Warning - this article contains spoilers for Gladiator II. Gladiator II follows the epic story of Maximus Decimus Meridius’ (played by Russell Crowe) son Lucius (Paul Mescal) from former heir to the Roman Empire to an enslaved warrior with a thirst for vengeance. Born to Maximus and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), Lucius was sent away after the events of the original 2000 film and resides with his wife in Numidia, a Roman province in North Africa.
When he’s taken prisoner by the Roman army, he forms a shaky alliance with power-hungry gladiator master Macrinus (Denzel Washington) to hatch a plot to take down Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), a conflicted general under the command of co-emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). However, Lucius will have to survive the perils of the Colosseum before reuniting with his mother and discovering his true destiny. As the original Gladiator is one of the most iconic films ever made, movie fans will be wondering if A-list star Crowe will be making an appearance as Maximus.
Although he’s famously slain at the end of the first film, there was a chance Maximus could return in a vision of the afterlife or in new footage filmed for flashbacks, with Crowe de-aged with special effects. For those who don’t want spoilers, look away - no, Crowe didn’t come back to shoot new footage, although Maximus appears in scenes from the first Gladiator at several points in the new sequel. His name is evoked throughout once Lucius reconne.