Warning! This article contains spoilers for Gladiator 2.

Gladiator 2's ending concludes the sequel with expected sword fights, Colosseum battles, and political machinations, but not without a familiar helping hand closing out the film. Gladiator 2's cast of characters is led by Paul Mescal's Lucius Verus, who begins the film under the alias Hanno. After having his home destroyed by the Roman Army, Lucius becomes embroiled in the world of gladiatorial combat, echoing the story of Maximus Decimus Meridius that concluded with Gladiator's emotional ending.

Throughout the film, Lucius - one of the many Gladiator characters based on real people - reckons with his true heritage as a grandson of Marcus Aurelius and the son of Maximus. Rather than bury his head in the sand and remain content to carry out wrathful vengeance, Lucius embraces his familial connections and begins fighting for the good of Rome via the Colosseum,...