Acacius & Lucilla's Plan In Gladiator 2 Explained & What Went Wrong

As a sequel to the 2000 historic epic Gladiator, director Ridley Scott's film, Gladiator II,featured another vast, gruesome battle to free the people of the Roman Empire from tyranny. New characters in Gladiator II, like Pedro Pascal's Acacius and Denzel Washington's Macrinus, are seen fighting for control alongside characters from the original movie, including Lucius and Lucilla. As such, 2024's Gladiator II features plenty of schemes and wars being carried out in and outside the Colosseum.

Though the film began with Geta and Caracalla ruling the Roman Empire, there were plenty of good and bad people who hoped and fought to overthrow these ruthless warmongers. Though the heroes succeeded in freeing Rome from their evil rulers, Gladiator II featured many plot twists that didn't bode well for everyone in the film. This includes Connie Nielsen's Lucilla, who was at the helm working to take down the Emperors, only to face many unexpected surprises.

Acacius & Lucilla Planned To Overthrow Rome's Emperors Caracalla & Geta

Lucilla Planned Another Rebellion Against Rome's Corrupt Leaders

Fred Hechinger as Emperor Caracalla and Joseph Quinn as Emperor Geta enjoying a show at the Colosseum in Gladiator II.

Lucilla is no stranger to leading rebellions. She famously fought alongside Maximus to take back control of Rome from her evil brother Commodus, who usurped the throne after murdering their father in Gladiator. However, 16 years later in the Gladiator 2 timeline, Lucilla intended to overthrow the corrupt Emperors Caracalla and Geta in the sequel. The corrupt rulers wanted to conquer as many lands as possible, despite there being too many mouths to feed. Believing in her father's ideals, Lucilla hoped to put an end to the Emperors' oppressive ways and make Rome a better place.

Like in the first Gladiator film, Lucilla had old allies within the Roman Senate who also wished to lead Rome the right way, including Derek Jacobi's Senator Gracchus from the first Gladiator. The sequel also depicted Lucilla with a new ally in the form of her new husband, General Acacius. Though he had led the Roman army in slaughtering countless people in their global conquest, it was clear Acacius was sick of leading people into fighting senseless wars on behalf of the power-hungry emperors. Thus, Acacius aligned himself with Lucilla to help put an end to all the bloodshed in Gladiator II.

Acacius' Plan To Invade Rome With His Army Explained

Acacius And His Army Could've Taken Rome From The Emperors

Acacius proved to be the most essential part of Lucilla's plan to overthrow Emperors Geta and Caracalla in Gladiator II. As a revered General of the Roman Army, Acacius had 5,000 soldiers loyal to him waiting for his command in Ulster. With his army at his side, Acacius planned to invade Rome, swarm the Colosseum, and arrest Geta and Caracalla for crimes against the Senate. Acacius scheduled this uprising for the last day of the gladiator games, which were held to celebrate his conquering of Numidia.

Acacius proved himself to be a capable leader and warrior with his shattering victory over the people of Numidia in the film's first act. It was obvious that Acacius could've taken over Rome and taken down the Emperors if things had gone according to plan. Unfortunately, Acacius could not summon his army to take back Rome due to his untimely death in the Colosseum. Nevertheless, Lucius was able to call upon Acacius's soldiers later in the film, using his status as the son of war hero Maximus to win their loyalty.

Lucilla Wants To Change The Plan After Lucius' Arrival In Roma

Lucilla Wanted To Save Both Rome And Her Son In Gladiator II

Though Acacius and Lucilla's plan to take back Rome seemed foolproof, the latter changed tactics due to an unexpected visitor fighting the Colosseum, who was ironically put there by Acacius himself. After the gladiator Hanno displayed his skills in the arena, Lucilla discovered that he was her long-lost son Lucius, whom she had sent away to protect him from their political rivals. His arrival complicates this even more due to his desire to kill Acacius for causing the death of his wife during the battle of Numidia.

While Lucilla was willing to put her life on the line for the good of Rome, as a true mother, she made it clear she didn't want to sacrifice her son. Fearing Lucius wouldn't survive the games, Lucilla delayed her plans so Acacius could free her son from the Colosseum, despite him hating both of them. Unfortunately, during this attempted prison break, Lucilla and Acacius were discovered and arrested by the Emperors due to another unforeseen interference.

How Acacius & Lucilla's Plan Was Discovered

A Gambling Senator Helped Macrinus Take Down The Rebellion

Denzel Washington as Macrinus in Gladiator II.

Lucius wasn't the only one who threw a wrench into his mother's plans in Gladiator II. The corrupt Senator Thraex had gotten in the way of the rebellion after he discovered Acacius and Lucilla's plan. Since he owed Macrinus a lot of money after betting against him in the games, Thraex informed the latter of the duo's conspiracy in order to pay off his debt. Seeing it as a way to win the Emperors' favor and gain power, Macrinus warned Geta and Caracalla about the planned insurrection ahead of time.

As a result, the Emperors arrested Acacius and Lucilla and nearly executed the duo on the spot. However, Geta and Caracalla instead chose to have Acacius fight Lucius in the Colosseum with Lucilla in attendance. This made for a tragic twist of fate, as Lucilla was forced to watch her husband fight her son to the death. By taking down Acacius and Lucilla, Macrinus worked his way up to the top and took the throne for himself. Technically, Acacius and Lucilla helped him rebel against the Emperors, only for a new tyrant to replace Geta and Caracalla.

Though Lucilla and Acacius's efforts did help Lucius win in the end,Gladiator II still made for a darker and more surprising follow-up to the original film.

All in all, Gladiator II repeats its predecessor's story by having Lucilla secretly working to reclaim control of the Roman Empire from its wicked rulers. However, the sequel puts a new spin on a classic tale by having characters like Lucius, Thraex, and Macrinus interfere with the rebellion. While Lucilla and Acacius could've won and made for much better leaders of Rome, the movie took a shocking turn with their characters and killed them both off. Though Lucilla and Acacius's efforts did help Lucius win in the end,Gladiator II still made for a darker and more surprising follow-up to the original film.