Gladiator: Is Maximus The Father Of Lucius?
One of the most heart-wrenching parts of "Gladiator" is the scene when Maximus returns to his home in Spain only to find that his estate has been ransacked and his beloved wife and son have been brutally killed. While this appears to leave him without any further members of his nuclear family, that may not actually be true. In fact, it appears that Lucius Verus (Spencer Treat Clark) is secretly Maximus' son, as well.
In an interview back in 2006, "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott explained that the behind-the-camera powers that be were already planning a sequel at that time. This would focus on the period after the concluding events of "Gladiator," with the director clarifying that Russell Crowe would not return to his role as Maximus due to his irrevocable death at the end of the first movie. Scott elaborated that the second movie would focus on the next generation, specifically saying, "Therefore, it would be to the son that Maximus had probably left behind with his affair with Lucilla."
This casual statement implies that none other than Clark's Lucius Verus II is Maximus' son. This makes sense, as there are clear indications throughout the film that Maximus and Lucilla were lovers back in the day. Some of the scenes between Maximus and Verus are also reminiscent of a father and son.
Lucius Verus' historical parentage
Technically speaking, Lucius Verus II is the son of Lucilla and her deceased husband, Lucius Verus. The boy's mother is a very real historical figure and was the daughter of an emperor (Marcus Aurelius), the sister of an emperor (Commodus), and a Roman Empress herself.
Lucilla filled that last role as the wife of Lucius Verus. According to Roman history, Verus Sr. co-ruled with Lucilla's father, Marcus Aurelius, for a while. While Verus died before "Gladiator" begins, the royal couple reportedly had several children together. Some sources refer to a boy named Lucius Verus, but tragically, none of the children seem to have lived very long.
That means the fact that Lucius is still alive in "Gladiator" is already bending historical truth. To reveal him as the bastard son of a fictional gladiator will certainly cross the line into historical fiction — but it's not like Ridley Scott is afraid to play in that sandbox, anyway. His historical dramas are loaded with historical inaccuracies, most of which admittedly make the story better.
Looking ahead to Gladiator 2
While Lucius was played by the then-young Spencer Treat Clark in the original film, that piece of cinematic history came out in 2000, nearly a quarter of a century ago. Despite potentially aging into the role, Clark will not be reprising his on-screen Roman counterpart. Instead, Ridley Scott has cast Irish actor Paul Mescal ("Aftersun") in the role.
In addition to bringing back an older Lucius, it seems likely Scott will steer into the political world that the young Roman royal hails from. In the above-referenced interview, he said as much, stating, "You're then basing a film on a different kind of premise. Again, you're basing it on a corrupt Rome, the Rome that would be heading to its own demise. It was far more rambling and complex. Often great plays are very simple, and I think that the mechanics of the Gladiator story were really very satisfactory and worked very well." In another interview with Empire, as reported by IGN, Scott went on record saying, "I wouldn't touch gladiators again. I mean, I wouldn't touch the gladiatorial side again, we have to go to the next step." He added that there will be more focus on politics and the infamously tumultuous praetorian guard in a sequel.
Of course, that was 20 years ago. How much of that focus has survived a nearly two-decade hiatus between planning and filming remains to be seen.