
09:27Macronus wasn't even necessarily the first black emperor,
09:30as the Libya-born Septimius Severus
09:32was also said to have dark skin.
09:34Before we continue,
09:36be sure to subscribe to our channel
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09:46make sure you go into your settings
09:47and switch on notifications.
09:51Number 1.
09:52Virtually everything about Lucius.
09:54Wrong.
09:55Maximus Decimus Meridius isn't real,
09:57but Lucius Verus indeed existed.
09:59The fact that Lucilla was his mother
10:06is pretty much the only thing about Lucius
10:08that Gladiator 2 gets right.
10:10Not only did the real Lucius die at a young age,
10:13but Commodus hadn't even become emperor yet.
10:17Sister, join us.
10:19I've been reading to dear Lucius.
10:21In the film,
10:22Lucius is forced to flee Rome
10:24following Commodus' death to Africa.
10:26He loses a wife who never existed
10:28during a battle in Numidia
10:30that wouldn't have occurred around this time.
10:32He develops a grudge
10:33against the fictitious Roman general Marcus Acacius,
10:35who is married to his mother.
10:37Most fighters won't survive.
10:39You must help him.
10:41Although she's middle-aged
10:42upon reuniting with her son,
10:44the real Lucilla was executed in her early 30s.
10:47And that is what we call revisionist history.
10:50Take your father's strength.
10:52His name was Maximus.
10:54Would you give Gladiator 2 a thumbs up
10:58or down for historical accuracy?
11:00That's kind of a trick question,
11:02but still,
11:02let us know your judgment in the comments.
11:04The gods have rendered their judgment.
11:08Did you enjoy this video?
11:10Check out these other clips from WatchMojo.
11:12And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
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