As ret-cons go, the ‘I am your father’ twist has been one of the most popular. Whether we’re talking about Darth Vader’s fateful words or Freddy Kreuger having a secret daughter, there have been some pretty notable moments in cinematic history to date. And now, it seems, Gladiator 2 is set to join the ranks.
In the latest trailer for the legacy sequel, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) tells her estranged son Lucius (Paul Mescal) about his true parentage. His father is actually Maximus, Russell Crowe’s protagonist in the original movie and hero of Rome. "Lucius, take your father's strength," she tells him, "His name was Maximus and I see him in you."
It’s a huge twist, and playing with historical accuracy aside, this reveal adds a whole new layer to Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, 24 years after it was released. In that film, it’s never explicitly confirmed that Lucius is Maximus’ son, but there are a few hints. Lucilla and Maximus had a relationship before he left Rome and the gladiator does form a connection with the young boy, especially in the wake of his own son’s murder.
Just like Paul Mescal, whose first reaction to the script was “Holy shit”, it’s something I’m still reeling from. However, one thing is clear, I’ll never be able to watch the Oscar-winning original the same way again – especially its most emotional scene.
Words unspoken
Lucius plays a huge part in the conclusion of the first Gladiator. At the final showdown, Maximus meets Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus at the Colosseum. However, the onlookers do not realize that Maximus has been stabbed just moments prior and is bleeding out underneath his armor.
Still, Maximus fights Commodus to the death, landing a fatal blow before collapsing and succumbing to his own injuries, all the while dreaming of meeting his wife and son again in the afterlife. It’s a beautiful ending for the character, filled with poignancy and bittersweetness, as he’ll finally be back where he wants to be, even if it’s far too soon.
However, now we know that Lucius is his son as well, this scene gets a whole new layer of emotion. All throughout the battle, young Lucius is watching on, having built up Maximus into a hero figure from watching him fight. As it becomes clear he’s dying, Lucius walks forward towards him with his mother, and Maximus’ last words to Lucilla are, “Lucius is safe”.
We now know that there’s so much unsaid in this exchange between them, as Maximus goes to his family without realizing he is leaving behind another. And even if Connie Nielsen wasn’t aware of this detail during the filming of the original, her moving performance can still be read that way, as she tells Maximus to “go to them” in the ultimate final, selfless act.
It was already near impossible to watch this final scene without crying, but the added dynamic presented by the parentage reveal makes this formative moment for Lucius even more gut-wrenching. It also bodes well for the upcoming sequel – something referenced in the first Gladiator 2 trailer when Lucius tells Denzel Washington’s Macrinus, “I remember that day, I never forgot it, that a slave could take revenge against an emperor.”
Lasting legacy
Even more than the emotional weight it brings to rewatches, I’m excited about the implication of this twist on the direction of Gladiator 2. It already calms one of my huge worries over the legacy sequel: Maximus’ absence. While it is definitely the right choice to leave Crowe out of the follow-up, as no one wants to soften the power of his incredible death scene, he was the heart of the first film.
But, it seems by building a connection – and an even deeper one than first thought – it seems like Scott will be trying to center the character’s legacy in the sequel. We’ve seen this in both trailers so far too, with physical reminders of Maximus woven throughout. In the first clip, we see Maximus’ armor on the wall, and in the second Lucius yells, “Strength and honor”. However, where the legacy lies most clearly is in what we’ve seen of Mescal’s performance so far too, from the intense physicality he brings to his gladiator to the ever-present dedication to justice.
Mescal has been open about the comparisons already too, when he spoke about the twist. “The screenplay does a lot of that work for you in terms of the rubbing the dirt between the hands, the kind of DNA, and the genetics that Lucius inherits," he told Entertainment Weekly. “I was hoping that whatever DNA and even just the physical gestures was going to be one part of, and a kind of small part of, the performance.” An homage to one of the best on-screen performances in cinematic history? Sounds very entertaining, indeed.
Gladiator 2 is released in the UK on November 15 and in the US on November 22. For more upcoming movies, here's our guide to 2024 movie release dates.
