Do You Need To Watch ‘Gladiator’ Before Seeing ‘Gladiator 2’? Here’s What To Remember

Even by today’s standards where every pre-existing movie is fair game for a sequel, Gladiator II is arriving in theaters with a notable time gap since its Oscar-winning blockbuster predecessor. It’s been just short of 25 years since Ridley Scott’s throwback epic made a superstar out of Russell Crowe in the summer of 2000. For some perspective, if a similarly long-gap sequel had come out back then alongside Gladiator, this would have meant it was following up a movie from late in 1975. (What would that legacy sequel have been? Three More Days of the Condor? Two Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest?) In other words, it’s understandable if you don’t remember exactly what happened in the last movie. If you were around when the first Gladiator came out, you’ve lived about a third of a lifetime since then.

If you weren’t around back then, or just need a refresher regardless, the film is currently streaming on Paramount+. (If you don’t have Paramount+, you can also rent or buy a digital version from the usual providers.) It holds up well enough; Ridley Scott’s digital-meets-classical filmmaking techniques only seem more elegant compared to so many janky-looking effects-based movies from today, and while some may have preferred Russell Crowe’s other two Best Actor Oscar nominations from this era (he was nominated three years in a row, for The Insider, Gladiator, and A Beautiful Mind), in retrospect it makes sense that he won for this one. It’s his greatest pure movie-star leading performance, even if The Insider is a more impressive transformation.

That said, maybe you remember the basics of Gladiator and don’t have time for a full 155-minute rewatch before catching the 148-minute sequel. Not to worry: We can fill you in on what details from the first movie you need to keep in mind while watching this one.

First, you’ll want to remember that Maximus, the warrior-turned-slave-turned-warrior who Crowe played in the first movie, is dead. You probably do remember this if you saw the first movie at all, but I wouldn’t want you to be expecting a return engagement from delightful late-period Russell Crowe, only to be disappointed by his absence. Crowe is not in Gladiator II. Two other characters do return for major roles, however.

In fact, the lead character in the sequel comes from Gladiator, even if you don’t recognize him. Lucius, a warrior played by Paul Mescal in the new movie, is the nephew of Commodus, the emperor played by Joaquin Phoenix last time around. Lucius appeared in the first movie as a child, played by Spencer Treat Clark; he accidentally and unknowingly tips off the emperor about the plan, aided by Lucius’s mother and Commodus’s sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), to spring Maximus from slavery and have him overthrow Commodus. Commodus threatens the lives of Lucius and Lucilla, who is also an ex-lover of Maximus. When Maximus kills Commodus in a duel, both Lucius and Lucilla are safe. With Commodus dead, this also puts young Lucius in line for the throne, though Lucilla and others hope to return power to the Roman senate.

Lucilla, based on an actual historical figure, is the other major character who returns for Gladiator II, still played by Nielsen, and her overall plan has obviously not been fully realized. A declining Rome still rests in the hands of emperors, in this case co-emperor brothers without much of a head for governance between them. Where Lucilla and Lucius are at the beginning of the movie can be left for viewers to discover themselves. You just need to remember that Lucius (Mescal) is the daughter of Lucilla, they were protected by Maximus in the original film, and they are the sister and nephew of the bad-guy emperor. That’s about it. Sir Derek Jacobi reprises his Roman senator role from the first film, but you don’t really need to remember anything about his earlier appearance for the movie to make sense.

And no, Denzel Washington wasn’t in the original – so that’s one thing the new one has over its predecessor!

Where To Stream Gladiator 1 (For Free)

where to stream gladiator

You’re in luck! If you’re a Paramount+ subscriber, that’s your easiest bet to stream Gladiator commercial-free. If you’re not, you can watch Gladiator on both the Roku Channel and PlutoTV. Looking for more ways? Look no further!

Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer living in Brooklyn. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others. He podcasts at www.sportsalcohol.com, too.