Remember when “Creed” came out and it was revealed that Apollo Creed had a secret son named Adonis as a result of cheating on his wife, somewhat retconning the “loving husband” belief many had about him? Adonis was raised in foster care and spent time at juvenile hall before being adopted by Apollo’s widow, Mary Anne Creed, doing right by the child her husband neglected before his passing. While it makes for a great underdog story for Adonis Creed’s trilogy, it certainly paints Creed in the “Rocky” series in a new light. Retconning is nothing new, but it can be incredibly frustrating when it happens, especially when the decision is so egregious it completely diminishes the character’s motivation and ethos of previous films.
Unfortunately, unless this is just the result of some clever editing, the trailer for “Gladiator II” certainly seems to imply that the heroic Maximus (Russell Crowe) is the father of the now-adult Lucius (Paul Mescal), the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s villainous emperor Commodus as seen in the first film. Lucius is not Lucius Verus I, as he had been led to believe, but the son of a legendary and now-dead gladiator.
In “Gladiator,” Maximus Decimus Meridius was on a revenge tour following the crucifixion of his wife and son. Every decision he made was in their honor, which makes the reveal of Lucius also being his son ring a little … odd. Maximus and Lucius’ mom Lucilla absolutely did have a past romance, but it’s said that they separated many years before the start of “Gladiator” despite still caring for one another. The two went their separate ways and married their respective spouses, with Lucilla even noting that she and her late husband had a son that at the time was “nearly eight years old,” which was around the same age as Maximus’ son with his wife.
So, if Maximus is Lucius’ father according to “Gladiator II,” that means Maximus either cheated on his wife with Lucilla or got her pregnant immediately before meeting his future wife.
Clever trailer editing, a total retcon, or a secret from Lucilla?
“Gladiator” never implies that Maximus and Lucilla have a child together, and in fact, their both having children is one of the things they both show genuine joy and warmth about discussing, because it seems to be the one thing they truly love that has nothing to do with the other person. Maximus was presented as an incredibly loyal husband and father — meaning, if Lucius is his son, he either didn’t know the truth about the child’s parentage or he did know and this completely upends his moral compass.
These two certainly had feelings for each other and Commodus was seriously pressed about how obvious it was that Lucilla loved Maximus and not him (this ain’t “Game of Thrones,” Commodus!), but given Maximus’ devotion to his wife and son … something seems off. When Lucius introduces himself as a child to Maximus in “Gladiator,” he even calls himself “Lucius Farris, after my father,” so Lucilla is keeping secrets, it seems.
It would make sense for her to keep the secret of Lucius’ father given her position as the daughter of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Maximus being just a general she was schtupping out of wedlock because, despite the historical understanding that the ancient Romans were sticking it in anyone and anything, sexual liberty was largely one-sided. Women were supposed to produce as many male heirs as possible for their husbands, while men engaging in extramarital affairs was seen as a given. But Lucilla and Maximus weren’t married at the time, so justifying her keeping this secret gets harder and harder within the context of the story! Not to mention, the trailer also has Lucius drop famous Maximus lines like “I will have my vengeance” and “in this life or the next,” so clearly the film wants the audience to make the connection to the original film.
The more I think about it, I don’t know if this retcon “ruins” the original film, but it certainly takes Maximus’ hero position down a few notches.
“Gladiator II” arrives in theaters on November 22, 2024.