Ridley Scott’s 200o movie Gladiator is a legendary historical action thriller. Ridley Scott, who directed the first movie, has talked about his plans for making a sequel. Gladiator 2 will be twice the fun, twice the thrill and twice the adrenaline. The iconic director has already made his return to the Alien franchise. He wants to work his magic on Gladiator too. But the only problem is – how does Maximus, who died in Gladiator, return in Gladiator 2?
Luckily there are indeed many possible ways for Maximus to come back to the land of the living. Multiple options have come up over the years. Some are more flawed than the others while some make very little sense. We list all of them out for you and let you guys decide.
Nick Cave’s Theory – Maximus Is Resurrected By The Roman Gods
There already exists an original script for Gladiator 2. Written by Nick Cave, the scrip borrows heavily from mythology and fantasy. The story for the sequel would see Maximus’ spirit being held in the afterlife. The Roman Gods, the ones that the people of Rome used to worship, revive Maximus. But the resurrection is unconventional. Maximus returns but his spirit is now possessing the body of another fallen martyr. Things get a little whoopsie-daisy from there.
The reason the Roman Pantheon resurrects maximus is because they want him to protect Christian refugees being persecuted by the Romans. The idea of Roman Gods sending a champion to protect people that do not even worship them is absurd. Oh and the antagonist will be Lucius, Maximus’ former lover’s son. Considering Scott’s love for ambiguous stories, he might as well move forward with this one.
Doug Wicks’ Theory – Maximus Returns In A More Biblical Fashion
Doug Wick’s idea for Maximus coming back for Gladiator 2 was much more religiously themed than Nick Cave’s script. Maximus’ dead body is taken by his followers and anointed with oils. The corpse is then put into a tomb and sealed. After the stone is rolled back a few days later, it would be found empty. Maximus has returned from the dead in a more Christian mythology themed resurrection.
This was confirmed by Russell Crowe himself in a 2020 interview. Although nice to hear, this story would have been super controversial with hardline and religious fans.
Russell Crowe’s Theory – Maximus Never Died In Gladiator
Of all the theories, this is the one that makes the most sense. But it is also extremely disappointing if Ridley Scott moves ahead with it. Crowe explains the theory by stating that the dead body of Maximus we saw in Gladiator was fake. Maximus never really died. He just wanted the world to think he was dead because he now wanted a simpler life. This would also dilute the weight and tone of the sacrifice made by the character in the first movie. But considering this theory staves off the fantasy elements, Scott would favor it.
Ridley Scott Explains Maximus’ Resurrection In Gladiator 2
The director never really liked hyping up a project even before he got his hands dirty. So there’s not much to discuss here. But he did refer to Cave’s script and said ” [he] knew how (he) would bring him back,” While in an interview with Empire, Scott said the script was “ready to go”. So he has probably thought of a more rational explanation for Maximus returning from the dead.
Let’s hope he did a good job.
