Much like the mighty Maximus Decimus Meridius, the latest trailer for Gladiator II is fearless as it delivers spoilers as comfortably as the former gladiator dispatched his enemies. The newest footage is far from concerned about any dreaded spoilers, revealing an exciting detail about the returning character, and lead of the sequel, Lucius Verus, played by Paul Mescal. The clues begin when Lucius refers to a famous quote said by Maximus in the Oscar-winning epic, telling Denzel Washington’s former slave-turned-power broker, “I will never be your instrument…in this life or the next.”
After bringing the memory of Maximus to all our minds, the footage confirms what many have long suspected – Lucius is indeed the son of Rusell Crowe’s fallen hero. “Lucius, take your father’s strength,” his mother Lucilla, played by the returning Connie Nielsen, tells him. “His name was Maximus and I see him in you.”
While many have long-theorized that Gladiator 2 would reveal Lucius to be the secret child of Maximus, this is a still a major twist in the story, and it’s pretty surprising that the marketing would confirm such a detail so unequivocally. Unless, of course, there are more twists to come?
Gladiator 2 Lead Paul Mescal Reacts to the Spoiler
The idea that Lucius could be Maximus’ son is hinted at in the first Gladiator, with Lucilla and Maximus having had a relationship in the past, the obvious feelings that linger for each other, and Lucius instantly admiring the general-turned-gladiator. Still, having it confirmed in the trailer comes as a surprise, with the revelation even adding a new layer to the first outing.
Gladiator 2 star Paul Mescal, who stars as Lucius in the sequel, has since reacted to the spoiler while speaking with EW, saying “Oh, absolutely. I was like, ‘Holy s—,'” when finding out the truth about the character’s origin. He adds that the older Lucius will share some visual DNA with his father saying:
“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. So I kind of tried to park that to one side because ultimately, where Lucius is coming from at the start of the film, he has a very different journey than Maximus does. And 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. But then what I tried to do is figure out exactly who Lucius was and where those differences lay between Lucius and Maximus.”
Directed by Ridley Scott, Gladiator 2 stars Paul Mescal (Aftersun), Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, Fantastic Four), Fred Hechinger (Kraven the Hunter), Connie Nielsen (Gladiator, Nobody), Derek Jacobi (Gladiator, Good Omens), May Calamawy (Moon Knight), Lior Raz (The Crowded Room), Peter Mensah (300, Avatar), and Hollywood icon Denzel Washington.
Gladiator II
is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 22.
