The digital release ofGladiator IIhas revealed several deleted scenes, with some of them provoking uproar over being cut out of the movie’s theatrical release. Other scenes would have complicated the plot and were probably best kept out.Gladiator IInow streaming on Paramount+originally shot several scenes involving the Emperors Geta and Caracallain particular, with more revealed about the lengths they would go to to maintain their power.
One deleted scene had the two Emperors making an unusual request ofLucilla before her meaningful ending inGladiator II.The movie portrays the Emperors as chaotic and power-hungry, with Lucius and Lucilla both keeping the old ideals of Marcus Aurelius’ Rome alive. The omitted scene highlights a very different pathway Lucilla could have taken.
Geta & Caracalla Ask Lucilla To Adopt Them In A Gladiator 2 Deleted Scene
The Disturbing Scene Shows A Stoic Lucilla Being Asked To Confirm Her Son Is Dead
There was more than oneGladiator IIscene involving the Emperorsremoved for the theatrical cut of the movie. This particular deleted scene depicts Geta and Caracalla making a proposition to Lucilla, Lucius’ mother. Lucilla asks the pair why they have requested their presence and Caracalla says his brother, and he has a proposal to make, then defers to Geta to explain their request. Geta goes on to explain,“In your father’s time, an Emperor who lacked a son would adopt another as his heir.”
Lucilla can clearly see where this is going, but she asks them straightforwardly what they want.Caracalla replies,“Adopt us as your sons.”Geta claims,“You will enjoy much greater benefits,”as a persuasive tactic. Caracalla ominously goes on to say,“And you have no son of your own. Your son died, did he not?”Geta further reasons that she is“past childbearing age”and, disturbingly, Caracalla counters,“though not undesirable.”
At this point in the movie, Caracalla is still in a fairly sound mind and he and Geta are aligned in their goals. Caracalla is nonetheless chilling in this scene, as his last words have an implicitly incestuous tone, which is a great callback to Commodus in the firstGladiatormovie. Lucilla’s Stoicism in the scene gives nothing away, while the pair question her about her son, presumed deceased.
Why The Emperors Would Want To Be Adopted By Lucilla In Gladiator 2
Lucilla’s Adoption Would Improve The Stability Of The Emperors' Rule
The Emperors’ adoption by Lucilla may lend legitimacy to their rule and garner support from those loyal to the old bloodline and“dream of Rome”inGladiator. It could also serve as a symbolic gesture of their desire for stability and order, contrasting with the chaos and instability that marked their rise to power. However, this move could also prove to be a double-edged sword for Lucilla. While it might offer her a degree of protection, it would restrict her freedom. It would also draw her husband,Gladiator II’s General Acacius, further into the political web he wants to escape.
Acacius allied with Lucilla to put an end to the bloodshed and restore Rome to Marcus Aurelius’ ideals…
Lucilla and Acacius’ plan inGladiator IIwas to overthrow Geta and Caracalla’s rule and take back Rome by force. Acacius was tired of leading his men into endless conquest on behalf of the power-hungry fraternal Emperors. Acacius allied with Lucilla to put an end to the bloodshed and restore Rome to Marcus Aurelius’ ideals. Lucilla adopting them would complicate this goal. It would also mean further confirming Lucius’ supposed death.
Although they do not want Hanno’s true identity revealed and want to help him escape the rebellion they had planned, if Lucilla had adopted the Emperors and then tried to restore Lucius as a rightful heir after overthrowing them, this would have sent a very mixed message to the Roman public and their supporters. The deleted scene is interesting because it opens up another potential route for Lucilla and Acacius - bringing their enemy closer and later betraying them. Instead, they chose the more honorable choice of rebelling and taking a stand inGladiator II.
Gladiator II
Cast
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
