New Gladiator II Trailer Confirms What We Suspected About Lucius' Identity

Contains general spoilers for "Gladiator II"

It looks like all of those rumors are true — when director Ridley Scott's "Gladiator II" finally hits theaters, the film will continue the legacy of Maximus (Russell Crowe) by showing us what happens to the next generation of his family. Lucius is confirmed to be the central character of the film, with Paul Mescal replacing Spencer Treat Clark, who played a much younger version of the character in the first movie. He is also revealed to be Maximus' son via a voiceover in the latest trailer for the sequel (see below). His mother, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), can be heard and seen saying, "Lucius, take your father's strength. His name was Maximus. And I see him in you." She also offers her son a ring that belonged to his father.

This is an interesting twist, as the pre-publicity material for the film indicates that Lucilla will witness Lucius battle in the arena but fails to recognize her own son due to the fact that Lucius has long estranged himself from her. As a matter of fact, he's been living just the kind of life his father wanted him to live — as a quiet parent and husband on a farm. Unfortunately, the Roman army ruins his life, just as Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) ruined his father's. Time will tell if he survives the machinations of the empire, unlike his father. But for those curious as to how and why Lucius ended up where he is, the first movie plants the seeds of his fate.

During the original "Gladiator," Lucius' paternity is a secret, as Maximus and Lucilla are implied to be former lovers, and Lucilla is shown dodging the martial and sexual overtures of her own power-hungry brother, Commodus. Lucius, who's roughly ten or so at this point, is led to believe that he's the son of Lucilla's husband, who has been dead for five years when Maximus and Lucila meet again.

Who can blame him, when his parents don't speak of the reality of the situation themselves? The movie strongly hints at the notion of Lucius being Maximus' son and at their former romantic relationship. But while nothing is directly stated, it's clear Maximus' heart lingers with the son and wife Commodus slaughtered to bring him to heel. When he dreams of the afterlife, it's a vision of him going to their eternal farm and being with them.

The lines Lucilla speaks in the trailer above indicate that she hasn't shared the truth about her son's origins with him in the intervening decade-plus, either. When "Gladiator II" opens, Lucius hasn't seen his mother for fifteen years. There's no word as of this writing as to why they've been estranged or how Lucius managed to escape from Rome after Commodus' death and the possible return of Roman power to the Senate. That Lucilla continues to hold a position of power in the capital during the second movie under twin Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) is curious. It makes one wonder what she's done to keep all eyes on her.

Besides Lucilla and Lucius, what other "Gladiator" characters make their return in "Gladiator II." Well, at least one more actor from the original film will show up in the sequel outing. Derek Jacobi is slated to reprise his role as Senator Gracchus, the former ally of Maximus' who tries to help him start a coup during the first film. The question here is, will he extend a hand to help his old friend's son? Or will he represent a new ruling class under the twin emperors who seem to be ready to outdo Commodus in their combined desire for power and authority?

Time will tell who ends up siding with Lucius and who ends up falling in line with Rome's latest twin terrors when "Gladiator II" hopefully blows you away upon its release on November 15.