Gladiator 2 is officially happening, and although Russel Crowe played the original film's main character, it's good that Maximus won't return in the sequel for four big reasons. Gladiator is one of the most beloved films of the year 2000, having had an immense cultural impact and winning Best Picture at the Oscars. Because of this, some have hoped that Maximus will return for Gladiator 2, as Russell Crowe's character is a franchise staple. However, bringing Maximus back for Gladiator 2 would not only hurt the sequel due to it not making sense but retroactively hurt the original film as well.
Ridley Scott's Gladiator was a huge financial and critical success when it was released in 2000, with the film being considered one of the highlights of the esteemed director's career. Due to its legacy, it's surprising that a Gladiator sequel has taken this long, as it has been a little too long to capitalize on the original's success. However, Ridley Scott has finally confirmed that Gladiator 2 is happening, and the film will follow Paul Mescal's Lucius, the nephew of the original film's villain, Commodus. Interestingly, Russel Crowe has said that he isn't returning for Gladiator 2, which is a good thing.
4 Russell Crowe's Maximus Had A Perfect Ending In Gladiator
The biggest reason Russel Crowe's Maximus shouldn't return in Gladiator 2 is that the character already had a perfect ending in the original Gladiator. Despite Gladiator being a fantastic film, its characters are fairly simplistic, with Maximus solely driven by vengeance. In Gladiator, Commodus puts on a coup that ends with Maximus' family being killed and Maximus being sold into slavery. Due to his love for his family, Maximus wants to work his way back to the top of the Roman political sphere to kill Commodus, which he eventually pulls off by participating in the gladiatorial games.
Maximus dies at the end of Gladiator after having accomplished his mission, with his final scene being him reuniting with his wife and son in the afterlife. This beautiful scene perfectly caps off the story of Maximus in the world of Gladiator, and bringing Russell Crowe's Maximus back in Gladiator 2 would be a huge mistake because of this. Maximus' story is so perfectly tied off that adding any extra content could risk hurting the simplicity and beauty of the original. Dragging Maximus back into the mix in Gladiator 2 would be nothing more than nostalgia bait, tarnishing the motivation that makes his character so great.
3 Gladiator 2's Maximus Return Ideas Were All Ridiculous
Another reason that Russell Crowe not returning in Gladiator 2 is a good thing is that every idea for his return was utterly ridiculous. There is no way to bring Maximus back that isn't dumb, hurting the grounded tone of the original Gladiator movie. Although the Roman afterlife is implied to be real in the first film, bringing Maximus back to life would be way too far-fetched for Gladiator 2, further hurting the story of Maximus. Because of this, Maximus needs to stay dead in Gladiator 2. There are also theories on how Maximus could return even when dead, but each idea is just as dumb.
The main suggestions for how Maximus could return in Gladiator 2 have to do with the sequel's protagonist, Lucius. In the original film, a young Lucius looks up to Maximus, enjoying watching the gladiator fight. While there is a nice connection between the two, it is not significant enough to warrant having Maximus appear in a flashback or dream that an adult Lucius has in Gladiator 2. It would be incredibly hard to work one of these scenes without it feeling contrived or forced, meaning it's a better idea to just completely leave Maximus out of Gladiator 2.
2 It Wouldn't Make Sense To Only Bring Maximus Back For Gladiator 2
Although Maximus is the main character of the original Gladiator, it wouldn't make sense for him to be the only character brought back in Gladiator 2. If Lucius were to have a dream about Maximus, it would only make sense for Lucius to also dream about other characters that had a much bigger impact on him. For example, it would make more sense for Lucius to dream about his uncle Commodus, his grandfather, and his mother, meaning Gladiator 2 would have to also bring these characters back. Additionally, many other characters have a more well-defined relationship with Lucius than Maximus, meaning Maximus' return just wouldn't make sense.
Bringing back all of these characters would only further hurt the world and story of Gladiator. They would turn Gladiator 2 from a personal story about Lucius into a nostalgia fest featuring many of the original Gladiator's main characters. Bringing them all back would feel unnatural, but they would have to all return for Maximus' return to make sense. Gladiator has written itself into a corner with Maximus, meaning that it's a good thing that Russel Crowe's character won't be returning at all.
1 Focusing On New Characters Will Help Gladiator 2's Story
Focusing on completely new characters will make Gladiator 2's story much better than dredging up old characters would. While Lucius is technically a returning character, the young boy received so little development in the original Gladiator that the sequel can turn him into a completely original character. Gladiator 2 will also feature an original villain played by Barry Keoghan's, further stepping away from the world of the original film. Gladiator 2 needs to be a sequel in tone and themes rather than in the story, and focusing on the original characters is the best way to do that.
While focusing on new characters will help Gladiator 2's story, bringing back old ones like Maximus would only hurt it. Maximus has already been fully developed, and bringing him back would only distract from the story of Lucius and the rest of the original characters. Rather than having old characters return, developing new characters to the point where they're just as beloved as Maximus and Commodus is a much better idea. Gladiator 2 has tons of potential, and not bringing back Russell Crowe is a good sign of the film's direction.