Is Denzel Washington's “Gladiator II” Villain Based on a Real Roman Emperor? An Expert Weighs In (Exclusive)

Yes, many of the characters in ‘Gladiator’ and its new sequel are based on actual figures from ancient Rome

Gladiator II might seem too wild to be believed — Colosseum rhinos and baboons and sharks, oh my! — but it’s based on real-life Roman history and people.

Many of the characters in director Ridley Scott’s Paul Mescal-starring sequel are inspired by history, says Roman culture expert Shadi Bartsch, the University of Chicago’s Helen A. Regenstein Distinguished Service Professor of Classics.

Just as Joaquin Phoenix played Commodus, an actual Roman emperor, in the 2000 hit starring Russell Crowe, the new characters Geta, Caracalla and Macrinus each did rule the empire.

Note: Gladiator II spoilers follow.

“There was a guy called Macrinus, who was a Roman Emperor who ruled right after Caracalla,” confirms Bartsch of the character played in the movie by Denzel Washington. A Berber with darker skin, “Macrinus was born in the Roman province of Mauritania, which happens to be in North Africa,” she says, noting that the empire in those times was "an interestingly colorblind society."

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Macrinus "was the first Emperor who did not come from the senatorial class,” instead serving under Caracalla as a Praetorian prefect dealing with Rome’s civic affairs, adds Bartsch.

However, despite eventually ruling, he was “also the first emperor who never, ever got to visit Rome. He was an absent Roman emperor.”

This contrasts with the events of Gladiator II, in which Scott and writers David Scarpa and Peter Craig keep Washington’s character almost entirely within the ancient city. From there, Macrinus maneuvers Mescal’s Lucius Verus (a fictional character, although that name is borrowed from the real-life Marcus Aurelius’ brother) to fight in the Colosseum while he jockeys for power behind the scenes.

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“All you had to do was have an army and kill the previous emperor” in order to rule, explains Bartsch. “You would travel with your army around the Roman provinces continuing warfare, continuing to enlarge the boundaries of the emperor. But you didn't have to come to Rome, and Macrinus didn't.”

Furthermore, the Macrinus depicted by Washington calls himself a formerly enslaved person, which differs from history: “Macrinus was definitely not a former slave.”

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The movie’s Caracalla, played by Fred Hechinger, and Geta, played by Joseph Quinn, were in fact co-emperors around the time Macrinus was gaining power. Their father, emperor Severus, wanted “them to rule together,” says Bartsch, which they did — until, two years later, Caracalla has Geta “killed so that he doesn't have to share the rule.”

While it’s not accurate that Macrinus would have assisted Caracalla in murdering Geta by their own hands, as is depicted in the movie, the large-scale transfers of power are based on real history, as Bartsch explains: “Macrinus later conspired against Caracalla and had him murdered in a bid to protect his own life.”

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What about the movie depicting poor Caracalla as having syphilis? “Nope,” answers Bartsch. “If he were an advanced syphilitic, his nose tip would be black.”

Gladiator II, also starring Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi, is in theaters now.