Denzel Washington’s Gladiator II Role: A Look at Macrinus

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, arriving in theaters November 22nd, features Denzel Washington as Macrinus, a prominent Black businessman who commands a gladiator army.

“My sole desire is to entertain you,” Macrinus declares early in the film to Lucius and Geta, portrayed by Fred Hechinger and Joseph Quinn respectively.

In the film’s narrative, Macrinus purchases Lucius, a young man brought to Rome from a conquered city-state, unaware that Lucius is the illegitimate grandson of the renowned Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

While a historical figure, Macrinus did not lead a gladiator army, and the film’s storyline about Marcus Aurelius’ illegitimate grandson is fictional. The real Macrinus originated from North Africa, specifically modern-day Algeria. According to Professor Greg Woolf, author of Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World, during Caracalla’s reign, Macrinus served as a Praetorian Guard prefect and was a distinguished Roman lawyer.

He succeeded Caracalla, who was assassinated in 217. The troops subsequently elevated Macrinus to the emperorship.

“Certain historical accounts suggest Macrinus’ involvement in the assassination and portray him as ambitiously seeking the throne,” notes Andrew Scott, a Classical Studies professor at Villanova University.

The movie strongly implies Macrinus’s culpability in Caracalla’s death, depicting him as the one who broke Caracalla’s neck.

Macrinus’s reign lasted only about a year, concluding in 218 when he was overthrown by troops during a civil war.